MacRumors

Apple is ending its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple plans to stop working with Goldman Sachs in the next 12 to 15 months, and it is not yet clear if Apple has established a new partnership for the Apple Card.

Apple and Goldman Sachs will dissolve their entire consumer partnership, including the ‌Apple Card‌ and the Apple Savings account. Apple in a statement that was provided to CNBC said that it will continue to provide "the best tools and services" for ‌Apple Card‌ customers.

"Apple and Goldman Sachs are focused on providing an incredible experience for our customers to help them lead healthier financial lives. The award-winning Apple Card has seen a great reception from consumers, and we will continue to innovate and deliver the best tools and services for them."

Rumors earlier this year suggested that Goldman Sachs wanted to get out of its relationship with Apple as part of a plan to cut back on its consumer business. Goldman Sachs at the time was said to be speaking with American Express about a possible takeover, but the ‌Apple Card‌ needs to run on the Mastercard network until 2026 due to a deal established between Apple and Goldman Sachs. Amex also had concerns about aspects of the program such as loan loss rates due to Apple's push to have customers approved, so the status of the talks is not known.

Synchrony Financial, known as the largest issuer of store credit cards, has considered taking over the ‌Apple Card‌, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Goldman Sachs and Apple have worked together on the ‌Apple Card‌ since it launched in 2019, and have also teamed up for the high-yield Apple Savings account and the Apple Pay Later feature. The partnership has not gone smoothly, with Goldman Sachs running into customer service issues due to long wait times for disputed ‌Apple Card‌ transactions and issues with the Apple Savings account.

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau launched an investigation into Goldman Sachs due to the customer complaints, leading to tension with Apple. Apple is unhappy with the customer service reputation of its ‌Apple Card‌ and Apple Savings products, while some Goldman Sachs executives blame Apple for the regulatory scrutiny.

Goldman Sachs was new to consumer banking when the ‌Apple Card‌ launched, and to establish a deal with Apple, it is not collecting fees that many credit card issuers receive. The bank does not get a cut of the fee that merchants pay to Apple to accept the ‌Apple Card‌, nor is it able to collect annual fees, late fees, or foreign transaction fees. Goldman Sachs does earn money from loans issued to cardholders who split Apple purchases into installments, but it is not known if Apple will be able to establish a similar deal with another issuer because of the limited revenue the ‌Apple Card‌ provides.

Apple today began promoting new holiday-themed Apple Pay discounts, with a handful of stores offering deals when purchases are made with Apple Pay.

• Banter - 40% off jewelry priced at $50 or more with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Champion - $20 off $100 or more with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Chewy - $5 off orders of $5 or more in the Chewy app with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Columbia - $25 off orders of $150 or more.
• Compartes Chocolatier - 15% off your purchase with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Coyuchi - Extra 10% off sale items and 10% off full-priced styles with promo code APPLEPAY.
• HotelTonight - 10% off your hotel reservation in the HotelTonight app with promo code APPLEPAYHT.
• Theory - Extra 10% off your purchase.

These holiday ‌Apple Pay‌ promotions will be available through December 13. ‌Apple Pay‌ must be used to make the purchase in order to get the discount, with more information available on the Apple Pay holiday website.

Apple is wrapping up development on iOS 17.2, with the update expected to come out in December. While we're getting to the end of the beta testing period, Apple is still tweaking features and adding new functionality.

We've rounded up everything new in the fourth beta of iOS 17.2.

Default Notification Sound

Under Sounds & Haptics, there's a new "Default Alerts" section that allows you to choose the sound used for all incoming notifications aside from texts, mail alerts, and calendar alerts, which already had customization options.

All of the text tones can be used for the default notification sound, plus there is an option to also change the haptic vibration of default notifications.

Collaborative Apple Music Playlists

While collaborative Apple Music playlists were introduced in an earlier version of iOS 17.2, Apple has removed the option in the fourth beta, which suggests this is not an option that will be coming in iOS 17.2 after all.

AppleCare Settings

The "Coverage" section under Settings > General has been renamed to AppleCare & Warranty. It still includes ‌AppleCare‌ info for your iPhone and connected devices such as the Apple Watch and AirPods.

Under General > About there's a new Warranty section that provides coverage information for the ‌iPhone‌.

Recording to an External Device

With the iPhone 15 Pro models, ProRes video can be recorded directly to an external device. iOS 17.2 appears to include a new pop up message that lets users know that external recording is not working because of a USB-C cable that is too slow.

