iPhone production at one of the world's largest factories could fall by as much as 30% next month due to tightening COVID-19 restrictions in China, according to a new report today.
Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn's main Zhengzhou plant, which employs about 200,000 people, was hit by the stringent curbs after an outbreak at the factory, which led the city of about 10 million people locked down as a result.
It's not clear how many cases of the virus have been identified, but the outbreak forced staff to lock down at the workplace, which has reportedly caused unrest and even led some employees to escape by jumping a fence outside the plant.
Foxconn is working to boost iPhone production at another factory in Shenzhen city to make up for the shortfall, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. A second person familiar with the situation said many workers remained at the Zhengzhou plant and that production was continuing.
Last week, Foxconn announced it was banning all dine-in catering at the Zhengzhou plant and would be requiring workers to eat meals in their rooms. At the same time, the Taiwanese company said it was maintaining normal production as it ramped up iPhone 14 assembly ahead of the busy holiday period.
Localities in China continue to grapple with President Xi Jinping's rigid zero-COVID policy, which imposes strict measures including anything from regular testing and travel restrictions to full-scale lockdowns.
Factories are usually able to continue to operate under a "closed loop" system where staff live and work on-site, but the arrangements have caused various problems, including workers expressing anger on social media at their treatment and living conditions.
Twitter, now owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, is reportedly planning to charge users $20 per month if they want to become or stay verified on the platform, according to multiple reports.
The Verge and Platformer are both reporting that Twitter is set to introduce a new tier to Twitter Blue, the social media platform's subscription service, that costs $20 per month and includes verification on the platform. Currently, applying for verification on Twitter is free, and users only need to show account notability, be of public interest, and be authentic.
According to The Verge, if the proposed plan moves forward, currently verified users on Twitter will have 90 days to subscribe to the new $20-per-month Twitter Blue subscription or lose their blue checkmark. Musk has reportedly told engineers to have the project completed by November 7 or else they'll be fired, per "internal correspondence" and sources familiar with the matter who spoke to The Verge.
Musk said on Sunday that Twitter's verification process is "being revamped right now," but did not provide any additional details. Twitter Blue currently costs $4.99 and unlocks additional perks on the platform, including the ability to edit tweets, change the app icon, and more.
The first beta of iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 was released for developers and public beta testers last week, so it's still early to outline all of its new features and changes. Still, we already have several new features, changes, and improvements to look forward to that we've recapped below.
Live Activites For TV Sports Games
iOS 16.2 will re-add Live Activities integration for select sports games for the built-in TV app on the iPhone. Users will be able to track games in real time using Live Activities on their Lock Screen or the Dynamic Island for iPhone 14 Pro models.
Lock Screen Sleep Widget
iOS 16.2 will add a new Sleep widget option for users to add their Lock Screen. There are three widget options: one showing the amount of time you spent in bed, another showing a bar chart representing sleep quality, and the larger widget that shows time in bed along with a visual representation.
Freeform App
Announced at WWDC, Freeform is a new app from Apple that allows users to collaborate with friends and co-workers on a single board with drawings, text, videos, images, and more. Freeform is now available to developers and public beta testers and can be expected to launch alongside iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS Ventura 13.1 in mid-December. Check out our hands-on video for a closer look at Freeform.
External Display Support on iPadOS 16
iPadOS 16.2 will reintroduce external display support for select iPad models. Before iPadOS 16's release, Apple said it would delay external display support for iPad and Stage Manager and reintroduce it later this year. External display support with iPadOS 16.2 will allow users to connect their iPad to an external display and use Stage Manager to multitask with multiple windows and apps running simultaneously.
Conclusion
Since iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 are expected to launch in December, there is still plenty of time for Apple to add new features and changes for the update. After iOS 16.2 in mid-December, Apple is expected to launch iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, and macOS Ventura 13.3 around February and March to coincide with new Mac releases, Gurman said today.
Apple is not planning to announce any new Macs in the remainder of this year, with all planned releases expected to take place in the first quarter of 2023, including updated versions of the MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and the Mac Pro, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said today.
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said Apple has decided to wait until next year to announce new Macs, including MacBook Pros which were rumored to launch this month. "I'm told that Apple is aiming to introduce the upgraded models—including M2-based versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros—in the first quarter of calendar 2023," Gurman said today.
During the company's latest earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple's "product lineup is set" ahead of the holidays, possibly suggesting there will be no new product launches this year as Apple gears up for the holiday season. Apple's CFO, Luca Maestri, provided a more decisive confirmation saying, "we have a very challenging compare against last year, which had the benefit of the launch and associated channel fill of our newly redesigned MacBook Pro with M1," Gurman noted today in Power On.
