MacRumors

Apple's rumored AR/VR headset will be available in six colors, according to a sketchy rumor shared by Twitter account @billbil_kun, which accurately leaked a spec sheet for Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra before that device was announced earlier this year.

In a blog post today on French deals website Dealabs, spotted by iPhoneAddict, the anonymous leaker claimed that Apple's headset will be available in black, blue, gray, green, pink, and a sixth undisclosed color. They also claimed that the headset will have at least two storage capacity options, including 128GB and 256GB.

This rumor should be treated with skepticism for a variety of reasons. First, six colors and at least two storage capacities would result in a minimum of twelve product SKUs, which seems unusually high for a headset that is expected to be a niche, high-end product priced at around $3,000. Second, it's unclear if Apple would bother offering both 128GB and 256GB storage options given there would likely be a negligible price difference between the capacities. And third, the leaker does not appear to have any track record with Apple rumors, despite having some accurate Samsung and video game leaks.

One possibility that would make the rumor slightly more believable is that the color options would be for the head strap, which could potentially be interchangeable like AirPods Max ear cushions are. However, it is still questionable whether Apple would bother with the added manufacturing complexities that come with extra color options for a headset that is estimated to ship in low volumes in its first year of availability.

Apple is expected to unveil the headset during its WWDC keynote on Monday, so we're only three days away from finding out if this rumor is accurate.

Apple has invited some developers to watch the WWDC keynote event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, but for those who are unable to attend, Apple has highlighted a range of "Beyond WWDC" events that are happening next week. These events are designed for developers who want to meet up for learning, networking, and more.

There are WWDC-themed events taking place worldwide, including online. A number of watch parties are happening, for example, in places like Copenhagen, Helsinki, Tokyo, and Istanbul, along with a number of WWDC meetups.

Developers who are interested can find a list of activities to partake in through Apple's developer website.

To get developers and customers in the mood for a fresh wave of announcements, Apple has also shared a WWDC23 Power Up Playlist that's available on Apple Music. The playlist features songs from Dua Lipa, Romy, Diplo, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Calvin Harris, Coi Leray, and more.

WWDC is set to take place next week, starting with a keynote event that will be held on Monday, June 5 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

Starting with iOS 17, the Wallet app on iPhone may be able to show balances for a wider range of credit cards set up with Apple Pay, according to a report today from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Currently, only the Apple Card's balance can be viewed in the app.

"The Wallet app will get an upgrade as the company pushes deeper into financial services," wrote Gurman. "That could include the app tying deeper into third-party credit cards to show balance information, mirroring the experience of the Apple Card."

Like many other financial-related features, it is possible that the expanded credit card balance feature would only be available in the U.S. at launch.

Gurman revealed this potential new Wallet app functionality as part of a broader recap of his WWDC expectations. His report outlines several details about Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset, new Macs, iOS 17, and other announcements planned. WWDC begins with Apple's keynote on Monday, June 5 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.

Amid rumors that this year's WWDC keynote could be one of the longest ever Apple events to introduce a series of new hardware products and major software updates, on the this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss everything we're expecting to see.

During its WWDC keynote on Monday, Apple is likely to preview a series of major updates for its operating systems, including watchOS 10, iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS 14. The company is also expected to unveil an all-new 15-inch MacBook Air and refreshed Mac Studio models. Most importantly, Apple's first mixed-reality headset is expected to make its long-awaited debut at the event, alongside its operating system: "xrOS." To learn more about exactly what Apple is expected to announce based on rumors, see our detailed guide:

• What to Expect From WWDC 2023: AR/VR Headset, 15-Inch MacBook Air, iOS 17, xrOS, macOS 14, and More

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 with MacRumors founder Arnold Kim about some of the history of the website and the world of Apple news and rumors.

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 Ben Sullins, 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.