There was previously a warning about an external storage device not having a fast enough write speed to support external recording, but now there is an added message about the write speed of the USB-C cable.

iTunes

Code in iOS 17.2 confirms that Apple is planning to eliminate the option to purchase TV shows and movies in the iTunes app. TV and movie content will need to be purchased in the TV app in the future, but for now, the change has not actually been implemented.

"You can buy or rent TV shows and find your purchases in the Apple TV app," reads the code.

More iOS 17.2 Beta 4 Features

Know of a feature that we left out in this list? Let us know in the comments below.

Best Buy's Cyber Monday sale has transitioned into a "Holiday Deals" event that's promising new discounts and offers every day for the next 20 days. For today, the focus is on a few laptop deals, including the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air.

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.

As with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals we saw, some of the discounts below require a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total membership. These start at $49.99/year and grant members early access to sales, exclusive discounts on select products, and more.

MacBook Air

The highlight of the sale is Apple's 256GB 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air for $949.00, down from $1,099.00. Best Buy has this sale price in all four colors, and it represents a solid second-best price on the 2022 notebook.

Similarly, the 512GB model of the 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air is available on sale during Best Buy's Cyber Week event. You can get this version for $1,249.00, down from $1,399.00. Neither of these deals require you to have a My Best Buy Plus/Total membership.

Computers

• Lenovo Ideapad 15-inch Touch Laptop - $329.99, down from $629.99
• Windows Laptops - Save up to $600 on select models
• Gaming Laptops and PCs - Save up to $600 on select models
• PC Storage and Accessories - Save up to 40 percent

TVs

• TCL 40-inch S-Class 1080p Smart TV with Fire TV - $149.99, down from $229.99
• LG 65-inch LED 4K Smart TV - $399.99, down from $599.99
• LG 48-inch Class A2 Series OLED Smart TV - $599.99, down from $1,299.99
• Samsung 75-inch Class TU690T Crystal 4K Smart Tizen TV - $579.99, down from $749.99
• LG 86-inch Class UR7800 Series LED 4K UHD Smart TV - $899.99, down from $1,249.99
• Samsung 65-inch OLED 4K UHD TV - $1,599.99, down from $2,099.99
• Samsung 77-inch Class S89C OLED 4K UHD Smart Tizen TV - $2,299.99, down from $3,599.99

Audio

• Samsung A Series 2.1ch Dolby & DTS and Soundbar - $129.99, down from $279.99
• Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones - $199.00, down from $329.00
• Bose Smart Soundbar 900 - $699.99, down from $749.99

Smart Home

• TP-Link Tapo Smart Plug Mini with Matter (3-Pack) - $22.99, down from $49.99
• Echo Show 5 - $39.99, down from $89.99
• Nest Hub Max - $129.99, down from $229.99
• Nest Learning Smart Thermostat - $179.99, down from $249.99
• Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera Security Bundle - $299.99, down from $599.99

LEGO

Best Buy has numerous discounts on LEGO sets this season, including Botanicals, Technic, Architecture, Disney, Icons, and more.

• Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (Technic) - $39.99, down from $49.99
• Orchid (Botanical Collection) - $39.99, down from $49.99
• Succulents (Botanical Collection) - $39.99, down from $49.99
• Wildflower Bouquet (Botanical Collection) - $47.99, down from $59.99
• Up House (Disney) - $47.99, down from $59.99
• Vespa 125 (Icons) - $84.99, down from $99.99
• Great Pyramid of Giza (Architecture) - $109.99, down from $129.99

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

The fourth beta of iOS 17.2 that Apple released today adds a much-desired feature, the option to change the default notification alert.

Under Sounds & Haptics, there's a new "Default Alerts" section that allows you to choose the sound used for all incoming notifications aside from texts, mail alerts, and calendar alerts, which already had customization options.

Apple has not previously offered an interface for tweaking the default notification sound, so this is a notable update for those who have always wanted to select a sound. All of the text tones can be used for the default notification sound.

There's also an option to change the default haptic feedback. Apple in iOS 17 changed the haptic alert, and now it can be changed back or customized for those who were not happy with the update.

Apple today released the fourth betas of upcoming iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after Apple released the the third betas of iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2.

Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the ‌iOS 17 or iPadOS 17‌ Developer Beta. An Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

The biggest new feature in iOS 17.2 is the Journal app, which can be used to record daily activities and thoughts. You can write about your day to day life, but Apple also provides topic suggestions based on the music you listen to, the places you visit, and the people you see. Journal entries support pictures, voice recordings, and location information, with the app organized by entry date.