As previously reported, Apple continues to test an Apple silicon Mac Pro with a configuration that includes 24 CPU cores (including 16 performance and eight efficiency cores), 76 graphics cores, and 192GB of memory. The Mac Pro is expected to be powered by the "M2 Ultra" and "M2 Extreme" chips with at least twice or four times the performance as the M2 Max chip, expected to be announced alongside the updated MacBook Pros next year.
Contrary to rumors that Apple will announce new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros powered with the yet to be announced M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in November, a new rumor has suggested Apple will instead release the new laptops next year.
According to a post from the account "yeux1122" on the Korean blog Naver, citing a supply chain source, the updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will not launch until early next year, around the March timeframe. According to the account, which has a mixed track record, supply chain activities related to the updated MacBook Pros are operating per a schedule suggesting a launch next year, not November.
Historically, Apple has launched new Macs in November multiple times, including the original 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2019 and the first three Macs with the M1 chip in 2020, adding credence to the idea new MacBook Pro models were imminent.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros to be released in the "near future" and "within the coming months" as rumors have suggested a launch in November to follow past precedent. During the company's latest earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple's "product lineup is set" ahead of the holidays, possibly suggesting there will be no new product launches this year as Apple gears up for the holiday season.
October is drawing to a close with plenty to talk about in terms of new hardware and software releases from Apple, while we're also looking ahead with iOS 16.2 and future hardware.
Read on below for all of the details on everything Apple released this week, including our early hands-on look at Apple's new iPads, plus a rumor about Apple's biggest-ever iPad and more!
iOS 16.1 Released: Here's Everything New
It was a busy week for Apple in terms of software, as the company released iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura with a long list of new features for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
As for hardware, new iPad Pro models and a redesigned 10th-generation iPad launched this week after being announced last week. We shared a hands-on look at both devices on our YouTube channel. The new Apple TV 4K launches next Friday, November 4.
Apple Releases iPadOS 16 With Stage Manager and More
iPadOS 16 was finally released to the public this week following over four months of beta testing. One of the update's key new features is Stage Manager, which allows multiple apps to be used in overlapping windows for improved multitasking.
macOS Ventura is a major update that introduces a new multitasking experience on the Mac with Stage Manager, overhauls multiple stock apps like Mail and Messages, adds support for using an iPhone as a Mac's webcam with a newly released Belkin accessory, and more.
Apple Rumored to Release Larger 16-Inch iPad Next Year
Apple is developing a larger 16-inch iPad that it hopes to release in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a report this week. This would be the largest-ever iPad model, topping the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
The supersized iPad would have the same screen size as the 16-inch MacBook Pro, providing users with a much larger canvas to work with. It was previously rumored that Apple is also planning a 14-inch iPad Pro.
Apple Admits It Will Have to Comply With EU and Switch iPhone to USB-C
In an interview this week with tech reporter Joanna Stern, Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak admitted that the company will "have to comply" with an EU law requiring devices like the iPhone to adopt USB-C as a common charging port starting in 2024.
Everything New in iOS 16.2 Beta: Freeform App and More
Shortly after releasing iOS 16.1, Apple made the first beta of iOS 16.2 available to developers and public beta testers with even more new features.
iOS 16.2 will include Apple's new digital whiteboard app Freeform, unintentional Emergency SOS call reporting, a new Sleep widget for the Lock Screen, new Home app architecture, Live Activities integration for select sports games in the Apple TV app, and more.
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.
With the release of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Apple introduced Lockdown Mode, offering users an "extreme" level of security. This article explains who Lockdown Mode is for, what it does, and how to enable it.
In iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Apple brought iPhone and iPad users Lockdown Mode, an optional new security feature that's designed to protect users who may be at risk of highly targeted cyberattacks from private companies developing state-sponsored spyware.
While the feature is aimed at the very small number of users who could be targets of cyberattacks, such as journalists, activists, and government employees, any user can enable it on their device for what Apple calls an "extreme" level of security.
Lockdown Mode Protections
When enabled, Lockdown Mode strictly limits or disables the functionality of features, apps, and websites. Lockdown Mode protections include the following:
In the Messages app, most message attachment types other than images are blocked, and some features like link previews are unavailable.
Incoming FaceTime calls from people you have not previously called are blocked. Incoming invitations for other Apple services from people you have not previously invited are also blocked.
Some complex web technologies and browsing features, including just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation, are disabled unless the user excludes a trusted site from Lockdown Mode. This protection applies to Safari and all other web browsers using WebKit across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Shared albums will be removed from the Photos app, and new shared album invitations will be blocked.
When a device is locked, wired connections with other devices/accessories are blocked.
Configuration profiles cannot be installed, and the device cannot enroll into mobile device management (MDM), while Lockdown Mode is turned on.
How to Enable Lockdown Mode on iPhone and iPad
Lockdown Mode is turned off by default on iPhone and iPad, but you can enable it by following these steps.
