MacRumors

With the iOS 17 release candidate that came out yesterday, Apple added a new "Grid Forecast" section to the Home app. The feature is designed to use your location to tell you when "clean" energy is available to use, so you can be mindful of when you're using energy.

According to Apple, the energy sources that are used to power a home can change throughout the day. When the forecast reads "Cleaner," it means that the available energy sources may have lower carbon emissions. When it reads "Less Clean," available energy sources that are powering the grid may emit more carbon into the atmosphere.

Apple suggests that users can take advantage of this forecast to decide when to use electricity in situations where energy usage can be timed. Choosing to run the washing machine, the dryer, or the dishwasher during the "Cleaner" time will cut down on carbon emissions.

The Grid Forecast is based on each person's location, and Apple says that it is relative to the energy sources available on the grid in a particular place. According to Apple, even in areas with limited renewable generation, relatively cleaner energy may still be available. Apple does not provide information on where its energy information is sourced.

You can get to the Grid Forecast in iOS 17 by opening up the Home app and tapping on the "Energy" option at the end of the top navigation bar. You will see the current energy status and a time when it will shift. A Grid Forecast icon is also available at the top right of the Home app.

Grid Forecast is not a metric that is available in Automations, so it cannot be used to activate smart home devices at select times. The Grid Forecast is available on all Apple devices in the Home app, including iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.

Alongside the iPhone 15 and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models, Apple yesterday debuted a new version of the AirPods Pro 2 with a USB-C charging case. The swap to USB-C instead of Lightning is the primary new feature, but Apple also updated audio quality in a way that may upset some of its customers.

As we highlighted yesterday, the new ‌AirPods Pro‌ feature additional dust resistance and support for 20-bit 48kHz lossless audio when connected to the Vision Pro headset. At the time, it seemed unusual that Apple would limit a key audio feature to the new ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 when the original version is just a year old, but that's exactly what Apple has done.

According to the latest PowerOn newsletter from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple confirmed that Lossless Audio will not be available on the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 with Lightning charging case, and it is indeed a feature limited to the new USB-C ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2.

Apple in a press release announcing the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 with USB-C charging case touted the new audio feature, calling it the "perfect true wireless solution" for Vision Pro.

AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C) will enable Lossless Audio with ultra-low latency to deliver the perfect true wireless solution with Apple Vision Pro. The H2 chip in the latest AirPods Pro and Apple Vision Pro, combined with a groundbreaking wireless audio protocol, unlocks powerful 20-bit, 48 kHz Lossless Audio with a massive reduction in audio latency.

When Apple Vision Pro is available early next year in the U.S., customers will be able to enjoy the most advanced wireless audio experience in the industry with the new AirPods Pro for exceptional entertainment, gaming, FaceTime calls, and so much more.

Customers who want to be able to use Lossless Audio with Vision Pro for this audio experience will need to purchase the new ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2, which are available for $249. The Vision Pro headset itself is set to be priced at $3,500.

The upcoming iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma updates for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac include a couple of new sign-in methods for an Apple ID account.

First, it is now possible to sign into an Apple ID with any phone number or secondary email address on file with the account. We were able to sign into an Apple ID with a phone number on the Apple ID website using a Mac running macOS Ventura, so it's unclear if this feature specifically requires the new software updates or is simply a backend change.

Second, starting with an iOS 17 update coming later this year, there will be a new Apple ID proximity sign-in feature. This will allow you to bring an existing signed-in and trusted iPhone or iPad into proximity with a new device being set up, pair the devices by scanning an on-screen "particle cloud," and complete sign-in automatically.

iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma also added passkey support to Apple IDs.

Apple announced that iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 will be released on Monday, September 18, while macOS Sonoma launches Tuesday, September 26.

Apple's iOS 17 Release Candidate build that was released yesterday includes code that reveals the new requirements for recording ProRes video with an iPhone 15 Pro directly to external storage.

During yesterday's event, Apple said that the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro could record up to ProRes 4K at 60 fps to external storage thanks to the new USB-C port. The code reveals that ProRes 2.8K at 60 fps is also supported when recording to external storage devices. This is a significant improvement over the iPhone 14 Pro, which only supported ProRes 2.8K and 4K at 30 fps, and did not allow for recording directly to a storage device. Also, according to the code, external storage devices must be formatted to either exFAT or APFS for this feature to work, but there is no word on whether there are disk speed requirements.

