MacRumors

In computing lore, an Easter egg typically refers to a secret message, image, or feature intentionally left in software, often (but not always) hidden in plain sight. Since the 1970s, programmers have used them to credit unheralded developers, reference pop culture, sneak games into productivity apps, and generally inject a little bit of humanity into their code.

When Apple was a fledgling company, Mac developers regularly left fun little Easter eggs in software, but not so much these days. While surprises can still be found, they are a lot more subtle and sober, and exist more as a nod and wink to Apple's origins rather than anything edgy or unauthorized. Here are some of our favorite remaining Easter eggs in macOS.

1. EP Record Profile Picture

Open System Settings -> Users & Groups, then click on your login profile picture. If you click Suggestions, you'll find a bunch of classic profile avatars, including a vinyl record.

It's not obvious at this scale, but the four listed music tracks in this EP are unequivocally a tribute to Steve Jobs's favorite expressions: 1. Magic, 2. Revolution, 3. Boom, and 4. Unbelievable.

2. Incomplete Download Creation Date

Try downloading a file (any file) from a trusted place on the internet, but pause the download midway through. Now right-click on the partially downloaded file and select Get Info.

Note the file's creation date, January 24, 1984. That's no error: It's the date Steve Jobs formally unveiled the first Macintosh. Let the download complete, and the file's true creation date will replace it.

3. Sosumi

In the late 1980s, Jim Reekes began working as a sound designer for Apple, creating some of the Mac's most iconic sounds like the "Sosumi" beep, startup chord, and camera/screenshot click. The reason for the name "Sosumi" was due to a lawsuit from The Beatles' record label, also named Apple. At the time, Steve Jobs promised that his company would stay focused on computers and not get involved with music, so that the two similarly named companies could coexist.

After Macs added support for audio recording and MIDI (a standard that connects musical instruments to computers), The Beatles sued and forced Reekes to rename any sound effect that had a "musical-sounding name." Reekes' frustration with the lawsuit eventually led him to the name "Sosumi," because it sounded like "so sue me." He told the lawyers it was a Japanese word that didn't mean anything musical.

In macOS Big Sur and later, the Sosumi alert sound appears in System Preferences/Settings -> Sound with an alternative name: "Sonumi." But look for the sound file in /System/Library/Sounds/ and you'll find that it's still named "Sosumi.aiff." Sneaky.

4. Blue Screen of Death

Apple and Microsoft have generally maintained a friendly relationship over the decades, but neither company is averse to an occasional dig directed at its biggest rival. If your Mac is on a shared network to which a Windows PC could also be connected, try opening Finder and click the Network option in the sidebar, under "Locations."

If a PC is indeed on the network, it will be represented by a vintage-looking computer icon with Microsoft's infamous and frustrating "Blue Screen of Death" (BSoD) displayed on the screen. The location of the icon's file "public.generic-pc.icns" is in /System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources.

5. Here's to the crazy ones

Apple's iconic "Think Different" marketing campaign will be remembered by many, not least for its Steve Jobs quote, which goes like this:

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits, the rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."

The quote is hidden in several places across macOS. In System Settings -> Displays, for example, the words can be seen in the resolution examples when choosing for Larger Text or More Space. Zoom in on the "open book" emoji, and you'll see the same text on its pages. There's also a silver "coin" emoji with the words "The Crazy Ones" emblazoned over an image of an eagle.

6. Clarus the Dogcow

Open your Mac's Emoji keyboard and enter the word "moof" into the search field. The filtered results should return a dog and a cow. Why would that be?

It's a reference to Clarus, a bitmap image of the dogcow that was used to demonstrate page layout in the classic Mac OS, indicating to users which orientation the paper would be in when it was printed. The original glyph it was based on was created by Susan Kare for the Cairo dingbat font that came with the original Mac in 1984, but it became the official mascot of Apple's Developer Technical Support.

According to Apple's Macintosh Technical Notes, "Dogcows, by their nature, are not all dog, nor are they all cow, but they are a special genetic hybrid." As a result, the sound they make is "Moof!", a portmanteau of "moo" and "woof."

At the height of her popularity in the early and mid 1990s, Clarus showed up in everything from early versions of QuickTime to mousepads and T-shirts. But the dogcow became harder and harder to spot in subsequent versions of Mac OS X, and for a while it seemed Clarus had gone the way of the dodo. But in macOS Ventura, a smooth version of the dogcow returned to the page setup window.