Launch the Settings app.
Scroll down and tap Privacy & Security.
Scroll to the bottom of the menu and under "Security," tap Lockdown Mode.
Read the on-screen information, then tap Turn On Lockdown Mode.
Review the list of protections. If you're still happy to go ahead, tap Turn On Lockdown Mode.
Apple has added a new category to its Security Bounty program to reward researchers who find Lockdown Mode bypasses and help improve its protections, so expect new protections to be added over time.
Apple today shared an Apple Fitness+ ad highlighting the new iOS 16.1 feature that allows iPhone users to access and use the subscription service without an Apple Watch.
Since launch, Apple Fitness+ has required an Apple Watch in order to track workouts, with the fitness information collected by the Apple Watch shown on the television screen. With iOS 16.1, Apple began allowing iPhone owners who do not have an Apple Watch to do workouts directly on the iPhone, but there are no tracking metrics available.
The new capabilities allow iPhone owners to subscribe to the Apple Fitness+ service after upgrading their software to iOS 16.1. Apple Fitness+ is priced at $9.99 per month or $79.99 annually, with multiple family members able to share a single subscription.
The M2iPad Pro supports ProRes video recording for the first time, but customers of the new iPad wishing to take advantage of the capability will have to do so through a third-party app, as Apple's native Camera app seemingly does not support the format.
Customers started receiving their new M2 iPad Pros this week, and noticed that ProRes was not an option within Settings for the Camera. As Mac Otakara points out, recording ProRes on the new iPad Pro requires a third-party app that's been updated for the new capability, such as FiLMiC Pro.
Apple did not respond to MacRumors' request for comment on whether this is a bug and if the native Camera app will gain the ability to record ProRes video in a future update.
The new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro are incremental upgrades mainly featuring the new M2 Apple silicon chip, ProRes video recording, and a new hover feature for the second-generation Apple Pencil.
Following the official release of iPadOS 16, Federico Viticci joins us this week on the The MacRumors Show podcast as we talk through our thoughts on Stage Manager and the overall state of the iPad's OS.
Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories. He is an iPad and Shortcuts power-user known for writing and speaking about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, and iOS productivity. See Federico's work on macstories.net and follow him on Twitter @vittici.
In this episode, we take a deep dive into Stage Manager, key iPadOS 16 features such as Display Zoom and the Freeform app, the future of iPad multitasking, and where the OS can improve in the future. We also touch on first impressions of Apple Pencil hover, one of the new iPad Pro's key new features, and the Magic Keyboard Folio for the 10th-generation iPad.
Telegram's CEO has accused Apple of destroying dreams and ruining entrepreneurship with its App Store rules, more specifically, the company's 30% commission levied on in-app purchases for developers who make over $1 million a year.
Writing on his Telegram channel, Pavel Durov said that Apple had informed the messaging platform that it would not be able to allow content creators to use third-party payment methods for sales. Telegram users can donate to content creators and access special content using a third-party payment method and not Apple's in-app purchasing system.
Durov said Apple is not "happy with content creators monetizing their efforts without paying a 30% tax" and that Telegram has no choice but to disable paid posts and channels on its iOS app. "This is just another example of how a trillion-dollar monopoly abuses its market dominance at the expense of millions of users who are trying to monetize their own content," Durov continued.
Durov accused Apple of destroying dreams and crushing entrepreneurs with its App Store tax, which requires a 15% or 30% commission to Apple for most in-app purchases. Durov called upon regulators in the EU, India, and around the world to "start taking action." Durov's full message can be found below.
Some content creators started using third-party payment bots to sell access to individual posts in their Telegram channels. This way, content creators could receive close to 100% of whatever their subscribers paid, which was great.
Unfortunately, we received word from Apple that they were not happy with content creators monetizing their efforts without paying a 30% tax to Apple. Since Apple has complete control over its ecosystem, we had no alternative but to disable such paid posts on iOS devices.
This is just another example of how a trillion-dollar monopoly abuses its market dominance at the expense of millions of users who are trying to monetize their own content. I hope that the regulators in the EU, India, and elsewhere start taking action before Apple destroys more dreams and crushes more entrepreneurs with a tax that is higher than any government-levied VAT.
In the meantime, we at Telegram shall work to offer creators powerful and easy-to-use tools to monetize their content – outside of Apple's restrictive ecosystem.
Apple's latest iPad Air and iPad Pro models feature similar designs, Liquid Retina displays, M-series chips, 5G connectivity, and much more in common – so which should you buy?
The introduction of the previous, fourth-generation iPad Air in September 2020 brought the device much closer to the iPad Pro in terms of design, and with the most recent model, the iPad Air gained the same M1 chip as the previous iPad Pro, bringing them even closer together. The latest iPad Pro models introduced a relatively small number of new features, such as the M2 chip, Apple Pencil hover, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3, but it means that the high-end iPad models are now differentiated a little more from the iPad Air model that Apple unveiled in March 2022.
