MacRumors

Facebook owner Meta has been hit with a record $1.3 billion (€1.2 billion) fine by European Union regulators for mishandling user information, and has been ordered to suspend the transfer of data from users in the EU to the United States.

The fine was issued by Ireland's Data Protection Commission, which regulates Facebook across the EU, after it ruled that the social network's data transfers to the U.S. "did not address the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms" of EU users and violated General Data Protection Regulation.

The fine constitutes the largest ever imposed under the EU's GDPR privacy law, the previous one being a €746 million penalty issued to Amazon in 2021 for similar privacy violations.

In addition to the fine, Meta was given five months to suspend any future transfer of personal data to the U.S., and six months to end "the unlawful processing, including storage, in the U.S." of transferred personal data. Instagram and WhatsApp, which Meta also owns, are not subject to the order.

A previous mechanism to legally transfer personal data between the U.S. and the EU, known as the "Privacy Shield" pact, was struck down by the EU bloc's top court in 2020. The Irish regulator alleged that Meta infringed on the EU's GDPR laws when it continued to transfer personal data to the U.S. after 2020 despite the court ruling.

The issue has been ongoing for a decade after a legal challenge brought by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems against Facebook in 2013, over concerns resulting from the Edward Snowden revelations that EU user data is not sufficiently protected from U.S. intelligence agencies when transferred across the Atlantic.

"This decision is flawed, unjustified and sets a dangerous precedent for the countless other companies transferring data between the EU and U.S.," said Nick Clegg, Facebook's president of global affairs, responding to the decision in a blog post. "We will appeal the ruling, including the unjustified and unnecessary fine, and seek a stay of the orders through the courts."

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Just a few weeks ahead of WWDC, it appears that Apple continues to secretly apply for trademarks related to its rumored AR/VR headset.

Delaware-based shell company "Deep Dive LLC" submitted a trademark application for "xrProOS" stylized in Apple's SF Pro font on May 18 in Argentina, Turkey, and the Phillippines, according to online records. The same company applied for an "xrOS" trademark in SF Pro in New Zealand earlier this month, and it is very likely that Apple is behind both filings as the company moves early to protect its headset-related intellectual property.

Deep Dive LLC also applied for xrProOS in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK on May 18, but without SF Pro styling. The company first applied for the trademark in Jamaica on April 27, according to the records. Jamaica is often where Apple first applies for trademarks related to future products, as the country lacks a searchable online trademark database, helping the company to maintain secrecy.

This is the first time that the xrProOS name has been reported, and it's unclear how Apple plans to use the name, if at all. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple's headset operating system will be named xrOS, so it remains to be seen how the xrProOS name might fit into Apple's plans. Gurman did float "Reality Pro" as a potential name of Apple's headset, and xrProOS would mirror the "Pro" branding if it is used in some way. It's also very possible Apple is simply covering all of its bases here and has no current plans to use xrProOS.

Other previously-reported trademark applications with potential ties to Apple's headset include Reality One, Reality Processor, Optica, and Deep Screen, but it's unclear if any of these names will actually be used. Some of the applications were filed by a separate shell company named "Immersive Health Solutions LLC."

Apple is expected to unveil the AR/VR headset and related developer tools during its WWDC keynote on June 5, and it will likely be released to the public later this year. The device is expected to offer a mix of virtual reality and augmented reality features that can be controlled with hand and eye tracking. The headset is estimated to cost around $3,000 in the United States, and it will reportedly have an external battery pack.

French company Focal is known for its range of high fidelity audio systems, and it recently came out with its first set of wireless headphones with Active Noise Cancellation, the Bathys. The Focal Bathys are priced at $800, and while they are closest in functionality to Apple's $549 AirPods Max, they're more premium than anything Apple offers.

MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been testing out the Focal Bathys to see how they measure up to the ‌AirPods Max‌ and whether they’re worth the premium price.

As a spoiler, these headphones have some of the best sounding wireless audio available, but the Active Noise Cancellation is a little disappointing at this price point. Make sure to watch Dan's video for a full overview of the design, functionality, battery life, and sound quality of the headphones.

Apple supplier Quanta Computer is likely gearing up for new MacBooks, according to research shared by investment firm Morgan Stanley.

In a research note on Friday, obtained by MacRumors, Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring said Quanta Computer guided for high single-digit percentage growth in the number of notebooks it assembles in the second quarter of 2023, compared to the first quarter. Woodring believes this increase is driven in part by new MacBooks.