Be wary of the dogcow. According to Apple, they are capable of mind control, but rarely seen in the wild: "Since dogcows are two dimensional, they will stand facing a viewer 'on edge' to avoid being seen."

7. Voice Memos App Icon

Open the Voice Memos app and record yourself saying the word "Apple." Does the waveform look familiar? It should do.

Now go back and take a look at the Voice Memos app icon. That's right – it's been designed to look like the waveform of someone saying the company name.

8. Safari Reading List

When Apple released Safari 5.1 for OS X Lion in July 2011, it included a new Reading List feature. It let users add websites and articles for later perusal, and has since become a staple of Apple's ecosystem.

In 2013, Apple updated the Reading List icon, but look closer at it and you may find those spectacles look familiar somehow. It's highly likely they are modeled on the iconic round and rimless Robert Marc eyeglasses worn by the late Steve Jobs.

9. Terminal Historical Calendars

Back in the day when Mac OS shipped with GNU Emacs installed, Terminal was a haven for Easter eggs. With the right kind of command line knowledge, users could fire up hidden games like Tetris or Snake, access recipes, and even chat with the therapist inside their computer. Since the Emacs command-line interface was removed in macOS Catalina, those days are long gone. But there are still a couple of neat fun facts to be found in Terminal.

Enter "cat /usr/share/calendar/calendar.history" (minus quotes) for a list of historical facts for every single day of the year. Alternatively, if you're a fan of Middle Earth, enter "cat /usr/share/calendar/calendar.lotr" for a dated list of major events from the Lord of the Rings canon.

10. Stocks App Icon

We left this Easter egg until last because, quite frankly, we weren't able to corroborate it, so the claim's accuracy is up for debate (call it a rumor). With that said, take a look at the design of the Stocks app icon. See the blue line pinpointing the peak in a stock's value? According to Mac Life, this is supposed to represent the moment when Apple's share value surpassed Dell in January 2006.

In 1997, when Steve Jobs returned to an ailing Apple, Dell CEO Michael Dell was asked what he would do if he was in charge of the company. Dell famously responded, "What would I do? I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."

According to one Apple employee at the time, on hearing this advice, Jobs' responded: "F*ck Michael Dell!" Jobs never forgot what he had said, and even shared an email with his employees at the expense of Dell on the day Apple's stock surged to push the company's market capitalization to $72.13 billion, passing Dell's value of $71.97 billion. So, who knows? Maybe the Stocks app icon was indeed designed at Jobs' behest to digitally memorialize the moment.

Chip supplier TSMC has taken the unusual step of not charging Apple for defective 3nm chips ahead of the introduction of the iPhone 15 Pro and the A17 Bionic chip, The Information reports.

The ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro is widely rumored to feature the A17 Bionic chip – Apple's first chip manufactured with a ‌3nm‌ fabrication process. The ‌3nm‌ node allows transistors to be even more densely packed, resulting in better performance and efficiency.

Introduction of upgraded chip technology like ‌3nm‌ involves the production of a high number of defective chips until the manufacturing process can be perfected. According to The Information, TSMC is only charging Apple for "known good dies," with no fee for defective chips. This is highly unconventional, since TSMC clients usually have to pay for the wafer and all of the dies it contains, including any defective ones.

• 3nm Apple Silicon: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

Since Apple's orders from TSMC are so large, it can apparently justify absorbing the cost of defective chips. Apple's willingness to be the supplier's first customer for new manufacturing processes helps it pay for the research and development of new nodes, as well as the facilities to make them.

The size of Apple's orders also enable TSMC to more quickly learn how to improve and scale up a node during mass production. Once production and yield issues with manufacturing ‌3nm‌ chips improves and other customers seek the technology, TSMC can demand higher prices from those clients, as well as charge for defective dies.

Update: According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, The Information's report is not quite accurate. Kuo says that Apple's standard deal with TSMC does not ever include "defective" chips. Apple purchases "finished goods" that are of the expected quality rather than "wafer-buy," which can include defective chips.

Most chip buyers have a "wafer-buy" deal with TSMC and must eat the cost of defective chips, but in the case of TSMC and Apple, TSMC absorbs the cost through the price of the chips.

Apple has told Apple Watch accessory makers that they will have to switch to its fast-charging module, according to AppleInsider.