Should you consider purchasing the iPad Air to save money, or do you need the high-end features of the iPad Pro? Our guide answers the question of how to decide which of these two iPads is best for you.
Comparing the iPad Air and iPad Pro
The iPad Air and iPad Pro share a large number of key features, such as an all-screen design with flat sides, a 12MP rear Wide camera, a 12MP front-facing Ultra Wide camera, and a USB-C port:
Similarities
Industrial design with flat edges
Liquid Retina display with 264 ppi, full lamination, oleophobic and anti-reflective coating, P3 Wide Color, and True Tone
M-series chip with next-generation Neural Engine
5G connectivity
ƒ/1.8 12MP Wide rear camera, with digital zoom up to 5x for photos
ƒ/2.4 12MP front-facing Ultra Wide camera with 2x optical zoom out and Center Stage
4K video recording at up to 60 fps, extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps, 3x video zoom, slo-mo video support for 1080p at up to 240 fps, and time-lapse video with stabilization
"All-day" 10 hour battery life
USB‑C connector
Compatible with Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, and Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
Apple's specification breakdown shows that the two iPads share many of their most important features. Even so, there are an even larger number of meaningful differences between the iPad Air and iPad Pro that are worth highlighting, including their displays, authentication technologies, and rear camera setups.
11-inch or 12.9-inch display, with 120Hz ProMotion technology
Liquid Retina LED display
Liquid Retina LED display (11-inch) or Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display (12.9-inch)
500 nits max brightness (typical)
600 nits max brightness (11-inch) or 1,000 nits max brightness and 1,600 nits peak brightness (12.9-inch)
–
Apple Pencil hover
M1 chip with 8-core, 3.2GHz CPU and 8-core GPU
M2 chip with 8-core, 3.49GHz CPU and 10-core GPU
Neural Engine
40 percent faster Neural Engine
Media engine for hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC
Media engine for hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
Video encode and decode engine
Higher-bandwidth video decode engine
–
ProRes encode and decode engine
Image signal processor (ISP)
"New" image signal processor (ISP)
8GB of memory
8GB or 16GB of memory
68.25GB/s memory bandwidth
100GB/s memory bandwidth
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth 5.3
Wi‑Fi 6
Wi‑Fi 6E
Sub-6GHz 5G connectivity
Sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G connectivity
ƒ/1.8 12MP Wide rear camera
ƒ/1.8 12MP Wide and ƒ/2.4 10MP Ultra Wide rear cameras
Smart HDR 3
Smart HDR 4
–
True Tone flash
–
ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps
Digital zoom up to 5x
Digital zoom up to 5x and 2x optical zoom out
3x video zoom
Video zoom up to 3x and 2x optical zoom out
–
Audio zoom
–
LiDAR scanner
ƒ/2.4 12MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera with 2x optical zoom out and Center Stage
ƒ/2.4 12MP TrueDepth Ultra Wide front-facing camera with 2x optical zoom out, Center Stage, Portrait Mode, Portrait Lighting, Animoji, and Memoji
–
Stereo recording
Two speaker audio landscape mode
Four-speaker audio
USB‑C connector
USB‑C connector with support for Thunderbolt/USB 4
Up to 256GB storage
Up to 2TB storage
Available in Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple, and Blue
Available in Silver and Space Gray
Price starting at $599
Price starting at $799
Read on for a closer look at each of these aspects, and see what exactly both iPads have to offer.
Design
Both the iPad Air and the iPad Pro use Apple's most recent all-screen product design language, also seen on the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 lineups, the iPad mini, and 10th-generation iPad, featuring industrial squared-off edges and flat sides.
The 10.9-inch iPad Air is almost exactly the same size as the 11-inch iPad Pro, despite having a smaller display, resulting in it having slightly thicker bezels around the screen.
Although the design of the two iPad models is similar, the iPad Air is available in a wider range of colors. The iPad Air is available in Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple, and Blue, while the iPad Pro is only available in Silver and Space Gray.
Authentication
A key difference between the iPad Air and iPad Pro is authentication technology. The iPad Air features Touch ID, while the iPad Pro features Face ID.
The iPad Air has a Touch ID fingerprint scanner embedded in the iPad's top button. The iPad Pro's Face ID is facilitated by the TrueDepth camera array in the top bezel.
Unlocking is something that may be used dozens of times every day, so it is important to choose your preferred method of authentication if you feel particularly strongly about it. That being said, both Touch ID and Face ID are now refined technologies that work well, and most users will probably be happy with whichever they have.