In his newsletter last month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple would unveil the long-rumored 15-inch MacBook Air at WWDC next month:

As part of watchOS 10, the company is planning to bring back widgets and make them a central part of the interface. This new strategy will debut at WWDC in June, alongside the unveiling of iOS 17, macOS 14, the 15-inch MacBook Air, and, of course, the much-anticipated mixed-reality headset.

The first-generation 15-inch MacBook Air will be powered by the M2 chip, according to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. No external design changes have been rumored for the laptop beyond the larger display size.

The latest 13-inch MacBook Air debuted at WWDC last year and features the M2 chip, a 1080p camera, a MagSafe 3 charging port, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and a Force Touch trackpad. Pricing starts at $1,199, and color options include Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver.

It's unclear if any other MacBooks will be unveiled next month, as new 13-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro models with the M3 chip are not expected to launch until later this year or next year, and the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro were updated with the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips just three months ago.

WWDC begins with Apple's keynote on June 5 and runs through June 9.

Men's Journal's Jacob Krol was recently invited to tour the Apple Fitness+ studio in Santa Monica, California, providing another behind-the-scenes look at the subscription-based workout service. Krol had the opportunity to speak with Jay Blahnik, Apple's VP of Fitness Technologies, and met many of the trainers involved in the workouts.

The first Fitness+ studio tours were shared last year, and this one provides some more details. Krol said the studio is one large room with equipment spread across several workout and meditation areas, and videos are recorded with 13 robotic cameras and a few human-operated cameras under a dense lighting grid. The live productions are monitored by a crew in a control room to ensure everything is being filmed correctly.

Apple said Fitness+ now offers over 4,000 workouts and meditations, with new ones added every week. The videos range from 5 to 45 minutes in length, and there are a dozen workout types available, with the latest additions including pilates and kickboxing.

"Everything we look at going forward is about how do we make sure that people have great success in their fitness journey, whether Apple Fitness+ is a complement to something they already love to do outside of our service, or whether Apple Fitness+ is the only thing they do to get moving and meditate," said Blahnik. "What can we do to make the experience even easier, smoother, something they can fit into their life more regularly?"

Launched in 2020, Fitness+ is available in the Fitness app on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. The service can now be used with just an iPhone, but an Apple Watch is still needed to view real-time, personal metrics on screen during workouts, such as heart rate and calories burned. In the U.S., Fitness+ is priced at $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, or it can be bundled with other Apple services via Apple One for $32.95 per month.

A single Fitness+ subscription can be shared with up to five other family members, and the service comes with a free one-month trial for all users. Users who purchase a new ‌iPhone‌, iPad, Apple Watch, or Apple TV qualify for a three-month trial.

This week saw a good mix of Apple news and rumors including the release of iOS 16.5 and related software updates, as well as the Beats Studio Buds + earphones and an early announcement of upcoming accessibility features from Apple.

On the rumor front, we heard a bit more about what we should expect to see with the iPhone 15 lineup and the M3 family of Mac and iPad chips coming later this year, but the biggest focus of attention in the lead-up to WWDC in a few weeks is the Apple headset, so read on for all the details on these stories and more!

Apple Releases iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 With Sports Tab in Apple News, Bug Fixes and More

After almost two months of beta testing, Apple this week released iOS 16.5 to the public, bringing some sports-related enhancements to Apple News, a new Pride Celebration wallpaper, and several bug fixes.

It's a relatively minor update as iOS 16 work winds down ahead of the iOS 17 introduction at WWDC next month, but we'll be seeing at least one more iOS 16 update to tide us over to the public release of iOS 17 in September as Apple has seeded initial betas of iOS 16.6 and related updates for testing.

Alongside iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5, we also saw the releases of macOS Ventura 13.4, watchOS 9.5, tvOS 16.5 with multiview for MLB and MLS, and HomePod software version 16.5.

Apple Headset's Capabilities Said to 'Far Exceed' Those of Rival Devices

With an introduction at WWDC coming up in just a few weeks, rumors about Apple's AR/VR headset are flying about, with a recent report from The Wall Street Journal claiming its capabilities will "far exceed" those of rival devices.

Other reports are more cautious, however, with Bloomberg reporting that key Apple executives including Tim Cook and Craig Federighi have largely kept their distance from the product during its development, calling into question whether Apple itself is fully behind it.

Beats Studio Buds + Deliver Improved Performance and a Transparent Design Option for $169.99

In one of the poorest-kept secrets that has seen multiple leaks over the past couple of months, Apple's Beats brand this week introduced the Beats Studio Buds + earphones.