Sonos today kicked off a big sale that has up to 25 percent off select products through June 18. It's been four months since we tracked a sale on new Sonos devices, so if you've been waiting to buy a speaker or sound bar this month is definitely the time to shop on Sonos.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Sonos. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

All discounts in the new sale have been applied automatically, so you won't need any coupon codes in order to see the sale prices. The sale includes savings on speakers, portable Bluetooth speakers, sound bars, subwoofers, and more. We've collected a few of the best deals below, but be sure to visit the Sonos website to see the full sale.

Speakers

• Roam SL - $119.25, down from $159
• Roam - $134.25, down from $179
• One SL - $159.20, down from $199
• Move - $299.25, down from $399

Sound Bars

• Ray - $223.20, down from $279
• Beam (Gen 2) - $399.20, down from $499
• Arc - $719.20, down from $899

Sets

• Roam Charging Set - $183.25, down from $228
• 2x Roam Speakers - $268.50, down from $358
• Roam Speaker + Move Speaker - $433.50, down from $578
• Era 100 Speaker + Move Speaker - $548.25, down from $648
• Arc Sound Bar + Move Speaker - $1,018.45, down from $1,298

Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset will enter mass production in October and launch by December, according to investment firm Morgan Stanley. Apple is still expected to unveil the headset at WWDC next week, and provide developers with tools to create apps for the device, which is expected to have its own App Store.

"While we expect Apple's AR/VR headset to be unveiled next week, our supply chain checks suggest mass production won't start until October '23, with general availability most likely ahead of the December holidays," said Erik Woodring, an Apple analyst at Morgan Stanley, in a research note obtained by MacRumors.

Apple's supply chain is preparing to assemble only 300,000 to 500,000 headsets in 2023, according to Woodring. As widely rumored, he believes the headset will have a starting price of around $3,000, and he expects gross margins to be "close to breakeven at first," suggesting that Apple will initially make minimal profits on the device.

Morgan Stanley also reiterated that Apple plans to announce a new MacBook Air at WWDC, but it's unclear if this information is independently sourced or simply corroborating other rumors. Apple's keynote begins on Monday, June 5 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.

Apple is calling on experts with backgrounds in generative AI to work with the company's "most advanced technologies," including augmented and virtual reality, according to new job listings posted by the company.

One new listing posted on Apple's jobs website, highlighted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, seeks a software engineer in Cupertino to work on machine learning models to build apps related to augmented and virtual reality.

AI represents a huge opportunity to elevate Apple's products and experiences for billions of people globally. Apple's Learning Technology Group is looking for Machine-Learning engineers with a background and/or interest in Conversational and Generative AI! You will be leveraging innovative models to build applications on top of Apple's most advanced technologies, while developing your expertise in Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR).

Gurman believes that there will eventually be an on-device way to develop apps for Apple's mixed-reality headset, which is expected to be unveiled at the company's WWDC keynote next week.

In January, The Information reported that Apple is working on new software tools that will allow both developers and customers to create augmented reality apps for its headset, including via Siri. From the report:

With the software tools, Apple hopes that even people who don't know computer code could tell the headset, via the Siri voice assistant, to build an AR app that could then be made available via Apple's App Store for others to download. The tool, for example, could allow users to build an app with virtual animals moving around a room and over or around real-life objects without the need to design the animal from scratch, program its animations and calculate its movement in a 3D space with obstacles.

Last month, it emerged that Apple was hiring for at least a dozen new experts in generative AI amid rumors that the company is stepping up its work on AI. The Apple job listings sought a range of machine learning specialists "passionate about building extraordinary autonomous systems." The openings were for positions in the Integrated System Experience, Input Experience NLP, Machine Learning R&D, and Technology Development Group.

Some of the roles, such as a Visual Generative Modeling Research Engineer, specifically involve work on "visual generative modeling to power applications across computation photography, image and video editing, 3D shape and motion reconstruction, avatar generation, and much more."

Following the launch of an official ChatGPT app for iPhone, it emerged that Apple has banned employees from using such utilities due to security concerns and work on its own similar technology. In March, DigiTimes reported that Apple is "re-examining" its work on artificial intelligence. The company is now believed to be testing generative AI concepts that could one day be destined for ‌Siri‌.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has confirmed that Apple is nearing the introduction of what appears to be a refreshed Mac Studio model, indicating that it could be announced at WWDC next week.