Displays
Display Sizes
The iPad Air features a 10.9-inch display, while the iPad Pro has the option of either an 11-inch display or a 12.9-inch display.
The difference in screen size between the 10.9-inch iPad Air and the 11-inch iPad Pro is virtually negligible. These models are around half a pound lighter than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and will be best for users focused on portability and easy handheld use.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro, on the other hand, is best for users who are intending to use their iPad more like a laptop, likely on a table or with a keyboard accessory such as the Magic Keyboard. In particular, multitasking is a much better experience on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro's large display.
Display Technologies
Both the iPad Air and the 11-inch iPad Pro feature Liquid Retina LED displays with 264 ppi, full lamination, oleophobic and anti-reflective coatings, P3 Wide Color, and True Tone. The 11-inch iPad Pro can get 100 nits brighter than the iPad Air and features ProMotion technology for up to 120Hz refresh rates.
The biggest advancement in display technology is available with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. This model has all of the display features included with its smaller sibling, including 120Hz ProMotion, but uses a fundamentally different underlying display technology: mini-LED.
Apple calls the 12.9-inch iPad Pro's mini-LED screen a "Liquid Retina XDR display." Mini-LED allows the 12.9-inch iPad Pro to reach up to 1,000 nits full-screen brightness, 1,600 nits peak brightness, and a 1 million-to-1 contrast ratio. The display can reflect what can be seen in the real world by capturing the brightest highlights and subtle details in even the darkest images, allowing users to view and edit true-to-life HDR and Dolby Vision content, which is especially important to creative professionals, including photographers, videographers, and filmmakers.
The iPad Air's Liquid Retina display will be sufficient for the vast majority of users, but some may prefer the responsiveness of ProMotion on the iPad Pro for tasks such as gaming. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro's high-end Liquid Retina XDR display, on the other hand, is best for users who consume a lot of HDR content, creative professionals, and those who want the best possible display.
M1 vs. M2
Both the iPad Pro and iPad Air offer a high level of performance, but the iPad Pro features the M2 chip – Apple's latest custom silicon chip primarily designed for the Mac, enabling ProRes video recording and media acceleration for the first time on an iPad.
Apple says that the M2 chip takes the performance per watt of the M1 even further with an 18 percent faster CPU, a 35 percent more powerful GPU, and a 40 percent faster Neural Engine.
Mac Otakara shared Geekbench 5 results for the new iPad Pro that confirm about a 15 to 16 percent increase in multi-core performance over the previous model (8,516 score for 12.9-inch model with M2 chip vs. 7,326 for the 12.9-inch model with M1 chip):
Regardless, both of the chips are Mac-class and offer a high level of performance that should be able to meet most users' needs, with more meaningful advancements being reserved for ProRes workflows.
Memory
The iPad Air has 8GB of RAM, while the iPad Pro has either 8GB or 16GB, depending on which storage configuration you choose. iPad Pro configurations with either 1TB or 2TB of storage contain 16GB of RAM, while all other storage configurations contain 8GB of RAM. 8GB in the iPad Air will be adequate for casual users, but 16GB will be better at handling multiple windows of the same application and a range of intense background tasks.
Ultimately, iPadOS is very good at memory management and it is questionable how far apps can take advantage of extra memory, so it is unlikely that the amount of RAM in your iPad will be important in most cases.
Storage
The iPad Air offers the option of either 64GB or 256GB storage, while the iPad Pro offers 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB. The maximum 256GB of storage in the iPad Air will be enough for many users, but for those power users who intend to store a large amount of data on their iPad, the option is available with the iPad Pro.
Cameras
Rear Cameras
A major area of difference between the two iPad models is their camera setups. The iPad Air features a single ƒ/1.8 12MP Wide camera. The iPad Pro has the same ƒ/1.8 12MP Wide camera as the iPad Air, but also adds a ƒ/2.4 10MP Ultra Wide camera and a LiDAR scanner.
As well as being able to zoom in digitally five times, the iPad Pro can also optically zoom out up to two times, thanks to its Ultra Wide lens. The iPad Pro can record 4K ProRes video, and also features a True Tone flash.
LiDAR allows the iPad Pro to measure the distance to surrounding objects up to five meters away, operating at the photon level at nano-second speed. This makes the iPad Pro capable of a "new class" of improved AR experiences with better motion capture, understanding of the environment, and people occlusion.
Users who like to use their iPad as a large viewfinder for photography or heavy users of AR will appreciate the iPad Pro's more advanced camera setup, but for the majority of users who do not use the iPad's rear camera very often, the iPad Air's single Wide camera is more than good enough.
Front-Facing Cameras
Both the iPad Air and the iPad Pro have a ƒ/2.4 12MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera with 2x optical zoom out. The iPad Pro's TrueDepth camera also enables Portrait mode, and Portrait Lighting, Animoji, and Memoji.