ProRes is a high-quality video codec that is often used by professional filmmakers, and video recorded in the ProRes format takes up a lot of storage space. Recording 4K 60fps ProRes video is a feature that Apple was only able to add because of the new A17 Pro chip and the option to connect to an external storage drive.

The external storage requirement for recording 4K 60fps video prevents ‌iPhone‌ users from filling up their onboard storage, and the formatting requirements prevent users from experiencing poor performance when recording to external storage devices. Users who want to record ProRes video to an external storage device will need to make sure that the device meets Apple's requirements.

During its event this week, Apple announced that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max feature a more repairable internal design, with a redesigned frame that allows for the back glass panel to be easily removed from the devices.

Apple already applied this change to the lower-end iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus last year, making them the first iPhone models that can officially be opened from both the front and back sides of the device for repairs since the iPhone 4S, released in 2011. The internal redesign did not extend to the iPhone 14 Pro models.

Removable back glass will likely result in significantly lower repair fees for iPhone 15 Pro models with cracked back glass for customers without AppleCare+ coverage. Apple's out-of-warranty fees for the more repairable iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus with back glass damage range from $169 to $199, compared to $499 to $549 for iPhone 14 Pro models. Apple has yet to disclose repair fees for the iPhone 15 series on its website.

iFixit's Kyle Wiens last year said the iPhone 14 represented "the most substantial iPhone redesign" since the iPhone X given the increased repairability. He added that the changes were "such a big deal that it should have been Apple's big announcement—the iPhone has been redesigned from the inside out to make it easier to repair."

The entire iPhone 15 series can be pre-ordered starting this Friday, September 15 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, and the devices launch on Friday, September 22.

Apple yesterday released new firmware for the second and third-generation Siri Remotes, and the update appears to enable the tvOS 17 feature that is designed to allow an iPhone to locate a misplaced Apple TV remote.

With the new firmware, tvOS 17, and iOS 17, if a ‌Siri‌ Remote becomes lost, the ‌Apple TV‌ remote control available in the Control Center on an ‌iPhone‌ can be used to locate the missing remote.

Users will see a Find My-like interface that guides them toward the remote, with the size of the onscreen circle increasing to guide movement in the correct direction.

Find My for the ‌Siri‌ Remote is available on the second and third-generation ‌Siri‌ Remotes. The updated firmware is necessary, and there is no established method for getting the ‌Siri‌ Remote to update. The ‌Apple TV‌ will need to be up to date, on, and connected to the ‌Siri‌ Remote to initiate, but there is no way to force the new firmware to download.

Prior to the launch of the latest ‌Apple TV‌ 4K, there were rumors that Apple would build ‌Find My‌ functionality into the ‌Siri‌ Remote. That didn't happen, but this new tvOS 17 option is essentially the same thing. The new ‌Siri‌ Remote feature has not been available previously as it required new firmware to function.

Locating the remote through the Control Center is possible because of deeper integration between the ‌iPhone‌ and the iPad with the tvOS 17 and iOS 17 updates. Locating the ‌Siri‌ Remote is a feature that is limited to the ‌Apple TV‌ 4K models released in 2021 and 2022.

Apple today released an iTunes 12.12.10 update for Windows users, and the new software adds both security improvements and support for new devices that include the iPhone 15 and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models.

iTunes for Windows is not updated on a regular basis, and this is the first new software release since May when Apple addressed a major security vulnerability.

Following the update, Windows users should be able to connect the new iPhone models to their PCs for device management purposes.

iTunes has been phased out on the Mac for several years now and it has been replaced with Finder and the TV app, but Apple has continued to keep the Windows version available.

iTunes for Windows can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store or from Apple's website.

With the imminent launch of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, popular third-party Apple accessory companies have introduced all-new accessories for Apple's latest smartphones. Today we're tracking all of the new accessories that you can already get on sale, thanks to deals from Casely, Hyper, OtterBox, Pad & Quill, and Satechi.