In Apple Music, there's a Favorites playlist that houses everything you've favorited, plus Apple added support for collaborative playlists. You can now share a playlist with multiple people, and each participant can add songs.

Stickers can now be used to reply to iMessages when you long press on a chat bubble in the Messages app, and there's also now support for the extra-secure iMessage Contact Key Verification option. If you have an iPhone 15 Pro, the Action Button supports Translate in iOS 17.2, and there are new Weather and Clock widgets.

More on what's new in iOS 17.2 can be found in our iOS 17.2 beta features list.

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third beta of macOS Sonoma 14.2.

Registered developers can opt-in to the beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. Under Beta updates, toggle on the Sonoma Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.

macOS Sonoma 14.2 adds an Apple Music Favorites playlist that houses everything you've favorited, plus Apple added support for collaborative playlists. You can now share a playlist with multiple people, and each participant can add songs.

Shazam can also be added to the Control Center or menu bar on the Mac.

Stickers can be used to reply to iMessages when you long press on a chat bubble in the Messages app, and there's also now support for the extra-secure iMessage Contact Key Verification option.

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 10.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third watchOS 10.2 beta.

To install the ‌watchOS 10.2‌ update, developers will need to open the Apple Watch app, go to the Software Update section under "General" in Settings, and toggle on the ‌watchOS 10‌ Developer Beta. An Apple ID linked to a developer account is required.

Once beta updates have been activated, ‌watchOS 10‌ can be downloaded under the same Software Update section. To install software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life and it must be placed on an Apple Watch charger.

watchOS 10.2 adds support for iMessage Contact Key Verification, a feature designed for those who face "extraordinary digital threats," such as journalists, human rights activists, and government officials.

Users can ensure that there is no "man in the middle" snooping on iMessage conversations, and there is a Contact Verification Code so that iMessage users can verify that they're speaking to the correct individual during in-person meetings or on FaceTime calls.

The update also reintroduces an option to change watch faces by swiping left and right.

Cyber Week deals have arrived for Mac software bundles and streaming services, and in this article we're rounding up all of the best of both. This includes steep discounts on apps from Adobe, Flexibits, and Parallels, as well as the best prices of the year on Hulu, Disney+, and Paramount+ streaming services.

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.

Software

Flexibits

New users can get 50 percent off Flexibits Premium. This deal is technically for 50 percent off your next purchase on the Flexibits website, so you can choose from either the Individual or Families subscription model.

Flexibits Premium includes the Fantastical and Cardhop apps, and a single subscription unlocks all premium features found within each app, across all devices. This sale will run through December 4.

Adobe

You can get 50 percent off the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan this week only if you're a first-time subscriber to the service. The individuals plan is billed monthly at $29.98 for the first year, which is down from the regular $59.99 price. A 12-month commitment is required.

Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps includes more than 20 apps for photography, design, video production, and more. Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Lightroom, and Adobe XD are some of the included apps. You can get the monthly discount on Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps through December 3.

Unclutter

Unclutter's Cyber Week deals include 75 percent off a bundle of ten Mac applications, totaling $58 (regular price $231). If you want an individual app and not the bundle, you can get 50 percent off each app.

This year, the Unclutter Mac app bundle includes: Rocket Typist, DaisyDisk, Bike Outliner, Default Folder X, Lasso, Unclutter, Name Mangler, BetterZip, Scapple, and Soulver.

Parallels

Parallels Desktop 19 for Mac is available for 25 percent off during Cyber Week. You can get the Pro Edition for $89.99 per year (regular $119.99 per year) or the Standard Edition for $74.99 per year (regular $99.99 per year).

Parallels Desktop enables its users to add Windows, Linux, and other operating systems to your Mac computers through the use of a virtual machine. With this, you can install Windows onto your Mac and run multiple operating systems at the same time.

Streaming

Hulu

Hulu (with ads) is available for just $0.99 per month for an entire year during Cyber Week, which is down from its regular $7.99 per month price tag.

Disney+ and Hulu

You can bundle Disney+ and Hulu for the low price of $2.99 per month for an entire year. Both the solo Hulu deal and bundle offer will expire tonight at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.