Both devices offer Center Stage for video calls with the front-facing camera. Center Stage uses the iPad's larger field of view and the machine learning capabilities of the M1 and M2 chip to recognize and keep users centered in the frame. As users move around, Center Stage automatically pans to keep them in the shot. When others join in, the camera detects them too, and smoothly zooms out to fit everyone into the view.
Other than Portrait mode, and Portrait Lighting, Animoji, and Memoji, the two front-facing camera setups are identical and there is no reason to get one over the other.
Speakers and Microphones
The iPad Air has two-speaker audio in landscape mode, while the iPad Pro has wider four-speaker audio. If you use your iPad for consuming lots of music and videos with the built-in speakers, the iPad Pro will deliver a slightly better experience.
The iPad Pro can record audio in stereo and features "studio-quality" mics, which may be important for some users who record music or lectures using their iPad. Even so, the iPad Air has a proficient speaker and microphone setup that will be sufficient for most users.
Wireless Connectivity
The iPad Pro betters the wireless connectivity specifications of the iPad Air with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and mmWave 5G in the United States. Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, and sub-6GHz 5G on the iPad Air will realistically be sufficient for most users, but if you have distinct needs for better specifications in this area, such as a high-speed 5G cellular connection in the United States, the iPad Pro could be a more worthwhile choice.
Ports
The iPad Air features a standard USB-C port, while the iPad Pro features a Thunderbolt port. USB-C on the iPad Air can transfer at a speed of 10Gb/s, while Thunderbolt supports speeds of up to 40Gb/s. As well as being considerably faster, Thunderbolt opens up the potential for compatibility with a much broader range of Thunderbolt-only accessories such as external hard drives and monitors. Thunderbolt also is backward-compatible with USB-C, so the two ports look identical.
Even though Thunderbolt is much faster than the iPad Air's standard USB-C port, most users likely do not have Thunderbolt accessories that can take advantage of these speeds. For this reason, the iPad Air is again the best option for most people in terms of port options.
Accessories
Both the iPad Air and iPad Pro support accessories such as the Apple Pencil 2, as well as Apple's Smart Keyboard Folio and Magic Keyboard. Since they both support the same accessories, there is no reason to buy one model over the other when it comes to the likes of keyboards or trackpads.
Apple Pencil hover is a new, iPad Pro-exclusive feature that allows for cursor-like interaction when the Apple Pencil is brought close to the screen. As such, this may be an important factor for keen illustrators, note-takers, and Apple Pencil enthusiasts.
It should also be considered that accessories such as the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard have to be purchased separately from the iPad, so will push up the overall price. Therefore, if the iPad Pro, which starts at $799 for the 64GB 11-inch model, is already moving out of your price range and you want an accessory such as the $299 Magic Keyboard, you may need to opt for the iPad Air, which starts at $599, to bring down the overall cost.
Other iPad Options
If the iPad Air is too expensive at $599, you may want to consider the 10th-generation iPad, which starts at $449. This iPad has a 10.9-inch display, the A14 Bionic chip, 4GB of memory, Center Stage, and is compatible with accessories such as the Magic Keyboard Folio and the first-generation Apple Pencil. While it lacks features like a laminated display, the M1 chip, and 8GB of memory, the 10th-generation iPad is a great alternative to the mid to high-end iPads, offering a balanced mix of features.
On the other hand, if you are looking for the smallest, most portable iPad, you should consider the iPad mini, which features a smaller 8.3-inch display and the A15 chip, for $499.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the iPad Air is the better option for the majority of users, simply on the basis of value for money. For most people, the additional $200+ needed to buy the iPad Pro will not be justified to get the likes of Face ID, a more versatile rear camera system, four-speaker audio, a ProMotion display with refresh rates up to 120Hz, and Apple Pencil hover.
Some iPad Pro features, such as LiDAR, the Ultra Wide rear camera, larger storage options and up to 16GB of memory, and Thunderbolt connectivity, will only be practically useful to a small niche of iPad users and most users will never use some of these high-end features. Many features such as the True Tone flash, mmWave 5G connectivity in the U.S., Audio zoom, and stereo audio recording may not be meaningfully utilized by many users.
Professionals who have a clear use case for needing larger amounts of RAM and storage, Thunderbolt connectivity, and mini-LED for HDR content will benefit from buying the iPad Pro. Prosumers will also enjoy features such as 120Hz ProMotion for smoother scrolling and gaming, deeper blacks and more vivid colors with the mini-LED display, and LiDAR for AR experiences, even if they are not necessary, and those who want a larger 12.9-inch display for content consumption or better multitasking will similarly need to go with the higher-end iPad Pro model.