On Twitter, Gurman explained that the new Mac in question is codenamed "J475." The current ‌Mac Studio‌ is codenamed "J375," suggesting that the new machine is indeed a next-generation ‌Mac Studio‌ model.

Earlier this week, Gurman reported that Apple is testing two desktop Macs equipped with the M2 Max and ‌‌M2‌‌ Ultra chips. The ‌M2‌ Max was released in January upon the launch of the latest 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, but the ‌M2‌ Ultra chip is new and would succeed the M1 Ultra chip that Apple uses in the ‌Mac Studio‌.

According to Gurman, the ‌M2‌ Max Mac in testing features eight high-performance cores, four efficiency cores, a 30-core GPU, and 96GB RAM. This is the same as the chip in the ‌M2‌ Max version of the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌.

The ‌M2‌ Ultra Mac apparently has 16 high-performance cores and 8 efficiency cores, and a 60-core GPU, though prior information suggests that the ‌M2‌ Ultra could feature up to 76 GPU cores. Different configurations feature 64GB, 128GB, and 192GB of memory.

Apple is believed to be testing these new Macs just days ahead of the WWDC keynote, and Gurman says that he expects multiple Macs to be introduced at the event, including an all-new 15-inch MacBook Air model. Gurman has stopped short of saying the new ‌Mac Studio‌ will be introduced at WWDC, but it seems highly likely at this point.

"Stray," an adventure game that lets players take on the role of a cat, will soon be available on the Mac. Introduced in 2022, Stray has previously been limited to Windows machines and PlayStation consoles.

In Stray, a stray cat finds himself stuck in a walled city filled with robots and mutant bacteria. The cat must make his way back up to the surface with the help of B-12, his drone companion.

Stray offers third-person gameplay and it requires players to solve puzzles, bypass obstacles, and complete quests while avoiding monsters like Zurks (evil bacteria) and Sentinels (security bots). Much of the game is platform-based, involving climbing up various obstacles and interacting with the environment to open up new pathways. There are cat behaviors too, of course, such as sneaking, sleeping, meowing, and nuzzling up to NPCs to get pets.

On the Mac, Stray will take advantage of MetalFX Upscaling for accelerated graphics performance with high quality visuals, and it will be available to play on Apple silicon Macs.

There is no launch date for Stray as of yet, but it is coming to the Mac "this year."

Stray for Mac will follow the launch of No Man's Sky for Mac, which is available on Apple silicon machines as of today.

Windows users will want to make sure that they are running the latest version of iTunes, iTunes 12.12.9, in order to gain protection from a recently uncovered security vulnerability.

Apple released iTunes 12.12.9 on May 23, and it fixes an issue that could allow malicious apps to gain elevated privileges to install malware on a Windows machine. While the vulnerability was addressed last week, Synopsys, the security company that discovered the problem, today shared some details on how it worked.

iTunes had a privileged folder with weak access control, allowing a malicious person to redirect the folder creation to the Windows system directory, which could then be used to obtain a higher-privileged system shell.

The iTunes application creates a folder, SC Info, in the C:\ProgramData\Apple Computer\iTunes directory as a system user and gives full control over this directory to all users. After the installation, the first user to run the iTunes application can delete the SC Info folder, create a link to the Windows system folder, and re-create the folder by forcing an MSI repair, which can be later used to gain Windows SYSTEM level access.

All versions of iTunes prior to 12.12.9 are impacted by this vulnerability, and so iTunes users who are running older versions of the software should make sure to update.

Synopsys first discovered the problem in September 2022, and told Apple about it at that point. Apple confirmed the vulnerability in November, and then patched it in May. Apple did not say that this exploit was known to have been used in the wild so it is not as critical as some other vulnerabilities, but it is still a good idea to install the latest version of iTunes right away.

Targus today announced the launch of the Cypress Hero Backpack with built-in Find My integration that works with the ‌Find My‌ app on Apple devices.