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.

There are a few iPhone 15 case sales in the list below, including 15 percent off at Casely, 15 percent off at Pad & Quill, and 25 percent off at OtterBox. For the latter sale, you'll need to purchase a screen protector or power accessory for your iPhone 15 first and then you'll get 25 percent off an OtterBox case.

Otherwise, you'll find multiple sales on charging accessories compatible with the new line of iPhones, with up to 30 percent off Hyper accessories and 20 percent off Satechi accessories. Given that the iPhone 15 is the first iPhone to support USB-C, this is a good opportunity to purchase quality USB-C chargers and cables.

• Casely - Take 15 percent off sitewide with code IPHONE15
• Hyper - Take up to 30 percent off charging accessories
• OtterBox - Take 25 percent off iPhone 15 cases when buying a screen protector or power product
• Pad & Quill - Take 15 percent off iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max wallet cases
• Satechi - Take 20 percent off iPhone 15 accessories with code IPHONE
• ESR - Take 22% percent off iPhone 15 accessories with code AFFNEW22
• Verizon - Take 20 percent off select cases, chargers, and screen protectors for iPhone 15 devices and 25 percent off MagSafe chargers

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

Apple announced that iOS 17 will be released on Monday, September 18 for the iPhone XS and newer. The free software update includes a wide range of new features, but not all of them will be available right away, according to Apple.

Below, we have listed three features that Apple's website says are "coming later this year" as part of a future update, such as iOS 17.1 or iOS 17.2. In addition, Apple shared a PDF this week outlining even more iOS 17 features that are now labeled as "coming later this year," and we have listed those additions below.

Journal App

An all-new Journal app will allow iPhone users to reflect on their day and memories, complete with text, photos, music, audio recordings, and more. The app will provide personalized suggestions based on recent on-device activity.

Collaborative Apple Music Playlists

A new Collaborative Playlists feature for Apple Music will allow multiple people to add, reorder, and remove songs in a shared playlist.

AirDrop Transfers via Internet

If you send content like an image or video to another user via AirDrop, the transfer will be able to continue over an internet connection if you leave AirDrop range, so long as both you and the recipient are signed in to an iCloud account.

More Features Coming Later This Year

• React to a message with any sticker through the Tapback menu in the Messages app.
• A catch-up arrow for group conversations in the Messages app.
• Sync additional settings with Messages in iCloud, such as Text Message Forwarding, Send & Receive accounts, and SMS filters across devices.
• Play or pause a podcast or Apple News+ audio story in the Apple News widget.
• Favorite Songs playlist in Music app.
• Intelligent form detection and enhanced AutoFill for PDFs.
• Audio Focus feature for Apple Fitness+ that prioritizes the volume of either the music or the trainers' voices depending on your preference.
• Apple ID proximity sign-in with an existing signed-in and trusted iPhone or iPad when setting up a new Apple device.

Apple is already testing both iOS 17.1 and iOS 17.2 internally, according to our website's analytic logs. iOS 17.1 is likely to be released in October, while iOS 17.2 should be available in December, based on Apple's previous software release cycles.

The Apple Watch Series 9 replaces the Apple Watch Series 8 in Apple's smartwatch lineup, so how different are the two successive smartwatch generations?

In 2022, Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 8, introducing features like body temperature sensing and Crash Detection. The Apple Watch Series 8 has now been discontinued by Apple, and as year-old models, prices at third-party resellers are falling. As such, some customers may be weighing up whether to upgrade to a discounted Series 8‌ or the latest Series 9‌.

The Apple Watch Series 8 and Series 9 share the overwhelming majority of their features, so should you consider buying or sticking with the Series 8 to save money? This breakdown also serves as a way to see all the differences that the new Apple Watch brings to the table.