Prosumers and professionals who want the iPad to replace their laptop or computer should likely choose the 12.9-inch iPad Pro if they are pairing it with the Magic Keyboard due to the added screen space for multiple applications. This larger iPad Pro is considerably different to the iPad Air, setting itself apart with mini-LED and a much larger display.
Beyond these individual circumstances, the iPad Air is the best option and will be more than ample for most users' needs. With the iPad Air, users can get an all-screen design, the M1 chip, practical features like USB-C and 5G connectivity, and compatibility with the core Apple accessories.
Plugable offers a wide range of adapters, hubs, and storage solutions for the Mac. The Thunderbolt 3 2TB NVMe Solid State Drive is among the company's more popular performance-focused products, offering a relatively high storage capacity in a small form factor, with ultra fast transfer speeds.
The SSD is perfectly suited to recent Mac models with Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 ports, offering incredibly fast transfer speeds of up to 2,400MB/s read and 1,800MB/s write, according to Plugable. On Macs, the drive works as soon as it is plugged into a Thunderbolt port and comes formated as exFAT by default.
The design of the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 SSD is quite understated, featuring a sleek black annodized aluminum casing with ridges along the sides for heat dissipation. It feels weighty, solid, and well-built, but still small and light enough to be highly portable. It comes with a soft carrying bag to protect it from scuffs during travel, but it does not offer protection against anything other than cosmetic damage. Of course, the drive should be more durable than a standard HDD since it has no moving parts.
The top of the drive has prominent white Plugable and Thunderbolt logos, and I would have much preferred a more minimalist look without these markings. A single LED on the top of the SSD confirms that it is powered up.
The SSD features an integrated Thunderbolt 3 cable that transfers data and provides bus power. While this is handy in so far as you never need to worry about finding or bringing along a cable when travelling, I found the drive somewhat more difficult to transport as a result. I am also slightly concerned that with constant flexing, the cable may wear out before the SSD, in which case it would not be easy to replace. The drive is covered by a 36 month limited warranty as well as Seattle-based email support for added peace of mind.
Thunderbolt 3 and NVMe technology allows Plugable's drive to reach extremely high transfer speeds. Real-world results vary compared to Plugable's advertised 2,400MB/s read and 1,800MB/s write speeds depending on a range of factors like other peripherals connected to your Mac, the speed of the storage you're transfering data from or to, how much data is on the drive, and your Mac's workload.
Nevertheless, the drive was extremely quick, with near-instant transfer speeds for small files. Using Blackmagic's Disk Speed Test app, I got 1,700MB/s write and 1,800MB/s read speeds with a stress of 1GB, and 1,300MB/s write and 800MB/s read speeds with stress of 5GB. The drive continued to perform very well even when almost full and provides a level of performance that should meet the requirements of demanding professional workflows.
In use, the SSD can get extremely hot to the point of being very uncomfortable to touch for more than a couple of seconds. It is normal for high-performance SSD storage to get hot in use and this does not seem to impact performance, but it is still something to be aware of.
Bottom Line
At a standard price of $629 for 2TB of storage, the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 2TB NVMe SSD is pricey compared to HDDs and even many USB SSDs, but there is little on the market that can offer such fast transfer speeds at low prices. The drive is currently available for a discounted price of $449, which is quite competitive for a professional drive in this class.
Large file transfers, booting an OS or virtual machine, running games and demanding applications, and photo and video editing from an external source are all possible on Plugable's drive in a way that would simply not be feasible on slower drives. Most average users do not need the kind of transfer speeds offered by Plugable's Thunderbolt SSD, but for professionals who need the fastest possible speeds, it is definitely worth considering thanks to its simple, plug-and-play, Mac-friendly experience in a compact design.
Amazon has discounted the second generation 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE today, available for $239.99, down from $279.00. This sale is only available in Midnight Aluminum with Midnight Sport Band, and both S/M and M/L band sizes are in stock.
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.
To date, this is the lowest price we've ever tracked on the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE, and we aren't currently seeing any deals on the 40mm GPS models. The 44mm GPS Midnight Aluminum model has a delivery estimate between October 30 and November 4.
Apple debuted the new Apple Watch SE in September, and it's still the most affordable model in the newest line of Apple Watches, sold alongside the Series 8. Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Elon Musk has completed his $44 billion takeover of Twitter and instated himself as CEO, just hours before a court-ordered deadline to buy the business expired, according to multiple reports.
In a reference to Twitter's logo, billionaire Musk tweeted "the bird is freed," after reportedly firing several top executives, including the chief executive, Parag Agrawal. Musk earlier changed his Twitter bio to "Chief Twit."
Other senior figures ousted by Musk reportedly included Ned Segal, chief financial officer, and Vijaya Gadde, head of legal policy, trust, and safety.