Paramount+

Paramount+ Essential is down to just $1.99 per month for three months (regular $5.99 per month), while Paramount+ with SHOWTIME is down to $3.99 per month for three months (regular $11.99 per month). These deals will last until December 3.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

At WWDC in June 2022, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, increased personalization, and more.

Apple's website still says the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience will be announced in "late 2023," but it has not shared any additional details heading into the final month of the year, so it's unclear if that timeframe will still be met. We have reached out to Apple for an update on the matter.

Below, we have recapped five key features to expect from the new version of CarPlay. Apple said committed automakers included Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Volvo, and a few others.

Next-Generation CarPlay Features

Instrument Cluster Integration

The new CarPlay experience will provide integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster, including the speedometer, tachometer, odometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature gauge, oil pressure gauge, and more. Apple says drivers will be able to choose from several gauge cluster designs and layouts, including brand‑specific options.

Climate Controls

You'll be able to access your vehicle's climate controls directly within the new version of CarPlay, allowing you to adjust the temperature of the A/C or heat, fan speed, heated seats, heated steering wheel, and other options.

Multi-Display Support

The new version of CarPlay will be able to appear across all of the displays in a vehicle, providing a consistent experience across the infotainment system, instrument cluster, and any additional screens on the dashboard. Apple says CarPlay will be tailored to each new vehicle model to accommodate unique screen shapes and layouts.

Widgets

Widgets will be a key part of the new CarPlay experience, offering at-a-glance information such as trip duration, fuel economy, distance traveled, calendar events, weather, phone calls, the status of a HomeKit-enabled garage door, and more. It will also be possible to view and scroll through the widgets within the instrument cluster.

FM Radio App

The new version of CarPlay will include an all-new Radio app that allows you to easily control the FM radio in your vehicle, such as to change the station.

CarPlay on iOS 17

In the meantime, CarPlay includes a handful of new features and changes when used with an iPhone running iOS 17, including SharePlay support in the Music app for passengers and real-time electric vehicle charging station availability.

iOS 17 was released in September for the iPhone XS and newer. To update, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update.

Apple today announced that its Books app now offers a "Year in Review" recap in select countries, including the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, France, and Germany. The feature requires an iPhone or iPad on iOS 17.1 or iPadOS 17.1 or later, and it can be found within the Read Now tab under Top Picks, for users with at least three titles marked as finished.

Year in Review allows Apple Books users to view personalized highlights about the books and audiobooks they read in 2023, including their total time spent reading, the longest book or audiobook they read, their most-read author and genre, their highest-rated book, and more. The recap can easily be shared with others.

How to mark books or audiobooks as finished:

To add books or audiobooks, readers can tap and hold on any book in the app and choose Mark as Finished. To change the finished date shown, users can hold down on the book and select Edit Finished Date. For titles read elsewhere, such as in hardcover or paperback, users can search for them in Apple Books and select Mark as Finished to add them to their Year in Review.

When the "Reading Goals" option is turned on in the Settings app, under Books, users can also view their longest reading streak, the average number of minutes they spent reading in a month, and other statistics in Year in Review.

Year in Review can determine a user's personal reading type:

There are six reader types to discover, including The Contemporary for readers of trendy titles; The Completist for readers of multiple books in a series; The Seeker for nonfiction readers; The Wanderer for multigenre readers; The Deep Diver for single-genre readers; or The Free Spirit for readers with wide-ranging interests across the book world.

Apple also shared the most popular books in the Books app in 2023:

Top Nonfiction Books of 2023
1. Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
2. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
3. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
4. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia and Bill Gifford
5. Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson

Top Fiction Books of 2023
1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
2. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
3. Happy Place by Emily Henry
4. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
5. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

As the end of 2023 nears, Apple has started sharing year-end content, including award-winning apps and the the most popular podcasts. In addition, the complete Apple Music Replay experience is now available for 2023, and Taylor Swift was named Apple Music's Artist of the Year.

Apple today rolled out the Apple Music Replay experience for 2023, allowing subscribers to see their top artists, songs, albums, genres, playlists, and stations of the year.

Users can watch a custom Highlight Reel at the top of the Replay webpage before diving into more detailed information and expanded listening insights. The highlight reel presents a series of social media-style animated cards that show musical highlights from the past year based on your listening history. Relevant music plays in the background for each card. The highlight reel is viewable on desktop browsers, but it appears to be primarily designed for mobile devices.

After the highlight reel, users can scroll down to see featured sections with more informative breakdowns of their top albums and playlists from the past year. Users can add their Apple Music Replay 2023 playlist to the Music app at the bottom of the page.