Apple Watch fast charging was introduced with the Apple Watch Series 7 in 2021, enabling devices to charge rapidly from 0 percent to 80 percent in about 45 minutes. Apple apparently had shortages of the newer charging module at first, forcing some MFi accessory makers to use the older, slower technology. Going forward, Apple is focusing on production of fast-charging modules only.

Companies can continue to submit plans for accessories that include the original, non-fast-charging variant of the Apple Watch charger module (C162) until August 31, 2023. The C162 module supplied by Apple will no longer be available via its MFi program from September 30, 2023. Only the fast-charging module (C962) will apparently be available thereafter. Apple is believed to charge manufacturers more for the C962 module than its predecessor, meaning that some existing accessories could see price rises.

Popular accessory brand Hyper has announced the launch of its new "HyperDrive Next" product lineup with a variety of connectivity solutions that embrace the latest standards while focusing on the use of recycled materials.

The largest portion of the lineup is a series of USB-C hubs that include USB 3.2 support, SD 4.0 card slots with up to 312 Mbps transfer speeds, and Power Delivery 3.1 support with up to 140 watts of passthrough power available on select models.

The hub likely of most interest to Mac users is the HyperDrive Next Dual 4K HDMI 7 Port USB-C Hub, which unsurprisingly includes dual 4K monitor support for M1 and M2 families of MacBooks via HDMI (one at 60Hz and one at 30Hz), as well as a pair of 10 Gbps USB ports, a 10 Gbps USB-A port, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and 100 watts of passthrough power. It's priced at $149.99.

Another member of the HyperDrive Next family is the new USB4 NVMe SSD Enclosure, which offers support for M.2 NVMe SSDs up to 16TB with transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps. Built with 100% recycled aluminum, the enclosure carries an IP55 rating for water and dust resistance and is priced at $119.99. You'll of course need to supply your own SSD for the enclosure, but with a snap-in design, no tools are required.

Finally, users with more demanding needs may be interested in the HyperDrive Next 10 Port Business Class USB-C Dock. It includes support for dual 4K displays across PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks with two HDMI ports (1 60Hz, 1 30Hz), plus 10 Gbps USB ports (two USB-C and one USB-A), and an additional 100-watt USB-C charging port. There are also a Gigabit Ethernet port, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, an SD 4.0 card slot, a detachable USB-C cable that snaps into the side of the dock for travel, and slots for both Targus and Kensington locks, all in a slim design for $199.99.

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

Amazon is taking $200 off Apple's new 15.3-inch MacBook Air notebooks for back to school season, providing fresh all-time low discounts on these computers. You can get the 256GB 15.3-inch MacBook Air for $1,099.00, down from $1,299.00.

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

Amazon's deal beats the previous record low by $100. This sale is available in all four colors: Space Gray, Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. All models are in stock and have an estimated delivery date between August 9 and August 12.

Additionally, Amazon has the 512GB 15.3-inch MacBook Air on sale for $1,299.00, down from $1,499.00. This one is available in one color (Starlight), and has an estimated delivery date between August 9 and August 12.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Apple's iPhone 15 Pro models will be available with a new 2TB maximum storage option, claims a new rumor coming out of China.

According to news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Korean Naver blog, a supplier source has confirmed that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be available with double the maximum storage capacity as the iPhone 14 Pro models.

In addition, MacRumors has discovered a Weibo account that posted over the weekend making the same claim, while adding that the Pro models are likely to start with a minimum of 256GB storage rather than the current base 128GB capacity on iPhone 14 models.

In the latter scenario, Apple would be able to maintain four available storage tiers – 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. Such storage bumps could also dovetail with rumors that Apple is set to increase the price of iPhone 15 Pro models this year.

Both Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman and tech analyst Jeff Pu say they expect price hikes for this year's Pro models. Pu believes the iPhone 15 Pro could be priced starting at $1,099, up from the $999 starting price of the iPhone 14 Pro. If that's accurate, the iPhone 15 Pro Max could be priced starting at $1,199.

Of course, it's also possible that the 2TB rumor is off the mark and that Apple is simply increasing the cost of the devices to boost revenue amid a decline in the smartphone market. Note that last year's iPhone 14 Pro models were also rumored to come in a 2TB option, but that didn't happen.

Apple first added a 1TB storage option for the ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro Max in 2021. The new option was due primarily to new camera features, such as ProRes video, which consumes significantly more storage than regular videos.