The new $170 earphones offer improved performance, better battery life, and an eye-catching new Transparent color option compared to their predecessors. They're available now in the U.S., Canada, and China, with launches in other countries to follow in the coming months.

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus Rumored to Feature 48-Megapixel Camera Like Pro Models

While the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max received an upgraded 48-megapixel Main camera last year, the lower-cost iPhone 14 and 14 Plus did not get the same upgrade. It looks like those cheaper options may catch up this year, however, as a new report claims the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will get that 48-megapixel camera.

As for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, those devices may be seeing a rearranged rear camera layout to accommodate the higher-zoom periscope camera that will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Apple Testing 'M3 Pro' Chip for MacBook Pro With 12-Core CPU and 18-Core GPU

Apple's next-generation M3 chips for the Mac and iPad aren't coming until later this year, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has shared some details on what to expect for the "M3 Pro" chip that will likely make its way into the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and other devices.

According to Gurman, the M3 Pro will feature a 12-core CPU, an 18-core GPU, and up to 36 GB of memory. That's up from a 10-core CPU, 16-core CPU, and up to 32 GB of memory on the current M2 Pro chip.

Apple Previews iOS 17 Accessibility Features Ahead of WWDC

Apple this week previewed a wide range of new accessibility features for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac that are set to arrive later this year, presumably as part of iOS 17 and macOS 14.

New features include Assistive Access to distill iPhone and iPad apps to their core features for the ultimate in interface simplicity, Point and Speak in the Magnifier app to automatically read text labels from the real-world aloud as the user points to them, Personal Voice to allow those at risk of losing their ability to speak to create a digital voice that sounds like them, and much more.

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Apple's Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter does not work with iPhones and iPads that have been updated to iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5, according to several users across the MacRumors Forums, Apple Support Community, and Reddit.

The adapter has a USB-A port for connecting a camera, microphone, or other USB-powered accessory to an iPhone or iPad, along with a Lightning port for charging the iPhone or iPad. As of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5, however, affected users say the adapter no longer powers any devices connected to both of the ports.

The issue is likely due to a software bug that will need to be addressed in a future iOS version, but the underlying cause is unknown. Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 16.6 to developers today, but the update is likely many weeks away from being released, so an iOS 16.5.1 update might be necessary if the company wishes to fix the bug sooner.

Apple released iOS 16.5 on Thursday following seven weeks of beta testing. The update is a relatively minor one, with additions including a Sports tab in the Apple News app, a new Pride Celebration wallpaper honoring the LGBTQ+ community and culture, and bug fixes related to CarPlay, Screen Time, and Spotlight. Apple is expected to announce iOS 17 with bigger changes during its WWDC keynote on June 5.

The iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 betas that Apple released today appear to include iMessage Contact Key Verification, though it is not yet clear if the feature is functional in the first beta.

There is an iMessage Contact Key Verification setting available in the Settings app, but tapping it does not appear to activate any actual feature. It may require additional settings to be on such as Security Keys, or it may not yet be fully implemented.

Announced late last year, iMessage Contact Key Verification is designed for Apple users who are facing "extraordinary digital threats." Apple intends for iMessage Contact Key Verification to be used by journalists, human rights activists, government officials, and others who are in danger of malicious digital attacks from state-sponsored attackers or other malicious actors.

iMessage Contact Key Verification lets Apple device owners verify that they are messaging with the people they intend to message rather than a malicious entity that has intercepted a message or is eavesdropping on a conversation. In a conversation between two or more people who have enabled iMessage Contact Key Verification, Apple will send an alert if the cloud servers are ever breached and a conversation is vulnerable to an intrusion.

Users who enable this feature can also compare a Contact Verification Code in person, on FaceTime, or through another secure app to further verify their identity and who they are communicating with.

Apple said that iMessage Contact Key Verification would be available on the iPhone and other Apple devices at some point in 2023, and it is one of the last features we are expecting to see in iOS 16.

iMessage Contact Key Verification was initially announced alongside Security Keys for Apple ID, a feature that was enabled in iOS 16.3.

(Thanks, Steve Moser!)

Apple today added the second-generation HomePod to its refurbished store in the U.S., but it is not yet possible to place an order. The refurbished models will be available in Midnight or White for $249, compared to $299 brand new.