Priced at $150, Targus says that the backpack combines eco-friendly materials, laptop protection, and a built-in location feature to keep tech items safe. The backpack can be tracked through the Items tab in the ‌Find My‌ app, right alongside AirTags and other trackers.

There is a padded laptop compartment that fits laptops up to 15.6 inches in size, a main compartment for files and gear, a smaller pocket for accessories, and a quick-stash pocket at the front. It features a 22L capacity and a padded back panel for a comfortable fit.

The included ‌Find My‌ location module uses a CR2032 battery much like an AirTag, and the battery should last up to 300 days depending on usage.

Targus first announced the Find My-compatible backpack in November 2021 and showed it off at CES 2022, and it appears to have taken well over a year for the accessory to actually launch. This is not the first ‌Find My‌ backpack on the market, as Hyper (owned by Targus) also has a Find My-enabled backpack.

The Cypress Hero Backpack can be purchased from the Targus website as of today.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Targus. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Apple is planning to expand on its Apple Store efforts, introducing a number of new retail locations worldwide and overhauling several stores in the United States, reports Bloomberg.

There are 15 new stores coming to the Asia-Pacific region, five stores coming to Europe and the Middle East, and four stores coming to the U.S. and Canada. Another 28 stores in Asia, Europe, and North America will be revamped or relocated, with Apple working on the updates through 2027.

Three of the Asia-Pacific stores will be in India, one will be in Malaysia, two will be in South Korea, and one will be at the Jing'an Temple Plaza in Shanghai, with Apple also planning to overhaul its Shinsaibashi store in Osaka, Japan. In Europe, Apple plans to upgrade its Paris Opéra location and open new stores at the Battersea Power Station in London and La Vaguada in Madrid.

New Apple retail locations are coming to Miami, Detroit, and Torrance, California, while stores in New Jersey, Alabama, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, and Missouri will be relocated.

Apple recently redid Apple Tysons Corner in Virginia, introducing a total overhaul of its first-ever Apple retail location. The store features a physical Genius Bar, a flexible hardware space, and an in-person Apple Watch Studio, and it's possible that some of these features could come to the new stores that are planned.

Bloomberg says that Apple is primarily updating older, smaller stores, with full details on specific locations for the new stores available from the site.

Apple plans to add the original 12-inch MacBook to its obsolete products list on June 30, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors. Once classified as obsolete, the laptop will no longer be eligible for repairs or service at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, as parts will no longer be available.

Apple classifies a product as technologically obsolete once more than seven years have passed since the company stopped distributing it for sale. The original 12-inch MacBook was discontinued in April 2016 upon the release of a second-generation model with improved specs, so the laptop recently crossed that seven-year mark.

Introduced in March 2015, the 12-inch MacBook featured a thin and light design that weighed just two pounds, and it was also Apple's first fanless notebook. Pricing started at $1,299, with the original model's standard specs including a 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, integrated Intel graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD.

Key design aspects of the 12-inch MacBook included a single USB-C port for charging and data transfer, an all-new Force Touch trackpad, and a terraced battery design that allowed for a larger battery to fit inside the notebook's thin chassis.

Unfortunately, the 12-inch MacBook was also the first MacBook model to feature Apple's infamous butterfly switch keyboard design, which is prone to failure and was eventually dropped from the entire MacBook lineup after years of complaints and lawsuits. Apple last updated the 12-inch MacBook in June 2017, and it was discontinued in July 2019.

Apple today released the second beta of macOS Ventura 13.5 to its public beta testing group, allowing the general public to try out the software ahead of its official launch. The macOS Ventura 13.5 public beta comes a few days after Apple provided the second beta to developers.

Public beta testers can download the macOS 13.5 Ventura update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

There is no word as of yet on what's included in macOS Ventura 13.5, and no notable new features were found in the developer betas.

We're expecting to see Apple unveil macOS 14 in just a few days at WWDC, and macOS 13.5 should be one of the last updates to Ventura that will tide users over until the public release of macOS 14 later this year.