For example, to record ProRes video in 4K at 30 frames per second, an iPhone 14 Pro model with a 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage capacity is required. ProRes video recording is limited to 1080p at 30 frames per second on iPhone 14 Pro models with a 128GB storage capacity. If Apple did increase the base storage of the iPhone 15 Pro to 256GB, all models would become capable of recording ProRes in 4K at 30fps.

We'll know for sure what Apple has in store for the iPhone 15 Pro in just over a month. Apple's annual iPhone event is expected to take place on either Tuesday, September 12, or Wednesday, September 13, according to Gurman.

Amazon has Apple's AirPods Pro 2 at $199.00 this week, down from the original price of $249.00. Amazon provides an estimated delivery date between August 8 and August 12 for most residences in the United States.

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.

This has been one of the most consistent deals on the AirPods Pro 2 all year, and is about $5 off from the all-time low price that we last saw in March. Given that we haven't tracked that rare sale again, we definitely recommend jumping on this deal if you've been waiting for a deal on the AirPods Pro 2.

Verizon is matching this deal at a slightly higher price of $199.99. For the Verizon sale, you don't need to be a Verizon customer to get this deal. There is also a free express pickup option for select stores and same day delivery for select areas as well.

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

Apple may be actively testing an M3 version of the Mac mini, based on specifications found in third-party developer logs and reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said Apple is testing a Mac under model identifier "Mac 15,12" that includes eight CPU cores (consisting of four efficiency cores and four performance cores), 10 graphics processor cores, and 24GB of RAM.

The machine is said to be running macOS Sonoma 14.1, the first point update of Apple's forthcoming operating system, and given the similar specifications to the base M2 Mac mini (bar the existing model's 8GB RAM as standard), Gurman believes it represents a next-generation Mac mini.

In his latest newsletter, Gurman repeated that he expects the first M3-powered Macs to debut as early as October. However, based on previous reporting, he does not expect the Mac mini to be one of the first models with the M3 chip. They are likely to be the 13-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch MacBook Air, and 24-inch iMac.

Gurman last month said that he did not expect a new Mac mini to emerge until late 2024 at the earliest. If the developer logs do indicate Apple is testing an M3 Mac mini, that could mean we could see it sooner than previously expected. That said, the latest Mac mini models are less than a year old, having been introduced in January 2023.

The ‌M3‌ chip is widely expected to be fabricated using TSMC's 3nm process for significant performance and power efficiency improvements compared to the 5nm-based ‌M2‌ chip in existing devices.

Apple's annual iPhone event is expected to take place on either Tuesday, September 12, or Wednesday, September 13, this year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter. With Apple's usual timing, pre-orders for the new iPhones would go live a few days later on Friday, September 15, and a launch would come one week later on September 22.

Apple typically holds its event in the first two weeks of the month, enabling it to launch its new iPhones and book significant revenue before the company's fiscal quarter wraps up at the end of the month, and it appears this year will be no exception. There have, however, been rumors of production challenges, which could mean certain models see very tight supplies or even a slightly later launch.

A report from 9to5Mac last week claimed that multiple carrier partners have blocked employees from taking time off on Wednesday, September 13, in anticipation of a "major smartphone announcement." It's not entirely clear why carrier employee off days would be blocked on an event day, as pre-order and launch days are their busiest times, but it does line up with Gurman's reported schedule.

Apple's ‌iPhone‌ events are most commonly held on Tuesdays, except for weeks that coincide with Labor Day on that Monday in the United States. In those cases, the events are usually held on Wednesdays to allow media to travel on the previous day without interfering with the holiday. Given the rumored week does not include Labor Day this year, that would argue for a Tuesday event on September 12, but it's not out of the question for Apple to opt for a Wednesday event for some reason.

Apple usually sends out media invitations roughly a week advance, so we still have some time before we get official confirmation on the event date, but additional rumors firming things up will likely surface over the next month.

In addition to the iPhone 15 lineup, the September event is expected to include updated Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models, final details and launch dates for iOS 17 and related operating system updates, and perhaps a few other announcements.

We're just about a month away from the introduction of the iPhone 15 lineup, but it's far from the only product in Apple's pipeline as this week saw fresh rumors about the next-generation Apple Watch models, AirTag, iPads, and more.

We also took a glance at some iOS 17 features you might have missed while we look ahead to what we might see with fourth-generation AirPods, so read on for all the details on these stories and more!

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Again Rumored to Be Available in Black Titanium

The second-generation Apple Watch Ultra will be available with a black titanium case, in addition to the existing natural finish, according to the previously-accurate leaker "ShrimpApplePro."