Apple has made some changes to the ‌Apple Music‌ Replay experience for 2023, including a darker color palette and new animations in the Highlight Reel. Milestones also can now be viewed on iOS and Highlight sides can be shared directly to social media platforms for the first time. Last year, Apple revamped the Apple Music Replay experience by introducing the Highlight Reel and a series of other improvements.

‌Apple Music‌ Replay is Apple's answer Spotify Wrapped, but ‌Apple Music‌ Replay remains a web browser only experience. The Music app itself can only show and play a basic playlist of your top songs for the year, ranked by most played, once it has been added via the Replay webpage.

To view your 2023 ‌Apple Music‌ Replay experience and try out the new highlight reel, visit replay.music.apple.com.

Work on multiple next-generation Vision Pro headsets is ongoing, according to two new reports coming out of Asia.

DigiTimes claims that there are a total of four different second-generation Vision Pro headsets in development, including a direct successor to the first-generation model and a more affordable model. The nature of the other two second-generation models is unclear.

The bill of materials (BOM) for the more affordable headset will reportedly be half that of the first-generation Vision Pro to enable a significantly reduced retail price. Samples of this device are apparently set to begin production in the second half of 2024, with launch following in the second half of 2025 at the earliest.

According to a separate report from Interface News, Apple has begun to communicate with its supply chain about second- and third-generation Vision Pro products, seeking to reduce costs to bring down prices and boost sales in the future. Interface News also claims that mass production of the first-generation Vision Pro will begin in December with an initial batch of 400,000 units. Apple apparently has a sales target of about one million units for 2024.

The first-generation Vision Pro headset is due to launch early next year in the United States with a starting price of $3,499.

Apple today shared the most popular podcasts of 2023, with year-end charts available in the Browse tab of the Podcasts app through the end of the year. The charts include the top podcasts overall, the top new podcasts that debuted this year, the most followed podcasts, the most shared podcasts and episodes, and more.

A sample of the most popular podcasts of 2023 in the U.S., according to the Apple Podcasts app:

Top Shows

1. Crime Junkie
2. The Daily
3. Dateline NBC
4. SmartLess
5. This American Life
6. Morbid
7. Up First
8. Huberman Lab
9. Hidden Brain
10. Stuff You Should Know

Top New Shows

1. Scamanda
2. The Retrievals
3. The Deck Investigates
4. Murder & Magnolias
5. Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus
6. The Girl in the Blue Mustang
7. The Coldest Case in Laramie
8. Murder in Apartment 12
9. The Girlfriends
10. Undetermined

Most Followed Shows

1. Huberman Lab
2. SmartLess
3. New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce
4. Scamanda
5. The Mel Robbins Podcast
6. Crime Junkie
7. The Retrievals
8. The Deck Investigates
9. Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus
10. On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Additional charts can be found in the Podcasts app across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Apple says the charts are localized for listeners in nearly 100 countries and regions.

Google Drive users have been warned not to disconnect their account within the Google Drive for desktop app, after a spate of reports of files going missing from the cloud service.

Alarm bells began ringing last week on Google's community support site when some users reported files mysteriously disappearing from Google Drive, with some posters claiming six or more months of data had vanished.

As noted by The Register, one user logged into Google Drive to find things as they were in May 2023, with everything saved since that date gone, despite attempts by Google's support team to help them recover the files. Currently, the thread of complaints has 217 users who clicked the "I have the same question."

The Google Drive team has since posted that it is "investigating reports of an issue impacting a limited subset of Drive for desktop users." In the meantime:

• Do not click "Disconnect account" within Drive for desktop
• Do not delete or move the app data folder:
  Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\DriveFS
  macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/DriveFS

Google also recommends making a copy of the app data folder if there's space on your hard drive, until the sync issue is resolved. We'll update this article if we hear more.

Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air doesn't have a fan, and instead uses a passive heat spreader to conduct heat away from Apple's energy efficient M2 chip. Curious to know if performance could be further improved with an active cooling solution, Frore Systems installed its own novel solid-state active cooling system into the laptop and subjected it to several benchmarks, with some impressive results.

Frore Systems is a startup with $116 million in funding, and its flagship product is the AirJet Mini, a virtually silent thermal solution with a piezoelectric cooling chip that its makers claim performs better than fans. Inside the AirJet are tiny membranes that vibrate at ultrasonic frequencies, pulling air into inlet vents at the top of the AirJet that exits through the bottom as high-velocity pulsating jets.