Apple says certified refurbished HomePods undergo full functionality testing, and are inspected, cleaned, and repackaged in a plain white box with the power cord and documentation. The refurbished HomePods are covered by Apple's limited one-year warranty policy and are eligible for extended AppleCare+ coverage.

Introduced in January 2023, the second-generation HomePod has a similar design as the full-size HomePod that was discontinued in 2021, but with a larger backlit touch surface and some internal changes, including two fewer tweeters and two fewer microphones compared to the original. The second-generation HomePod also features the S7 chip like the Apple Watch Series 7 for "more advanced computational audio," a U1 chip for handing off audio from an iPhone, and an indoor temperature and humidity sensor.

It's unclear exactly when the refurbished HomePods will be available, but orders will likely start to be accepted at any point in the next few weeks.

(Thanks, Ryan Gregg!)

This week was flooded with fresh all-time low discounts on Apple products including the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Pencil 2, as well as the introduction of a new sale on Samsung monitors and TVs. We're recapping these deals from the past few days and more, all of which are still available to purchase today.

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.

Samsung

• What's the deal? Save on Samsung's monitors and TVs
• Where can I get it? Samsung
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Samsung returned this week with its latest "Discover Samsung" event, introducing discounts sitewide on monitors, TVs, home appliances, smartphones, and more. We're nearing the end of this sale now on May 21, so be sure to check out the best deals in the lists below if you're interested.

As with previous Discover Samsung events, the highlight of the sale is a discount on the Smart Monitor M8, which is available for $499.99, down from $699.99. This isn't quite an all-time low price but it's still a solid second-best option.

Monitors

• 2TB Portable SSD - $129.99, down from $179.99
• 27-inch ViewFinity S8 Monitor - $429.99, down from $599.99
• 34-inch ViewFinity HDR10 Curved Monitor - $469.99, down from $699.99
• 27-inch Odyssey G6 Curved Monitor - $549.99, down from $699.99
• 43-inch Odyssey Neo G7 4K Gaming Monitor - $699.99, down from $999.99
• 49-inch Odyssey G9 Curved Monitor - $1,099.99, down from $1,499.99
• 55-inch Odyssey Ark 4K UHD Curved Monitor - $1,999.99, down from $2,999.99

TVs

• Neo QLED 4K TV (2023) - Save up to $500
• The Frame QLED 4K TVs (2022 Models) - Save up to $800
• 75-inch/85-inch Neo QLED 4K TV - Save up to $2,700
• QLED 4K TVs - Save up to $500
• The Terrace Outdoor QLED 4K TVs - Save up to $1,500
• Neo QLED 4K TVs (2022 Models) - Save up to $2,700
• Neo QLED 8K TVs (2022 Models) - Save up to $2,000

M1 iMac

• What's the deal? Take $349 off the M1 iMac
• Where can I get it? Woot
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

We saw multiple M1 iMac deals appear this week, but the best were at Woot, which still has the 7-Core GPU/256GB M1 iMac for $949.99 in Silver, down from $1,299.00. This beats the current sale for the same model at Amazon by about $50.

It's in New Open-Box condition, which means it comes in the original box but not with an Apple warranty. Woot ships these iMacs with a 90 day Woot limited warranty.

Apple Watch Ultra

• What's the deal? Take $97 off Apple Watch Ultra
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Earlier in the week, Amazon introduced a notable discount on the Apple Watch Ultra, now available for $701.99, down from $799.00. This sale is still only on the 49mm Yellow Ocean Band model, but you can also get quite a few Ultra models for the second-best price of $729.99 right now on Amazon. Visit our original article for a full list.

Apple Pencil 2

• What's the deal? Take $45 off Apple Pencil
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

The Apple Pencil 2 joined this week's record low price club by hitting $85.00 on Amazon, down from $129.00.

M2 Mac Mini

• What's the deal? Take up to $120 off the M2 Mac mini
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

On Wednesday, Amazon introduced a trio of deals on the 2023 M2 Mac mini, and two are still live. You can get the 256GB M2 Mac mini for $499.99 ($99 off) and 512GB M2 Mac mini for $679.00 ($120 off). The latter deal is actually a better price than we tracked on Wednesday, dropping by $10 since we first posted.

2021 MacBook Pro

• What's the deal? Take up to $700 off the 2021 MacBook Pro
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Prices continue to drop on the 2021 MacBook Pro, and this week we saw the 14-inch MacBook Pro (10-Core M1 Pro, 1TB) hit a new all-time low price at $1,899.00, down from $2,499.00. For the larger display model, you can get the 16-inch MacBook Pro (10-Core M1 Pro, 1TB) for $1,999.00, down from $2,699.00.