The new Apple Watch Ultra is expected to be announced in September alongside the iPhone 15 series and the Apple Watch Series 9, which is rumored to be available in a new pink color option. The new Ultra model is also expected to have a faster S9 chip, but there may be few other changes.

15 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Need to Know About

In a recent video on our YouTube channel, we highlighted 15 hidden or lesser-known iOS 17 features that iPhone users should know about. Be sure to watch the video to hopefully learn something new.

iOS 17 is currently available as a public beta for members of Apple's free Beta Software Program, allowing anyone to test it out. The software update is expected to be released in September, and is compatible with the iPhone XS and newer.

New AirTag Likely to Enter Mass Production in Late 2024

Apple suppliers will likely begin mass production of a second-generation AirTag in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

The current AirTag launched in April 2021 for $29 and allows users to track the location of lost or misplaced items via the Find My app. Potential new features for the next AirTag include improved Ultra Wideband functionality and longer battery life compared to the current model.

AirPods 4: Everything We Know So Far

Apple introduced the third-generation AirPods nearly two years ago, so customers are beginning to wonder what the company may have in store for the fourth version of the wireless earbuds.

We've put together a guide outlining everything we expect from the fourth-generation AirPods, including seven plausible new features. The new AirPods will likely be released next year at the earliest.

Apple Plans to Reduce iPad Bezel Sizes, Just Like on iPhone 15 Pro Models

Apple is reducing the size of the bezels on its upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models by using a special manufacturing process, and the company plans to use the same technology to shrink the bezels on future iPads, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

It's unclear exactly when the first iPads with slimmer bezels will launch. New iPad Pro models with OLED displays and the M3 chip are rumored to launch next year.

iPad Mini 7 Could Be Coming Later This Year

The seventh-generation iPad mini appears to be in the works at Apple, according to the previously-accurate leaker "ShrimpApplePro."

The leaker did not share any new details about the next iPad mini, but the fact they say it is "coming" suggests that a launch later this year is possible. However, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo does not expect the next iPad mini to enter mass production until the first quarter of 2024.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

With the iOS 17 update, Apple is updating and refining almost every iPhone app and feature, and that includes AirPlay. ‌AirPlay‌ is Apple's wireless communication protocol that allows music and video content from iPhones, iPads, and Macs to be beamed to devices like the Apple TV, HomePod, and third-party speakers, smart TVs, set-top boxes, and receivers.

This guide highlights the changes that Apple is making to ‌AirPlay‌ in iOS 17, with these features also available in iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma.

AirPlay Preferences

iOS 17 improves on-device intelligence for ‌AirPlay‌, and it is able to better learn your preferences over time. If you typically ‌AirPlay‌ from your ‌iPhone‌ to the ‌Apple TV‌ in the living room, it will learn that behavior and show the ‌Apple TV‌ first in your ‌AirPlay‌ list over other ‌AirPlay‌ devices that may be in the home.

Devices are shown in the ‌AirPlay‌ interface based on relevance, and you'll also now see suggested connections proactively based on your prior ‌AirPlay‌ usage.

The ‌AirPlay‌ interface is smarter from the outset, and it shows the devices that are located closest to you first rather than offering up a more arbitrary list. The ‌AirPlay‌ interface also makes it clearer which device content is AirPlaying to and whether ‌AirPlay‌ is active.

Automatic AirPlay

The Automatic ‌AirPlay‌ feature that was available for TVs in iOS 16 has expanded to include speakers as well in iOS 17. You can opt in to have the ‌iPhone‌ automatically connect to nearby speakers and TVs when playing content from apps that you regularly use with ‌AirPlay‌.

Previously, this setting was limited to ‌AirPlay‌ TVs.

AirPlay in Hotel Rooms

Apple is teaming up with hotel chains and TV manufacturers to introduce smart TV sets that will let hotel guests automatically ‌AirPlay‌ content from their Apple devices to the hotel TV.

The option will let guests watch their own TV shows and movies without having to sign into streaming accounts on shared televisions, providing more security for viewing content when traveling.

IHG Hotels and Resorts will be the first hotel company to bring ‌AirPlay‌ to its hotels, and LG plans to introduce AirPlay-compatible smart TVs designed specifically for use in hotels.

Read More

You can get more information on the changes coming in iOS 17 in our comprehensive iOS 17 roundup.