The finalized deal caps a chaotic acquisition saga that began with Musk originally offering to buy Twitter for $44 billion in April – a deal that Twitter accepted – before Musk in May put the takeover "temporarily on hold" because of a dispute over the number of fake or spam accounts that Twitter claimed to have.
In July, Musk decided he no longer wanted to buy Twitter and attempted to call off the purchase. Twitter in turn filed a lawsuit to force Musk to go on with the sale. By October, Musk once again reversed course by proposing a purchase at the original price.
Musk's executive firings followed news last week that the billionaire planned to slash Twitter staff numbers by 75% in an effort to pay down the company's debt burden. Musk later dismissed those reports, saying he would not cut that percentage of employees.
Attention now turns to Twitter's future direction, and how Musk's plans will affect the social media platform with more than 230 million users. "The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence," he said in a statement posted to his Twitter account on Thursday. Musk continued:
There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society.
In the relentless pursuit of clicks, much of traditional media has fueled and catered to those polarized extremes, as they believe that is what brings in the money, but, in doing so, the opportunity for dialogue is lost.
That is why I bought Twitter. I didn't do it because it would be easy. I didn't do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility.
That said, Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences! In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all, where you can choose your desired experience according to your preferences, just as you can choose, for example, to see movies or play video games ranging from all ages to mature.
Musk ended by stating his belief that advertising, when done right, can "delight, entertain, and inform," and that Twitter aspires to be "the most respected advertising platform in the world."
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.
The 10th-generation iPad is only compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil, which is equipped with a USB-C port. To charge the pencil with the iPad, customers must use a USB-C to Lightning Adapter that was at one point last week facing up to a one-month delay.
Apple will offer the USB-C to Lightning Adapter in the box with the first-generation Apple Pencil, but shipments for those boxes have yet to arrive at Apple Stores. Stores have been instructed not to sell older first-generation Apple Pencil models until the new shipments arrive.
The move will ensure customers of the new iPad are not left without a way to charge their Apple Pencil. The new iPad was made available for purchase at Apple Stores this week. According to Apple's online store, the USB-C to Lightning Adapter is estimated to ship in one to two weeks.
The iPhone 15 Pro models may feature solid-state volume and power buttons, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
The Taptic Engine in the iPhone 6S – the first iPhone model to feature the component.
In a tweet, Kuo explained that the volume and power buttons on next year's two high-end iPhone models may adopt a solid-state design, similar to the iPhone 7's home button, replacing a mechanical button design that physically depresses. Apple uses a similar method for its Mac trackpads, which do not physically move and simply mimic the feeling of being pressed with small vibrations.
The new iPhones will reportedly feature additional Taptic Engines on the internal left and right sides to provide feedback to users, making it seem as though they are pressing physical buttons. The change means that the number of Taptic Engines in each iPhone will increase from one to three.
Apple was rumored to be planning to switch the Apple Watch to solid-state buttons several years ago, but the change never took place. At the time, it was said that solid-state buttons would improve water resistance and take up less internal space, but it is not clear if that would be the case for the iPhone since sufficient space for two more Taptic Engines would be required.
In an additional thread, Kuo said that "the buttonless design and switch to USB-C are two of the major updates for iPhone 15."
Apple's new 10th-generation iPad is equipped with a slower USB-C port compared to the latest iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad mini models.
As noted in The Verge's review of the new iPad, released this week, the device's USB-C port is limited to USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mbps for data transfer. This means that despite being equipped with a USB-C port, the 10th-generation iPad has the same data transfer speeds as the ninth-generation iPad with the Lightning connector.
All other iPad models with USB-C ports have faster data transfer speeds. iPad Pro models with the M1 chip and newer are compatible with Thunderbolt 3 for data transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps, the fifth-generation iPad Air is capable of transfers up to 10 Gbps, and the fourth-generation iPad Air and latest iPad mini reach speeds up to 5 Gbps.
YouTube channel Max Tech demonstrated the new iPad's slower USB-C port in the video below:
Apple does not mention the slower USB-C port on the new iPad's tech specs page, but we have independently confirmed that the device is limited to USB 2.0 speeds. This limitation might not matter to most customers in this iPad's target market, but it is still important information that might steer some customers who rely on faster wired transfers towards the iPad mini or iPad Air. AirDrop is also an option for faster wireless transfers.
The new iPad starts at $449 in the United States, while the iPad mini and iPad Air start at $499 and $599, respectively.
Key new features of the 10th-generation iPad compared to the previous entry-level model include a larger 10.9-inch display with slimmer bezels, flat edges, the A14 Bionic chip, a USB-C port, a Touch ID power button, a landscape-positioned FaceTime camera, 5G support on cellular models, Wi-Fi 6, and a new two-piece Magic Keyboard Folio accessory with a row of function keys. The device is available in Blue, Pink, Silver, and Yellow finishes.
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.
The Taptic Engine in the 