HomePod (Gen 2)

• What's the deal? Take $20 off Gen 2 HomePod
• Where can I get it? B&H Photo
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

We're still tracking an all-time low price on the new second-generation HomePod this week, which is available for $279.00 on B&H Photo, down from $299.00. This is still the first major discount we've ever seen on the new HomePod, and no other retailers have yet to match the discount.

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

Apple today published an inaugural App Store Transparency Report, something that the company agreed to provide to developers as part of a 2021 lawsuit settlement. Under the terms of the settlement, Apple promised to provide developers with meaningful statistics about the app review process, including the number of apps that were rejected, the number of customer and developer accounts deactivated, the number of apps removed from the ‌App Store‌, data regarding search queries and results, and more.

All of the information that developers requested is in the 2022 ‌App Store‌ Transparency Report and the supplemental data that accompanies it, with the report available for download from Apple's legal site.

In 2022, there were 1,783,232 apps on the ‌App Store‌, with 6,101,913 total app submissions received and 1,679,694 apps rejected for various reasons like safety, performance, design, and legal. Apple provides numbers on the specific ‌App Store‌ guidelines that were violated by rejected apps, with the highest number of single rule rejections (149,378) due to violations of the Design 4.0 rule and the DPLA 3.2 Fraud rule (32,009).

A total of 253,466 app submissions were approved after rejection when developers worked with Apple to resolve issues, and 186,195 apps were removed from the ‌App Store‌ for breaking the ‌App Store‌ rules. The majority of apps removed from the ‌App Store‌ were games, followed by Utilities, Business, and Education.

Apple outlines the total number of apps removed from the ‌App Store‌ due to government takedowns, and China is at the top of the list. The Chinese government asked Apple to remove 1,435 apps, but 1,276 of those apps were games that were removed for not having the GRN license that China requires.

Apple removed 14 apps at the request of India's government, 10 apps for Pakistan, and seven apps for Russia. In other countries including Türkiye, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Italy, Latvia, and Nigeria, fewer than two apps were removed at the government's request.

Developers appealed 18,412 app removals in total, and Apple restored just 616 apps. Apple says that apps that are appealed were typically pulled from the ‌App Store‌ for fraud or illegality, which is why the rejected appeal number is so high.

There are 36,974,015 registered developers, and in 2022, Apple terminated 428,487 developer accounts. According to Apple, developers are removed from the Apple Developer Program "for a number of reasons," but most commonly because of accounts that are connected with other terminated developer accounts. 3,338 developers appealed their ‌App Store‌ bans, and Apple reinstated just 159 accounts. Again, Apple says that this is because "most developer account terminations that are appealed are removed from the ‌App Store‌ due to fraud," so Apple rejects most of them.

282,036,628 customer accounts were terminated, but that number does incorporate all accounts created, even those made on the website by non-iPhone and iPad users. There were 656,739,889 average weekly visitors to the ‌App Store‌ and 747,873,877 average weekly app downloads. Customer accounts searched the ‌App Store‌ 373,211,396 times on average, and 1,399,741 apps appeared in the top 10 results of at least 1000 searches. Additional breakdowns can be found in Apple's supplemental data.

Apple plans to provide these ‌App Store‌ Transparency Reports to developers on an annual basis going forward.

Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a day after the launch of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5.

Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

We don't yet know what's included in iOS 16.6 as Apple has already delivered most of the features that were promised for iOS 16. iOS 16.6 is likely to be one of the final updates to the iOS 16 operating system as Apple shifts its focus to iOS 17.

Apple today seeded the first beta of macOS Ventura 13.5 to developers for testing purposes, with the beta one day after the release of macOS Ventura 13.4.

Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and after the appropriate profile is installed, with the betas available through the Software Update mechanism in System Settings.

There is no word yet on if there are new features in macOS Ventura 13.5, but we'll update this article if anything new is discovered.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 9.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software update coming a day after the launch of watchOS 9.5.

To install the watchOS 9.6 update, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center.

Once installed, ‌watchOS 9.6 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update. To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it has to be placed on the charger, and it will need to be in range of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ it is paired with.

It is not yet clear what might be included in the watchOS 9.6 update, but this is likely to be one of the final updates to the watchOS 9 operating system. Apple will soon be focusing on watchOS 10, the next-generation version of watchOS.