Apple Watch Series 8	Apple Watch Series 9
Retina display with up to 1,000 nits of brightness	Retina display with up to 2,000 nits of brightness
	Display can get dimmer in dark rooms and at night (down to 1 nit of brightness)
	Double Tap gesture to stop a timer, play and pause music, snooze an alarm, answer and end a phone call, take a photo with the Camera Remote, open the Smart Stack, and scroll through widgets in the stack, all without touching the display
S8 chip (based on A13 Bionic chip)	S9 chip (based on A15 Bionic chip: 60% more transistors, 30% faster)
Neural Engine	4-core Neural Engine (up to twice as fast)
Siri processed in the cloud via internet connection	‌Siri‌ processed on-device for requests that do not need information from the internet, resulting in quicker and more reliable responses
	‌Siri‌ can access health and fitness data
Dictation	25% more accurate dictation
First-generation Ultra Wideband chip	Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
	Precision Finding for iPhone 15 models, providing distance and direction, as well as visual, haptic, and audio guidance to a misplaced iPhone
	HomePod integration: When a user gets within four meters of a playing ‌HomePod‌, the Apple Watch launches Now Playing to control playback. If nothing is playing, media suggestions appear at the top of the Smart Stack.
32GB storage	64GB storage
Aluminum models available in Starlight, Midnight, Silver, and (PRODUCT)RED	Aluminum models available in Starlight, Midnight, Silver, (PRODUCT)RED, and Pink

Overall, the Apple Watch Series 9 is a very minor upgrade over the Series 8, with the S9 chip, Double Tap, and Precision Finding for ‌iPhone 15‌ models being the most significant changes. As a result, it is very difficult to recommend upgrading.

Most Apple Watch Series 8 users will not be able to justify upgrading to the Series 9, but some customers coming from an older device could still have good reason to preference the latest model, namely those who heavily use a ‌HomePod‌, plan to buy an ‌iPhone 15‌ model and can take advantage of Precision Finding, need additional storage for downloaded media, or think one-handed use with the Double Tap gesture would be useful.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is very similar to the Series 8, so most customers who have an older Apple Watch model and are looking for an upgrade may prefer to look for a discounted Apple Watch Series 8. If the Series 8 can be found for a substantially lower price, it remains a solid buy for most users with an older model. To understand how the Series 8 stacks up against its predecessor, see our other buyer's guide from last year.

Apple this week unveiled four new iPhone 15 models at its "Wonderlust" event. As always, there were many rumors leading up to the event that gave us an idea of what to expect from the devices, but not all of them were accurate.

Below, we have recapped some of the bigger hits and misses from the iPhone 15 rumor mill.

Hits

• All four iPhone 15 models were widely rumored to be equipped with a USB-C port.
• iPhone 15 Pro models have a customizable Action button, and the nine supported types of actions were accurately leaked.
• iPhone 15 Pro models have an A17 chip manufactured with a 3nm process, an increased 8GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 6E support, and a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip.
• iPhone 15 Pro models have thinner bezels around the screen.
• iPhone 15 Pro pricing starts at $999 for the 6.1-inch model, only Pro Max costs more.
• iPhone 15 Pro Max is exclusively capable of 5x optical zoom.
• iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have the Dynamic Island, a frosted glass back, and a 48-megapixel main camera lens.
• iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have a lightweight titanium frame available in Blue, Black, White, and Natural.
• iPhone 15 Pro models have a more repairable design like the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus.
• iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are available in Black, Pink, Yellow, Blue, and Green.
• Apple abandoned plans to add solid-state buttons to the iPhone 15 Pro models, with the devices retaining physical buttons.
• "FineWoven" branding was used for non-leather Apple accessories.
• There is no "iPhone 15 Ultra" (an earlier rumor is a miss).
• Alongside the iPhone 15, the AirPods Pro charging case was updated with a USB-C port.

Misses

• iPhone 15 Pro models do not support Thunderbolt.
• iPhone 15 Pro models do not have a dark red color option.
• Rumors about price increases for both the Pro and Pro Max models were wrong.
• All four iPhone 15 models are not available with color-matched braided USB-C cables.
• There is no 2TB storage option that was rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro models, with the highest capacity remaining 1TB.
• iPhone 15 models did not become eSIM-only in France.
• It was generally expected that iPhone 15 Pro models would have longer battery life with the more power-efficient A17 chip.

Honorable Mention

The second-generation Apple Watch Ultra is not available in Black Titanium.

With so many rumors shared leading up to the iPhone event, this list is far from comprehensive, so feel free to discuss other hits and misses in the comments section.