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 updates to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test out the software head of its official launch. The public betas come just a day after Apple provided the second betas to developers.

Those who have signed up their accounts for Apple's free beta testing program can enable the beta by opening up the Settings app, going to General, selecting Software Update, tapping on Beta Updates, and selecting the iOS 16 Public Beta option.

iOS 16.6 seems to be a relatively minor update, although Apple does appear to be laying the groundwork for the launch of the previously announced iMessage Contact Key Verification feature.

Development on iOS 16 is slowing down as Apple prepares for the unveiling of iOS 17 in just a few days at WWDC, and iOS 16.6 is likely to be one of the last updates to iOS 16 before the public release of iOS 17 expected in September.

Apple has also seeded a new beta of watchOS 9.6 to public beta testers.

Apple Card customers who have opted to create a high-yield Apple Savings account through Goldman Sachs have been experiencing issues attempting to withdraw their money, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Multiple customers who transferred thousands of dollars to the Apple Savings account have had to wait weeks for money transfers in some cases, and some customers have also had money disappear. Kevin Smyth from Minnesota, for example, attempted to transfer $10,000 from his Apple account to U.S. Bank in mid-May, but Goldman Sachs would not complete the transfer.

Customer representatives suggested he contact U.S. Bank, but U.S. Bank said there was no incoming transaction. Later, he was told that Goldman Sachs had placed his account under a security review. Another customer, Nathan Thacker of Atlanta, tried to transfer $17,000 from his Apple Savings account to JPMorgan Chase on May 15, and it took more than two weeks for the transaction to complete.

In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, Goldman Sachs said some customers had experienced delays due to security processes designed to protect customer deposits.

"The customer response to the new savings account for Apple Card users has been excellent and beyond our expectations. While the vast majority of customers see no delays in transferring their funds, in a limited number of cases, a user may experience a delayed transfer due to processes in place designed to help protect their accounts."

According to The ‌Wall Street Journal‌, transferring large amounts of money that make up much of a newly-opened account's balance can trigger anti-money-laundering alerts, resulting in delays that last around five days. Some of the issues may be caused by the newness of the Savings account.

Apple Savings account users who have had issues and who have contacted Goldman Sachs have said that the customer service has been poor, with customers receiving varying information with each call.

Opening a high-yield Apple Savings account requires an ‌Apple Card‌, and it offers a competitive 4.15 percent interest rate. Opening up a new savings account takes just minutes to do, and it is also designed to aggregate all Daily Cash earned through the ‌Apple Card‌.

Apple's latest Apple Pay promotion will see the company partnering with McDonald's to offer users a free McChicken sandwich when Apple Cash is used for a purchase.

To get the free McChicken, iPhone users will need to spend $1 or more in Apple Cash through ‌Apple Pay‌ in the McDonald's app. The promotion is available from now through June 7.

Apple Cash can be earned from using the Apple Card cash back feature, or it can be added to the ‌iPhone‌ with a debit card. Apple Cash can also be sent to friends and family members through the Messages app.

Facebook parent company Meta today announced the Quest 3, its next-generation mixed reality headset launching later this year. The announcement comes just days ahead of WWDC, where Apple is expected to unveil its own long-awaited AR/VR headset.

Meta said the Quest 3 features a 40% slimmer and more comfortable design, a higher-resolution display, and up to twice the graphics performance as the Quest 2, released in 2020. The headset will start at $499.99 with 128GB of storage, and Meta will also be lowering the starting price of the Quest 2 back to $299.99 on June 4. The company plans to share more details about the Quest 3 during its Meta Connect event on September 27.

Apple's headset is rumored to cost around $3,000, so the Quest 3 could be significantly cheaper. Meta also said the Quest 3 has an all-in-one design, whereas Apple's headset will reportedly include an external battery pack that attaches with a wire.

In his newsletter last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman provided hands-on impressions of the Quest 3 before it was announced. He said that he "came away impressed with the mixed-reality focus of the Quest 3, the much-improved video pass-through capabilities, the faster performance and the large content library."