YouTuber and electric vehicle expert Ben Sullins joins us on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show to talk through all of the latest rumors and expectations around the Apple Car.

Apple initially intended its electric vehicle to have many unique design features, including no steering wheel or brake pedal, and inward-facing seats in a limousine-like configuration, but the company has since scaled back its ambitions. Now, the car is expected to have a more traditional design with a driver's seat, steering wheel, and conventional pedals. It was also planned to start at around $120,000 with full-self driving functionality, but now Apple is aiming for a sub-$100,000 price point with only limited autonomous driving capabilities on highways. Apple is purportedly aiming to launch the vehicle around 2026.

We discuss what Ben expects from the Apple Car's identity, unique selling points, driving style, and go-to-market strategy. Ben analyzes where the vehicle is likely to be positioned and its sub-$100,000 price point, and whether it can compete with Tesla's offerings. We also discuss autonomous driving functionality and where the broader electric vehicle market will be by the time Apple's car launches, how Tesla is likely to respond, and more. See more of Ben's work over on his YouTube channel.

Listen to The MacRumors Show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, Google Podcasts, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. Watch a video version of the show on the MacRumors YouTube channel.

If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion about the announcement of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for the iPad, the latest iPhone 16 Pro rumors, and more.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for more episodes, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by exciting guests like Mark Gurman, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Andru Edwards, Tyler Stalman, Jon Prosser, Sam Kohl, Quinn Nelson, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Sara Dietschy, Luke Miani, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, iJustine, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, Jon Rettinger, and Rene Ritchie. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the show, and let us know what subjects you would like the podcast to cover in the future.

Apple over the last several months has been working on relocating its first-ever Apple Store in a Fairfax, Virginia shopping mall, and today is the grand opening of the revamped and relocated Tysons Corner store.

Several influencers and ‌Apple Store‌ enthusiasts were invited to see Tysons Corner ahead of its opening, and were walked through the new store features. Michael Steeber shared detailed images of the experience, highlighting the Genius Bar, a hardware flex space, an Apple Watch Studio, and more.

Apple has moved away from physical Genius Bar sections in its stores in recent years, but Tysons Corner has a dedicated Genius Bar in the right corner, similar to the original store. As Steeber points out, this is the first actual Genius Bar that Apple has installed in a store since 2015, though the concept of the Genius Bar never went away.

There is a flexible hardware space at Tysons Corner, which Steeber says is designed to spotlight Apple's latest hardware. Apple has also included an in-person Apple Watch Studio where customers can mix and match Apple Watch cases and bands.

The store features wood paneling, a baffle ceiling design, and individually framed glass doors. Avenues, the Today at Apple section, and Apple Pickup are all present in the store, but have been redesigned, with full details available from Steeber's website.

Apple is opening the store on the 22nd anniversary of the date that the first Tysons Corner location opened on May 19, 2001. It will open at 10:00 a.m., and visitors will receive free tote bags with the logo that Apple has been using for the store's redesign.

Apple has restricted employee use of ChatGPT and other external artificial intelligence utilities amid the development of its own similar technology, The Wall Street Journal reports.

According to a document seen by The Wall Street Journal and individuals who claim to be familiar with the matter, Apple is concerned that AI tools could leak the company's confidential data. In addition to ChatGPT, Apple has barred staff from using GitHub's Copilot, a tool that helps write code with autocompletion.

Many businesses, such as banks, financial services, and healthcare institutions, have avoided adopting ChatGPT out of fear that their employees could inadvertently give the chatbot sensitive proprietary information. Samsung banned employee use of generative AI utilities like ChatGPT after discovering that staff had uploaded sensitive source code to the platform. The company was said to be concerned that data transmitted to artificial intelligence platforms including Bing and Google Bard could end up being disclosed to other users. JPMorgan Chase and Verizon have similarly banned use of these AI tools.

OpenAI has already sold Morgan Stanley a private ChatGPT service that allows employees to ask questions and analyze content in thousands of the bank's market research documents. Microsoft is working on a version of ChatGPT targeted at business customers to address privacy concerns.

The move comes in the context of Apple apparently working on its own large language models and AI technologies, led by senior vice president of Machine Learning and AI Strategy John Giannandrea. Giannandrea previously worked for Google and now reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook. The ‌Wall Street Journal‌ did not provide more information about what Apple's AI efforts encompass at this time.

OpenAI's ChatGPT has been accessible on the web and via several third-party iOS apps for some time, but yesterday the company released the first official ChatGPT app for the iPhone and iPad.