Apple in August is offering a new Apple Card promotion that will see ‌Apple Card‌ holders entitled to extra Daily Cash rewards for Panera Bread purchases. Through the end of the month, ‌Apple Card‌ users who make a purchase at Panera using Apple Pay can earn 6% cash back instead of 3% cash back.

Getting the cash back reward requires Panera customers to use ‌Apple Pay‌ with the ‌Apple Card‌ specifically, and the 6% bonus is available for up to $500 in spending throughout August. ‌Apple Card‌ owners who purchase $500 in Panera food can earn $30.

Purchases can be made at U.S. Panera stores, in the Panera app, and on the Panera website.

Apple partners with a number of vendors to offer three percent Daily Cash back on ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ purchases made with ‌‌Apple Card‌‌, including Panera Bread. 3% cash back can also be earned from Ace, T-Mobile, Nike, Uber Eats, Uber, Panera, Walgreens, Exxon Mobil, and Apple's own retail stores.

Standard ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ purchases earn two percent cash back, and all other purchases earn one percent.

(Thanks, Issa!)

Apple today began offering the AirPods 3 through its store for refurbished products, making the earbuds available at a discount. Apple has not previously offered refurbished AirPods, so this is a first.

The refurbished AirPods 3 include a MagSafe Charging Case and are priced at $149, a $30 discount off of the regular $179 price. Apple also has an out of stock listing for $209 refurbished AirPods Pro 2, suggesting those may also be available at a discount in the near future.

Apple's refurbished products are almost identical to new products, and they go through a rigorous testing process. Defective components are replaced, and there is a thorough cleaning, which is extra important for earbuds that go in the ears.

The third-generation AirPods came out in October 2021, and they feature an updated design, force sensor controls, Adaptive EQ, spatial audio, and ‌MagSafe‌ charging.

(Via iPhone in Canada)

Ulrich Kranz, the former CEO of electric car company Canoo and a key executive on the Apple Car team, is facing an SEC lawsuit, reports Bloomberg. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission believes that Kranz provided unreasonable revenue projections for Canoo and also misstated how much he was paid.

Apple hired Ulrich Kranz back in 2021 for its Apple Car project. Kranz is known for founding self-driving car startup Canoo, and prior to that, he spent 30 years at BMW. Canoo is still around and may be most recognizable for its odd-looking "Lifestyle Vehicle," which has not yet been produced for the public.

Canoo has been struggling to stay afloat since Kranz left the company, but last month successfully delivered three electric vans to NASA, which will be used for the Artemis moon missions next year. The vehicles will transport astronauts, flight crew, and equipment to the launch pad ahead of the launch.

Kranz has not been involved with Canoo since early 2021, but the SEC is aiming to prevent him from serving as an officer at a public company going forward, which could potentially impact his future career trajectory at Apple.

This week was full of deals centered around the back to school season, and many of these discounts are still available as we head into the weekend. You'll find record low prices on the entry-level M1 MacBook Air, AirPods Pro 2, Samsung monitors, and more.

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.

Back To School

It's officially back to school season, and that means there are plenty of discounts to go around on the best tech accessories and Apple products that you might need this fall. Earlier in the week, we covered both The Best Back to School Apple Accessory Deals and The Best Back to School Deals on Apple Products.

In the accessory post, you'll find steep discounts on products from Anker, ZAGG, Belkin, AT&T, Office Depot, and more. The Apple product post has some of the summer's best prices on the MagSafe Charger, MacBook Air, and more. Below we've listed some quick highlights from each sale.

• AirTag - $25.00 on Amazon ($4 off)
• MagSafe Charger - $28.99 on Woot ($10 off)
• AirPods Pro 2 - $199.00 on Amazon ($50 off)
• AirPods Max - $449.99 on Amazon ($99 off)
• M1 MacBook Air - $749.99 ($249 off)
• Office Depot/OfficeMax - Take up to 60% off back to school items
• Anker - Take up to $60 off chargers and portable batteries
• ZAGG - Take 20% off sitewide

Apple Watch SE

• What's the deal? Take $30 off Apple Watch SE
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

It's been a while since we tracked discounts on the Apple Watch SE, but this week Amazon brought back a few $30 discounts across the lineup. Most of these are solid second-best prices on the Apple Watch SE, and prices start at just $219.00 for the 40mm GPS model.