As shared by The Verge, head-to-head benchmarking tests initially showed the 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ with the AirJet Mini installed performed only slightly better than a standard ‌MacBook Air‌, but the modified laptop pulled ahead significantly as the tests wore on and the fanless ‌MacBook Air‌'s throttling kicked in to keep the temperature down.

Despite its slight dimensions, the 2.8mm thick AirJet took some work to install into the ‌MacBook Air‌'s slim chassis. Frore had to mill 0.3mm off from the laptop's lid to create adequate space for the airflow system, and also removed the speakers, Wi-Fi antenna, and internal keyboard connector in the process. For the rest of us, buying a MacBook Pro with a fan is definitely an easier option.

Another issue that wasn't addressed in the tests was the real-world impact of such a system on battery life. The Verge says the AirJet Mini drew five watts from the ‌MacBook Air‌'s USB-C port in the makeshift setup. Frore says its AirJet Mini chips require one watt of power when properly integrated into a laptop, and the system draws as little as 0.1W or 0.2W when idle, with the AirJet Minis themselves staying turned off until or unless they need to blow.

The AirJet system will debut in a $499 barebones Zotac mini-PC that requires constant connection to a power source, a use case in which battery life won't be an issue. But the startup has also prototyped 4K webcams, doorbell cameras, LED light bulbs, and more. It's too early to tell whether Frore's cooling system will be the next big thing in PC cooling tech, but the startup says the AirJet Mini is already in mass production, with larger and smaller versions in development.

Apple with iOS 17.1 and watchOS 10.1 introduced a new NameDrop feature that is designed to allow users to place Apple devices near one another to quickly exchange contact information. Sharing contact information is done with explicit user permission, but some news organizations and police departments have been spreading misinformation about how NameDrop functions.

As noted by The Washington Post, there have been warnings about NameDrop popping up on FaceTime. Police departments in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Ohio, and other states have been suggesting that contact information can be shared "just by bringing your phones close together." From the City of Chester Police Department in Ohio:

IMPORTANT PRIVACY UPDATE: If you have an iPhone and have done the recent iOS 17 update, they have set a new feature called NameDrop defaulted to ON. This feature allows the sharing of your contact info just by bringing your phones close together. To shut this off go to Settings, General, AirDrop, Bringing Devices Together. Change to OFF.

While it's true that NameDrop is turned on by default, the way that it functions is more nuanced than simply putting two iPhones near each other.

NameDrop works when two iPhones running iOS 17.1 or an iPhone with iOS 17.1 and an Apple Watch running watchOS 10.1 are placed right next to each other, as in almost touching. When the two devices come in close contact and both are unlocked, there is a pop up prompting users to share contact information or an image.

Contact information is not shared automatically, and it is a user-initiated process that requires both people exchanging information to accept the transfer. While an accidental exchange could occur, it would require a user to unlock their device and accept the sharing prompt for that to occur.

Multiple police departments posted the warning above, which was widely shared on Facebook and other social networks. The message from the Noble County Sheriff's Office in Ohio, for example, got upwards of 70,000 shares, while the Dewey Police Department in Pennsylvania's warning was shared 11,000 times. After criticism from some commenters, Noble County edited its message to clarify that there's a popup to transfer content, and Dewey County said that it was attempting to "get parents engaged with their children," but many people who saw the original post may not see the updates.

The intent of the post was to get parents engaged with their children and what they are doing on their devices, not the fear mongering as suggested. We suggest everyone do research on new technology and updates to learn more about what is out there, especially for kids

Several local news stories have also shared similar questionable NameDrop information. KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, for example, interviewed several people and included quotes suggesting NameDrop happens automatically.

"That's why I turned it off because I don't have a use for it. I don't even have my phone at work so I don't really have a use for it. But I guess a default on could be a bit controversial just because I think giving out your contact should be a conscious decision and not something that could accidentally happen," Jerry said.

"That is a little bit concerning, I think it should be an optional feature instead of automatically happening," said Liz Jones.

If anything, NameDrop has the potential to be more irritating than dangerous, simply because it's likely to activate when your phone is next to someone else's and unlocked, in a situation like a dinner or meeting. Given the negative feedback, Apple may in a future update turn NameDrop off by default, but those who want to disable it now can do so by opening up the Settings app, going to the General section, tapping AirDrop, and turning off "Bringing Devices Together."