Apple revealed during Tuesday's "Wonderlust" event that watchOS 10 will be released for Apple Watch Series 4 and later models on Monday, September 18.

When the update rolls out, users will immediately have to familiarize themselves with new functions assigned to the common gestures and physical buttons on their Apple Watch.

In watchOS 10, Control Center is now accessed by pressing the side button, while swiping up from any watch face reveals widgets in a customizable Smart Stack that can be swiped through to see relevant information. Turning the Digital Crown achieves the same thing.

Many stock apps have been entirely revamped with a simpler, information-forward design. Weather, for example, shows the temperature and conditions of your current location, with a quick scroll offering an hourly forecast so you no longer have to tap to get more information.

Apple has also added two new watch faces, Palette and Snoopy, and there are updates to Cycling and Hiking workouts, along with mental health integrations to support new health features in iOS 17. Users can log their state of mind and mood using the Apple Watch, with the device providing insights into mental health over time.

watchOS 10 also adds support for Apple's forthcoming NameDrop feature in iOS 17. Rather than type in the number of someone new to call or text them so that they have your number, NameDrop allows you to simply hold your iPhone near their ‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌ to swap contact details. NameDrop works between two iPhones‌, and between an ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and an Apple Watch. The feature also works between two Apple Watches.

Elsewhere, in Apple Fitness+, a new Custom Plans feature allows users to tailor workout routines by selecting day, duration, workout type, music, and trainer.

Apple yesterday seeded the release candidate version of the upcoming update to developers for testing purposes. The release candidate, or RC, represents the final version of the software that will be released to the public, barring the last-minute discovery of any show-stopping bugs.

The iPhone 15 Pro succeeds 2022's iPhone 14 Pro, bringing 40 new features and improvements to Apple's high-end smartphones. This buyer's guide breaks down every major difference you should be aware of between the two generations.

In 2022, Apple unveiled the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro as the successor to the popular ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro, introducing an always-on display, the Dynamic Island, a 48-megapixel camera, the A16 Bionic chip, longer battery life, and more. The ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max have now been discontinued by Apple, and as slightly older models, lower prices can be found for the device at third-party resellers. As such, some customers who own an older device may be weighing up whether to upgrade to an ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro or an ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro.

As the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro share a large number of features, should you consider buying or sticking with the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro to save money? Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two ‌iPhone‌ models is best for you, and serves as a way to clearly see the all of the differences that the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro brings to the table. This article focuses on the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro, Apple's high-end ‌iPhone‌ models, but to understand the differences between the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone 15‌, see our other buyer's guide:

• iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 15 Buyer's Guide: 20 Upgrades Compared

Although the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro share most of their basic features, the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro offers a large number of notable upgrades over its predecessor, such as a titanium design, Action button, USB-C port, and A17 Bionic chip.

‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro	‌iPhone 15‌ Pro
Surgical-grade stainless steel chassis with squared-off edges	Aerospace-grade titanium chassis with contoured edges
	More repairable design
	Thinner borders around the display for slightly smaller overall footprint
7.85mm depth	8.25mm depth (0.4mm thicker)
206g or 240g weight	187g or 221g weight (19g lighter)
Ring/Silent switch	Action button
A16 Bionic chip (5nm)	A17 Pro chip (3nm)
6-core CPU	6-core CPU (up to 10% faster)
5-core GPU	6-core GPU with with hardware-accelerated ray tracing (up to 20% faster)
16-core Neural Engine	16-core Neural Engine (up to 2x faster)
	Dedicated AV1 decoder
6GB memory	8GB memory
Telephoto camera with second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization	Telephoto camera with larger sensor, folded tetraprism design, optical image stabilization, and autofocus 3D sensor-shift module (Pro Max only)
	Anti-reflective coating on camera lenses
0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 3x optical zoom	0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x, and 5x optical zoom (5x on Pro Max only)
	13mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 77mm, and 120mm focal length picker (120mm on Pro Max only)
48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos	24- and 48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos
Smart HDR 4	Smart HDR 5
Portrait mode with Focus and Depth Control	Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control
Night mode and Night mode portraits	Improved Night mode and Night mode portraits
	Shoot and instantly transfer 48-megapixel ProRAW images to Mac via USB 3
	Record video directly to an external drive
ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps	ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording
Action mode	Improved Action mode and low-light video
	Log video recording
	Academy Color Encoding System
	Record spatial video for Apple Vision Pro
	Improved audio quality on phone calls
Wi‑Fi 6 connectivity	Wi‑Fi 6E connectivity
	Thread networking technology
First-generation Ultra Wideband chip	Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip (connects from 3x further away)
	Precision Finding for Find My friends
Lightning port	USB-C port
USB 2 transfer speeds (up to 480Mb/s)	USB 3 transfer speeds (up to 10Gb/s, 20x faster)
	DisplayPort support for up to 4K HDR video output
Support for Qi wireless charging	Support for Qi 2 wireless charging
	Setting to prevent charging above 80%
	Battery manufacture date, first use, and cycle count information in Settings
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options (no 128GB tier on Pro Max)
Deep Purple, Gold, Silver, and Space Black color options	Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium color options

Overall, the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro is a fairly significant upgrade over the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro, introducing meaningful quality-of-life features like the USB-C port and Action button that change the methods of interaction with the device. The new, considerably more lightweight titanium design, slimmer borders around the display, and contoured edges result in a noticeably different aesthetic and feel in the hand.

The ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro also brings advancements to photography and videography, adding support for 24-megapixel high-resolution photos, Smart HDR 5, and next-generation portraits – practical features that most users can take advantage of. The ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max takes things to the next level with its tetraprism telephoto camera, offering up to 5x optical zoom on the ‌iPhone‌ for the first time. Features like 48-megapixel HEIF capture, external and log recording, Academy Color Encoding System, and fast data transfer via USB 3 are also major upgrades for professionals.

This is not to mention Roadside Assistance via satellite, new color options, the second-generation ultra wideband chip, and the A17 Pro chip – Apple's first chip made with a ‌3nm‌ fabrication process, which radically improves the gaming capabilities of the device.

Due to the scale and breadth of these improvements, some ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro users can justify upgrading to the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro, especially if they value the new design, USB-C port, Action button, and camera improvements. It is worth sticking with the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro if you are holding off for an even more substantial upgrade in the future.

Customers coming from an older model also have good reason to preference the latest model over the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro due to the relatively large number of improvements and additional features offered by the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro, but it depends on just how inexpensively last year's Pro models can now be obtained.

Apple's cellular band page confirms that only U.S. models of the new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max support mmWave 5G bands, as has been the case since the iPhone 12 series was released in 2020.

mmWave is a set of 5G frequencies that promise ultra-fast speeds at short distances, which is ideal for dense urban areas. By comparison, sub-6GHz 5G is generally slower than mmWave, but the signals travel further, better serving suburban and rural areas. All four iPhone 15 models support sub-6GHz 5G outside of the U.S., and sub-6GHz networks are still more common than mmWave networks in countries that have rolled out 5G.

Australia, China, Japan, and Singapore are some of the countries outside of the U.S. that have deployed mmWave networks so far.

Apple announced the iPhone 15 series on Tuesday during its "Wonderlust" event. All four new models are equipped with a USB-C port and the Dynamic Island, while the Pro models have many additional features, including the A17 Pro chip, a lightweight titanium frame, a customizable Action button, 5x optical zoom on the Pro Max model, Wi-Fi 6E support, an increased 8GB of RAM, and more. The devices are available to pre-order starting this Friday at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, and will be released on Friday, September 22.

Hermès has debuted its new Apple Watch Series 9 case and band collection, including some new leather band options not available from Apple's website.

Apple has removed all leather iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands – including Hermès bands – from its website as part of a significant new sustainability push. However, as part of the continuing partnership between Apple and Hermès, the luxury watch boutique is free to continue selling Apple Watch Series 9 models with bands made of calfskin.

Among several new Hermès Single Tour and Double Tour bands made of knitted nylon and woven nylon, several color options made of calfskin can be found. Prices for Hermès Apple Watch Series 9 bands range from $349 to $589, while watch and band combinations range from $1,249 to $1,539.

All of the bands are available to pre-order today. Hermès will begin shipping orders after September 22, according to its website.

As for Apple, the company on Tuesday announced a new textile it's calling "FineWoven," which is made of 68 percent post-consumer content and is overall more environmentally friendly compared to the company's previous line of leather accessories. Apple also confirmed it will no longer use leather for new Apple accessories.

Thanks, KPOM!

France on Tuesday ordered Apple to halt iPhone 12 sales and "fix" existing devices over fears the devices emit too much electromagnetic radiation (via France24).

The French agency that regulates radio frequencies, the ANFR, said on its website that testing found the ‌iPhone‌ 12 emits more electromagnetic waves susceptible to be absorbed by the body than permitted.

The ANFR ordered Apple to "remove the ‌iPhone‌ 12 from the French market from September 12 due to the model exceeding the limit" for electromagnetic absorption by the body. The agency also told Apple to recall every ‌iPhone‌ 12 it has ever sold in the country. Apple launched the ‌iPhone‌ 12 in 2020 and it is still sold across the globe.

"Concerning phones already sold, Apple must in the briefest of delays take corrective measures to bring the affected phones into compliance," said the ANFR in a statement on its website. "Otherwise, Apple will have to recall them."

The ANFR said the device's Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) was 5.74 watts per kilogram, which is above the limit set by the European Union for a phone when held or kept in a pocket. The ANFR said it intends to share its findings with other EU regulators.

The findings contradict advice given by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the WHO website, based on data from a large number of studies, "no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use."

Apple told the BBC it was contesting the ANFR's review, and said it had provided the regulator with its own lab results as well as third parties which show the device is compliant with all the relevant rules. Apple said the ‌iPhone‌ 12 was recognised as being compliant with regulations on radiation levels worldwide.

This isn't the first time Apple has come under regulatory scrutiny in the country. Under a previous French law, Apple was until January 2022 lawfully obligated to include EarPods in the box based on the precautionary principle, because regulators said the risks of exposing developing brains to electromagnetic waves are not clearly known.

France in 2020 also widened regulations requiring retailers to display the radiation value of products on packaging beyond smartphones, including tablets and other electronic devices.

As for the ‌iPhone‌ 12 order, Apple must respond to it within two weeks, the ANFR said.

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.

Apple on Tuesday made second-generation AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case available to order, but unlike its move to wireless charging cases, the company isn't offering the USB-C case as a standalone purchase.

Apple's decision not to offer the USB-C case as a separate purchase is likely a marketing one related to the fact that the updated second-generation AirPods Pro feature improved IP54-rated dust resistance, and will support up to 4 hours of lossless audio with ultra-low latency when connected to the Apple Vision Pro headset launching in early 2024.

Regardless, the lack of an option to purchase the USB-C case separately is likely to frustrate customers who already own second-generation AirPods Pro with a Lightning port and plan to upgrade to an iPhone 15, which features a USB-C port for the first time. Those wanting to charge all their devices with one cable will need to buy the new USB-C to Lightning adapter ($29), while those who want to future-proof for Apple Vision Pro compatibility will have to buy a completely new pair of AirPods Pro costing $249.

Apple announced during its "Wonderlust" event that Emergency SOS via Satellite and Find My via Satellite will be available in Spain and Switzerland later in September.

Both features are currently available in 14 countries and regions, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, the U.K., and the U.S.

Emergency SOS via Satellite was introduced with the iPhone 14 models and can be activated when an emergency situation occurs and there is no WiFi or cellular connection available. While the feature is geared to help users in a genuine emergency, Apple's satellites also make it possible for anyone to share their location whenever they are off the grid via Find My.

• How to Share Your Location via Satellite With Find My

The feature's upcoming availability in Spain and Switzerland is likely tied either to the iPhone 15 series launch in those countries or the availability of iOS 17, which is being released globally to the general public on September 18.

Apple during its event also announced new Roadside Assistance vis Satellite, which is similar to Emergency SOS, but it allows iPhone users to contact roadside assistance if they have car trouble in an area without cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity. Available only in the United States for now, Roadside Assistance is being offered through a partnership with AAA.