Samsung Monitors

• What's the deal? Take up to $700 off Samsung monitors
• Where can I get it? Samsung
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

We started tracking the first notable discount on Samsung's new Smart Monitor M8 this week, available for $599.99, down from $699.99. Alongside this sale is a collection of markdowns on Samsung gaming monitors, with up to $700 in savings.

• 32-inch Odyssey Neo G7 Curved Gaming Monitor - $1,099.99, down from $1,299.99
• 34-inch Odyssey OLED G8 Curved Smart Gaming Monitor - $1,299.99, down from $1,499.99
• 49-inch Odyssey G9 Curved Gaming Monitor - $1,299.99, down from $1,499.99
• 49-inch Odyssey Neo Curved Gaming Monitor - $1,499.99, down from $2,199.99
• 55-inch Odyssey Ark 4K Curved Gaming Monitor - $2,499.99, down from $2,999.99

MacBook Air

• What's the deal? Take up to $150 off 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch MacBook Air
• Where can I get it? B&H Photo and Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Lastly, all-time low prices arrived for both the 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch MacBook Air this week. You can get the 256GB 13.6-inch model for $949.00 on B&H Photo and the 256GB 15.3-inch model for $1,199.00 on Amazon.

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.

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through the latest rumors about the next-generation AirTag, iPad Air, iPad mini, Apple Watch, and Apple Watch Ultra.

Firstly, we react to the rumor that the second-generation ‌AirTag‌ is set to hit mass production in the fourth quarter of next year, taking a look at how we use AirTags and what a new model could offer. We also discuss the latest reports about the next-generation iPad Air and iPad mini.

We look at the new color options and features reportedly coming to the Apple Watch Series 9 and second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, Apple's plan to progressively reduce the bezels of the iPhone and ‌iPad‌, our first smartphones, and our feelings about watchOS 10 as we approach its official release.

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 with our discussion on how we would make changes to Apple's product lines in an attempt to make them simpler and more consumer-friendly.

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 Andru Edwards, Kevin Nether, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Mark Gurman, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, 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's 256GB 15.3-inch MacBook Air is available for $1,199.00 today on Amazon, down from its original price of $1,299.00. We've seen this sale only a few times over the summer, and it remains the best deal tracked yet on the latest MacBook Air.

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

This sale is available in three of the four colors: Midnight, Space Gray, and Silver. All three models are in stock and have an estimated delivery date between August 5 and August 9.

We're also tracking an all-time low price on the 512GB 15.3-inch MacBook Air, which is on sale for $1,399.00, down from $1,499.00. This one is available in two colors (Midnight and Space Gray), and has an estimated delivery date between August 7 and August 9.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

The Apple Watch Series 9 will be "basically unchanged" compared to the current model other than a performance improvement, according to Weibo leaker "Instant Digital."

In a post shared earlier today, the Weibo user corroborated other reports that the Apple Watch Series 9 will be a minor upgrade. The refresh will apparently focus on updating the cores within the device's S-series chip, delivering a notable performance improvement, but the rest of the device will be effectively the same as the Apple Watch Series 8.

The S6, S7, and S8 chips' CPU in the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 8, second-generation Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra, are virtually identical. The S6, S7, and S8 chips all feature 32GB of storage and dual-core CPUs with the identifier T8301. When Apple debuted the S6 in the Apple Watch Series 6, the last time it made performance claims about its latest smartwatch lineup, it said that the chip allowed apps to launch 20 percent faster.

The S6, S7, and S8 are based on Apple's A13 Bionic chip from the iPhone 11 lineup and are manufactured using TSMC's 7nm process. Apple transitioned to TSMC's 5nm process starting with the A14 Bionic chip in 2020.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the S9 chip will be based on the A15 Bionic chip. The new chip could bring significantly improved performance and efficiency, boosting app launch speeds and potentially improving battery life. In addition to the Apple Watch Series 9, the S9 chip is expected to be a key upgrade of the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra later this year.

The rumor echoes the essence of last year's Apple Watch Series 8, which was a minor update over the Series 7. It only added a more powerful gyroscope and accelerometer, ‌Crash Detection, and a body temperature sensor compared to its predecessor from 2021.

• Apple Watch Series 7 vs. Apple Watch Series 8 Buyer's Guide

With performance as the main focus of the Apple Watch Series 9 and second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, it seems that 2023's new Apple Watch models could be similarly small refreshes. Apple reportedly plans to introduce a couple of new color options for the product lineup this year, including pink for the Apple Watch Series 9 and black for the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra.