Apple is working on an updated Siri experience that moves away from the "Hey Siri" trigger phrase currently required to invoke the digital voice assistant hands-free, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple is working on a way for Siri to be able to understand phrases and commands without the need to use "Hey Siri," simply saying "Siri" instead. Gurman added that the change is expected to roll out sometime in 2023 or 2024.
The company is working on an initiative to drop the "Hey in the trigger phrase so that a user only needs to say "Siri"—along with a command. While that might seem like a small change, making the switch is a technical challenge that requires a significant amount of AI training and underlying engineering work.
The complexity involves Siri being able to understand the singular phrase "Siri" in multiple different accents and dialects. Having two words—"Hey Siri"—increases the likelihood of the system properly picking up the signal.
Gurman also today reported that Apple is working to further integrate Siri into third-party services and apps to provide more context and assistance to users.
Twitter for iOS was today updated with support for Twitter's upcoming revamped Twitter Blue subscription plan that will enable users to pay $8 per month to be verified on the platform, with other perks such as fewer ads and priority replies.
According to the App Store update, Twitter users in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand will be able to subscribe to Twitter Blue and become automatically verified with a blue check mark when the plan goes live.
According to a Twitter product manager, despite the app update, the new Twitter Blue plan is not yet live and Twitter is doing "real-time" testing. Some users may see changes in their app after the update as Twitter tests the new plan.
Starting today, we're adding great new features to Twitter Blue and have more on the way soon. Get Twitter Blue for $7.99/month if you sign up now - Blue checkmark: Power to the people: Your account will get a blue checkmark, just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow.
Coming soon… - Half the ads & much better ones: Since you're supporting Twitter in the battle against the bots, we're going to reward you with half the ads and make them twice as relevant. - Post longer videos: You'll finally be able to post longer videos to Twitter. - Priority ranking for quality content: Your content will get priority ranking in replies, mentions, and search. This helps lower the visibility of scams, spam, and bots. Availability: Twitter Blue with verification is currently available on iOS in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
The new subscription service has been widely reported on in the past few weeks, with Twitter's new owner, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, promising it will cut down on spam on the platform. Reports suggest that the edit button, previously only offered to paid subscribers of Twitter Blue, will be made available to all Twitter users in the future.
Apple's apparent final hardware launch of 2022 is here with the latest Apple TV 4K, as it seems we won't be seeing any Mac updates until early next year.
There's still a bit more on the calendar before the end of the year, however, including the holiday shopping season and software updates such as iOS 16.2 that will bring a number of new features and improvements when they are released in another month or so. This week also saw rumors about future products like the iPhone 15 and iPhone SE 4, so read on for details on these stories and more!
iOS 16.2 Expected to Launch in Mid-December With Several New Features
After the seeding of initial betas of iOS 16.2 and associated updates last week, we now have an estimated time frame for their public release, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman indicating they will launch in mid-December.
The updates will bring a number of new features including Live Activities integration for select sports games via the built-in TV app, a new Sleep widget for the iPhone Lock Screen, the new Freeform collaboration app across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and more.
Gurman: Apple Planning No New Mac Releases For Remainder of 2022
While earlier rumors had suggested we could see some Mac updates before the end of the year, it looks like that's no longer the case. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says updated Mac models such as the MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and Mac Pro won't be appearing until at least the first quarter of 2023.
Kuo: iPhone 15 Pro Models to Feature Solid-State Buttons and Three Taptic Engines
The volume and power buttons on next year's iPhone 15 models may no longer be mechanical buttons and could transition to a solid-state design, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Similar to the Home button on iPhone 7 and later models with Touch ID, the physical click of the side buttons on upcoming models may be replaced by haptic feedback using two additional Taptic Engines.
The change would come at the same time as Apple moves to a USB-C port rather than Lightning on next year's iPhone models, marking the first change in the physical connector in over a decade.
Apple TV 4K 2022 Reviews: Faster and More Affordable With HDR10+ Support and USB-C Remote, But Largely Unchanged
The new Apple TV is a modest update, but it delivers faster performance, HDR10+ support, a USB-C charging port on the remote, and a slimmer and lighter fanless design. Most importantly, it comes with a lower price tag.
Apple Has Not Finalized Details for iPhone SE 4 Display, 5.7" to 6.1" OLED and LCD Screens Under Consideration
Apple's budget iPhone SE continues to be based on an older design with a Home button and large top and bottom display bezels, but it sounds like the next version planned for release in 2024 will come with a significant upgrade from the current 4.7-inch display.
Exactly what that upgrade will entail is apparently yet to be settled, however, with display analyst Ross Young claiming this week that Apple is weighing options that include a 6.1-inch OLED display and a 5.7-inch or 6.1-inch LCD display.
Apple Now Selling Refurbished M2 MacBook Air Models
The store is offering a roughly 10% discount compared to brand-new prices, and Apple's refurbished products go through a thorough reconditioning process to make them almost identical to brand-new units. Refurbished units are also eligible for AppleCare and have the same one-year standard warranty and 14-day return policy.
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.
Apple this week settled a lawsuit with Simon Lancaster, a former employee accused of using his position within the company to steal "sensitive trade secret information" that was provided to a tech journalist.
According to The Verge, Lancaster will pay an undisclosed amount of money to Apple and will avoid discussing engineering data, confidential business information, and data about unreleased products.
Apple first filed a lawsuit against Lancaster in March 2021 after the company discovered he had leaked sensitive company information to a tech journalist who used that data to publish articles. Lancaster worked at Apple for more than a decade, and at the time that he stole information, he had a role as an Advanced Materials Lead and Product Design Architect.
Lancaster had access to secretive information as he was responsible for evaluating materials and prototyping innovations for future hardware devices. Apple said that he used his seniority to attend internal meetings and access documents that were outside of the scope of his job responsibilities.
Lancaster began leaking details to a media contact in late 2018, and he exchanged information for favors such as positive coverage of a startup that he invested in. Prior to leaving Apple, he downloaded a "substantial number" of confidential Apple documents that included details on unreleased Apple hardware products, including a device Apple referred to as Project X.
With each new operating system update, there are complaints about battery life, and iOS 16 is no exception. There are oftentimes periods of rapid battery drain after an update due to behind the scenes syncing and updating, but sometimes problems can persist longer.
Battery life problems can be caused by new features Apple has implemented, bugs that need to be fixed, or simply an uptick in usage after an update. Whatever the cause, we've rounded up some suggestions on how you can eke out more battery from your iPhone in situations where every last bit is important.
Note that there aren't many suggestions that don't disable key features on the iPhone, so you will have to balance battery drain with the feature set that you want enabled, turning things off and on as needed when better battery life is required.
1. Turn Off Live Activities
With iOS 16.1, Apple added a Live Activities feature that allows apps to keep an ongoing notification on the Lock Screen or in the iPhone 14 Pro's Dynamic Island. Live Activities can be used for things like tracking a sports game, following along with a flight, progressing through a workout, and more, right from the Lock Screen or Dynamic Island.
Everything that you do on your iPhone drains battery, including Live Activities. There have been reports on Reddit about disabling the feature improving battery life, and it's not a surprise that turning off a constant notification puts a stop to excessive battery drain. Live Activities can be disabled by following these steps:
This will prevent Live Activities from showing up on the Lock Screen, but you'll want to take this one step further. In the individual app sections in the Settings app, you can disable Live Activities on an app-by-app basis, or avoid using Live Activities features within apps.
You can't fully disable the Dynamic Island, but you can swipe left on any running animation to dismiss it.
2. Delete Lock Screen Widgets
With iOS 16, Apple overhauled the Lock Screen, adding the option for widgets. Widgets are constantly visible on the Lock Screen and many are refreshing in the background, which means they're eating up battery.
If you're concerned about battery life, you may want to create a Lock Screen that doesn't have widgets. Luckily, iOS 16 supports multiple Lock Screens that you can swap between, so if you occasionally want to use widgets, you can.
Widgets can also go on your Home Screen, a pre-iOS 16 feature. We recommend not using Home Screen widgets for those concerned about battery life.
3. Disable Haptic Keyboard Feedback
Apple in iOS 16 also added a fun feature that gives you haptic feedback when you use the on-screen keyboard. It vibrates with each key tap for a more satisfying typing experience, but what you might not know is that it drains battery.
Apple says right in a support document that keyboard haptics might affect battery life, so it's not something you want to use when you don't have battery to spare. It's not on by default, but if you've enabled it, you can turn it off by following these steps:
Open up the Settings app.
Tap on Sounds & Haptics.
Tap on Keyboard Feedback.
Toggle off Haptic.
4. Turn Off Always-On Display (iPhone 14 Pro)
Always-on display isn't an iOS 16 feature, but it is tangential because it was introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, the first devices to come with iOS 16 pre-installed. As the name suggests, always-on display leaves the time, your wallpaper, widgets, and Live Activities visible on the Lock Screen even when your iPhone is locked.
The display is using a 1Hz refresh rate to preserve battery, and Apple has neat tricks like turning off the display when a connected Apple Watch is no longer nearby (signaling that the iPhone owner is out of the room) or the iPhone is in a pocket, but always-on display still drains battery faster than no always-on display.
You can turn off the always-on display by following these steps:
Open up the Settings app.
Tap on Display & Brightness.
Toggle off Always On.
It's not really clear just how much battery life the always-on display drains because it's going to vary from use case to use case, but even if it's only a few percent, it's worth turning off, especially if it's not a feature that you find useful.
5. Don't Use iCloud Shared Photo Library
iCloud Shared Photo Library is an iOS 16.1 feature that lets you use a standard Photo Library alongside five other people, with everyone able to upload, edit, and delete images. Using iCloud Shared Photo Library could cause photos from others to be synced to your iPhone at inopportune times, draining battery life.
If you're concerned about battery, it's one of the features that might be helpful to avoid using by not setting it up and not accepting invitations to join. If you want to use iCloud Shared Photo Library but still cut down on battery and data usage, you can turn on a setting that only allows syncing over Wi-Fi.
Uploads will be restricted to Wi-Fi, so photos shared with you won't download to your device when you only have a cellular connection.
6. Choose Non-Animated Wallpapers
Some of the fancy wallpapers that Apple added with iOS 16 are animated, and an animated wallpaper will drain just a bit more battery than a static wallpaper. If you're optimizing and don't care much for the animations, choose something that's not going to update throughout the day.
The Weather wallpaper, for example, changes based on the conditions, and the Photo Shuffle option swaps through your selected photos during the day. The Astronomy wallpaper also changes based on current conditions.
7. Use Focus Modes
Using Apple's built-in Focus option can cut down on the number of notifications that you're receiving during the day, and fewer notifications means less opportunity for apps to wake up your display and cause battery drain.
Focus Modes let you choose which apps and people can send you notifications and when, so during work hours you can make sure you're only getting work notifications, and during personal time, you can limit your work notifications. You can limit notifications when driving, when you're asleep, when you're working out, and in any other scenario you can think of. Focus Filters even let you filter out select emails, messages, calendars, and more.
You'll still get all of your notifications when the Focus mode ends, but all in one alert rather than multiple. Turning off unwanted notifications from apps is still the best method for saving battery life, but Focus lets you keep your notifications while still cutting down on the number that you receive at any given time.
Apple made Focus modes easier to set up in iOS 16, but it still takes some work to get everything running, so we have a dedicated Focus guide. You can find all of the Focus features in the Focus section of the Settings app.
8. Use App Summary
It's also worth making sure that any app that sends non-important notifications is relegated to the App Summary, which saves up notifications and sends them to you once or twice a day. App Summary isn't an iOS 16 feature, but if you're not already using it, it's worth checking out.
You can toggle on App Summary for apps in the Notifications section of the Settings app.
9. Limit When and How Often Apps Can Access Location
These next several tips aren't iOS 16 specific, but it's always good to check in on these settings to make sure apps and services aren't doing things you don't want them to be doing.
Limiting the apps that have access to your location and how often apps can access that data can save battery life.
Open up the Settings app.
Choose Privacy.
Tap Location Services.
Review the list and edit settings by tapping on the name of each app in the list.
You have four possible choices for location settings for each app, though not all four choices will always be available for every app depending on what it does. You can select the following: Never, Ask Next Time or When I Share, While Using the App, and Always.
Never will prevent an app from ever accessing your location, and unless there's a specific need for an app to know where you are, such as a mapping app, setting location access to Never is the best choice.
Ask Next Time will prompt an app to ask you with a popup the next time that it wants your location, so you can temporarily approve it. With this setting, location access is off until expressly allowed via the popup.
While Using the App allows the app to detect your location only when the app is open and being actively used. If you close the app or switch over to another app, location access ends.
Always allows an app to have access to your location at all times, regardless of whether it's open or closed. This will result in the most battery drain and should be limited to only the apps that you need the most.
A lot of apps will ask for location information that don't really need it to function (for example, a banking app might want location access to show nearby ATMs, which is also available through entering a zip code), so clearing the cruft will ensure no apps are accessing your location without express permission.
You can also turn off Location Services all together, but it's not ideal because it can impact crucial apps like Maps.
10. Limit Apps Using Bluetooth
Your iPhone lets you know when apps have requested Bluetooth, and there are quite a few apps that want Bluetooth access for location tracking, scanning for Chromecast devices, or other not so useful reasons.
Checking on the apps using Bluetooth is worthwhile to make sure that you don't have a sneaky app connecting to Bluetooth sources without your permission and draining battery. To get to Bluetooth settings:
Open the Settings app.
Tap on Privacy.
Tap Bluetooth.
Apps like Facebook, HBO Max, Hulu, and others don't need Bluetooth access for the most part, so toggle off any app that doesn't need a Bluetooth connection to function. If a feature in an app stops working, you can just turn it right back on.
Disabling Bluetooth is also an option, but it's used for AirPods, Apple Watches, and other accessories, so turning it off isn't feasible for most people.
11. Use Low Power Mode
Using Low Power Mode liberally is an obvious choice for maintaining battery without having to hassle with a lot of settings, and you can toggle it on from Control Center, the Settings app, or using Siri. Low Power Mode cuts down on background activity, turns off your display after inactivity more quickly, limits display refresh rate, limits email fetch, cuts down on visual effects, and more.
Low Power Mode can be set to turn on at a certain battery percentage using Shortcuts, which is a handy way to have it automatically turn on when you need it.
12. Use Wi-Fi and Airplane Mode
When you can, it's best to connect to Wi-Fi to maximize battery life, and it's one of the battery preserving tips that Apple offers. At home or at work, make sure you connect to Wi-Fi rather than using cellular signal.
If you're in an area with no Wi-Fi and you know you have low cellular signal, turn on Airplane Mode or turn off your cellular connection so it's not draining your battery trying to connect. This of course only works when you don't need a cellular connection in the moment, but it can have a big impact and you probably can't do much with low signal anyway.
13. Manage Apps Draining Battery
Your iPhone tells you which apps are eating up the most battery so you can make sure nothing is secretly draining your battery without your knowledge. You can check your battery usage statistics by opening up the Settings app and tapping on the Battery section.
Battery usage charts let you see your battery level over the last 24 hours or for the last 10 days, plus you can see which apps have used the most battery life. If there's an app that you don't need that's draining an excessive amount of battery, delete it. If you do need the app, moderate how often you're using it and what permissions it has like location.
14. Limit Background Activity
Almost all apps use background refresh to update even when they're not open, and limited background activity and background refresh is a longtime favorite option for cutting down on battery usage.
You can turn off Background App Refresh all together or choose which apps can refresh in the background.
Open the Settings app.
Select General.
Choose Background App Refresh.
From here, you can tap the Background App Refresh option again to turn Background App Refresh off all together or choose to have it activate only when connected to WiFi, which doesn't drain battery as much as downloading over cellular.
You can also choose to turn Background App Refresh on just for your most used apps by tapping on the toggle next to each app in the list.
15. Change Your Mail Settings
Along with turning off Background Refresh, changing when and how often the Mail app checks for new emails can save you some battery.
Open up the Settings app.
Tap Mail.
Tap Accounts.
Tap "Fetch New Data" at the bottom.
From here, you can turn off Push (which lets you know right away when a new email message is available) and adjust Fetch settings on a per account basis for accounts that don't support Push (like Gmail accounts).
Adjusting the Fetch settings to have longer intervals before checking for new messages can help save battery life, as can turning off Fetch all together in favor of manual checks that will download new messages only when the Mail app is opened.
You can choose the following settings: Automatically, Manually, Hourly, Every 30 Minutes, and Every 15 Minutes.
Conclusion
There are endless things to do to preserve battery life, and unfortunately, everything you use your phone for is going to drain battery, so it's all about finding what works for you, what you don't need, and where you can compromise to extend battery life.
Apple is building a live television ad network in preparation for streaming Major League Soccer games, reports Bloomberg. Apple has agreed to expand its advertising as part of its deal with MLS.
Back in June, Apple announced a 10-year partnership with Major League Soccer, which will see all matches streamed through the Apple TV app starting in 2023. Apple is now talking with advertising partners and MLS sponsors about ads that will air during the soccer games and related shows.
All three streaming tiers will have ads, including the dedicated package, paid TV+ subscriptions, and the free TV app.
Bloomberg says that ads for live TV are part of Apple's aggressive push into advertising. Apple recently added new ads to the App Store Today tab and to individual app pages, a move that has been unpopular with developers due to some of the ad types Apple has opted to show.
Apple is also working on a plan to add search ads to the Apple Maps app on iPhone starting next year, with these ads showing up alongside user searches for things like "gas" or "coffee." Bloomberg says that Apple is also exploring ads for other apps and services.
Apple's ad business generates around $4 billion annually at the current time, but the company is aiming to push that to at least $10 billion per year.
There are other magnetic car charger solutions on the market, but this is the first that provides full 15W charging for compatible MagSafe-enabled iPhone models.
Priced at $100, the Boost Charge Pro Wireless Car Charger is designed to attach to the vent inside of a car. It can be used in landscape or portrait mode, and it comes with a USB-C cable and a CLA charger that can be plugged into a car lighter socket.
Belkin is selling the Boost Charge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe exclusively from the online Apple Store, and it can be preordered starting today with an official launch coming November 14.
Apple's online store has also added a number of other products today, including two new MagSafe mounts from Joby. There are two options, a standard GripTight GorillaPod mount for $70 and a MagSafe Vlogging Kit for $220, which comes with a stand, LED light, and microphone.
Other new accessories include updated Logitech Keyboard Cases, new AirTag holders, MacBook sleeves, and more, with a full list on Apple's Accessories page.
Apple in October introduced an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, which is available as of today. We picked one up to take a look at the new features and to determine whether it's worth the upgrade for MacRumors readers who already have an Apple TV 4K.
The third-generation Apple TV 4K looks a lot like the second-generation model, but it is a bit thinner and lighter. It's not so thin that you're going to notice a major difference, but if they're side-by-side, you can tell.
As for feature set, there's a much faster A15 chip that offers up to a 50 percent improvement in CPU performance and up to a 30 percent improvement in GPU performance compared to the A12 chip in the prior model. Whether you'll be able to notice that speed difference depends on what you do on your Apple TV.
If you play graphics intensive games, you may see a good deal of improvement, but it should speed up animations, app load times, and more across the tvOS operating system. The updated models also include 4GB RAM instead of 3GB, and base storage starts at 64GB with a 128GB option available as an upgrade.
Apple has also added HDR10+ support, which joins HDR10 and Dolby Vision. So if you have a TV that supports HDR10+, you may want to upgrade. As for the Siri Remote, it's the same, but it does charge over USB-C instead of Lightning now.
So is it worth upgrading? It depends. If you just use your Apple TV 4K for watching shows and the performance is fine, it's probably not worth shelling out extra money. If you can take advantage of the features like HDR10+ or the speed improvements, it's a good upgrade. If you have an older model like the Apple TV HD, it's definitely worth checking out the new model.
There are two variants, and pricing is lower than it has been in recent years. Apple is charging $129 for the 64GB version, and $149 for the 128GB model, which also comes with Thread and a built-in Ethernet port. If you need Ethernet, you should pay the extra $20, and you should also go ahead and get the better model if you have a smart home setup for the Thread integration.
What do you think of the Apple TV 4K? Let us know in the comments below.
Apple today announced that its extended return policy is now in effect for the holiday shopping season. The policy applies to most products that Apple sells, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods, HomePod mini, and more.
In the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and select other countries, most items purchased between November 4, 2022 and December 25, 2022 may be returned through January 8, 2023:
Items purchased at the Apple Online Store that are received between November 4, 2022 and December 25, 2022, may be returned through January 8, 2023. Please note that all other terms and conditions provided in the Apple Online Store Sales and Refunds Policy are still applicable with respect to such items purchased. Items purchased by carrier financing are not eligible for extended returns and are subject to the Standard Return Policy. All purchases made after December 25, 2022 are subject to the Standard Return Policy.
In a few other countries like Italy, Spain, and Japan, there is a longer extended return policy in effect, with most items purchased between November 4, 2022 and January 6, 2023 eligible for return through January 20, 2023.
Last month, Apple updated the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro with brand new models that include the M2 chip, Wi-Fi 6E, and a few other upgrades. Given the newness of these models we haven't tracked many deals yet, but today Amazon has one of the first notable markdowns on the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Pro at $749.00, down from $799.00.
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.
Among the new M2 iPad Pro models, this is the only sale we're tracking across any of the major Apple resellers online. Amazon has the tablet in stock and an estimated delivery window is set for November 6 to 9.
We're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2022.
Apple today announced the launch of its 2022 Holiday Gift Guide and seasonal content across its services.
Starting today, Apple's annual Holiday Gift Guide is available via its website to help customers choose appropriate gifts more easily. Simultaneously, Apple Store locations around the world will provide personalized support for holiday shopping, gift recommendations, and delivery and pickup options. Apple also highlighted its trade-in values, carrier deals, free engravings, financing options, device setup assistance, and extended returns policy.
Alongside the Holiday Gift Guide, Apple pointed out the premiere of "Spirited" on Apple TV+ later this month, a Christmas musical comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, and the Carols Covered and Classical Carols Covered playlists on Apple Music.
The new Apple TV 4K is now available to purchase today, and Amazon is still offering a small $4 discount on the streaming device, which it first introduced as a pre-order sale last week. You can get the 64GB Wi-Fi model for $124.99, down from $129.00.
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.
While not a massive discount, this is still a notable deal given it's the first discount on the 2022 Apple TV 4K. Because these are brand new, we don't expect much steeper discounts than this to come out any time soon. Although Black Friday is imminent, we are expecting notable sales to focus more on 2021 models, likely dipping below $100.
Likewise, the 128GB Wi-Fi + Ethernet Apple TV 4K is on sale for $144.99, down from $149.00. Only Amazon is offering these launch day discounts on the new Apple TV 4K models.
We're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2022.
Starting today, the new Apple TV 4K is available for pickup at select Apple Stores around the world, with no pre-order required. Pricing starts at $129 for the 64GB model without Ethernet and Thread support, while the full-spec 128GB model costs $149.
The new Apple TV is also available for walk-in customers at Apple Stores that have stock, but we recommend arranging a pickup just in case.
To order a product with Apple Store pickup, add the product to your bag on Apple.com or in the Apple Store app, proceed to checkout, select the "I'll pick it up" option, enter your ZIP or postal code, choose an available Apple Store location, select a pickup date, and select a 15-minute check-in window. Payment is completed online, and a valid government-issued photo ID and the order number may be required upon pickup.
Here's a recap of 10 changes with the new Apple TV:
A15 Bionic chip: The new Apple TV is equipped with the A15 Bionic chip for up to 50% faster performance than the previous model with the A12 Bionic chip. Apple says this results in improved responsiveness and faster navigation. Apple adds that graphics performance is up to 30% faster for smoother gaming.
4GB of RAM: The new Apple TV is equipped with 4GB of RAM, compared to 3GB in the previous model, for improved responsiveness.
128GB storage option: The new Apple TV is available with up to 128GB of storage, compared to a max of 64GB for the previous model.
HDR10+ support: In addition to Dolby Vision, the new Apple TV now supports HDR10+ content in supported apps.
Siri Remote with USB-C port: The new Siri Remote is equipped with a USB-C port instead of Lightning for charging.
Thinner and lighter design: Apple says the A15 Bionic chip's increased power efficiency allowed for the internal fan to be removed in the new Apple TV, resulting in the device having a more compact design that is around 12% thinner and around 50% lighter than the previous model.
No more "TV" branding on top: The new Apple TV no longer has "TV" imprinted on the top of the device and instead simply has a centered Apple logo.
Lower pricing: The new Apple TV starts at $129 with 64GB of storage, while the previous model started at $179 with 32GB of storage. While you need to spend $149 to get an Ethernet port, Thread support, and 128GB of storage, that's still cheaper than any of last year's models.
No charging cable in the box: The new Apple TV ships without a charging cable in the box for the Siri Remote, except in Brazil. Apple sells a new woven USB-C cable separately for $19.
Apple has added another assembly partner to its iPhone 14 production roster in India as it seeks to build out its manufacturing base outside of China, reports Bloomberg.
Taiwanese contract manufacturer Pegatron is set to become the second Apple supplier to produce iPhone 14 models in the country behind Foxconn, which began production in India in September.
Apple's Taiwanese assembly partners Foxconn, Wistron, and Pegatron all have iPhone manufacturing plants in India, where iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and most recently iPhone 14 models are being produced, with the latest model enjoying a marked reduction in the delay between Chinese and India output from months to weeks.
Apple's iPhone exports from India have amounted to $1 billion in the five months since April. While small by China's standards, India's increasing iPhone output signals Apple's willingness to plough investment into the country as an alternative to China's electronics assembly dominance, which has suffered recently from the country's zero-COVID policy.
Foxconn's main Zhengzhou plant, which employs about 200,000 people, has been hit by the stringent curbs after an outbreak at the factory, which led the city of about 10 million people to be locked down as a result. iPhone production could fall by as much as 30% next month due to the tightening COVID-19 restrictions in China, according to one report.
Despite the confluence of events, Apple's manufacturing expansion plans in India have been in place for some time are not connected to China's lockdown troubles, although they do highlight Apple's deep reliance on the one country.
In diversifying its production lines away from China, Apple is playing a long game that won't see a major impact on its supply chain for many years. Bloomberg recently reported that it would take around eight years to move just 10% of Apple's production capacity out of China, where about 98% of iPhones are still made.
Netflix launched its new ad-supported plan this week, but it doesn't yet work on Apple TV devices, including the new third-generation Apple TV 4K launching today.
Costing $6.99 per month in the United States, the new "Basic With Ads" plan is $3 cheaper than the standard Basic plan, but Apple TV owners looking to take advantage of the more affordable tier will have to wait.
"Basic with ads plan support on tvOS is not available at launch but coming soon," Netflix told Variety. A Netflix support page, spotted by 9to5Mac, notes that you can only watch Netflix on Apple TV if you are subscribed to the Basic, Standard, or Premium plans.
Netflix didn't explain why the Basic With Ads plan doesn't work on Apple TV, despite it being available on Amazon Fire TV devices, Android, Chromecast with Google TV, game consoles, iOS devices, and numerous smart TVs. It could have something to do with the fact that Netflix accelerated the timeline for the plan's launch from early 2023 to early November in order to get out ahead of the Disney+ ad tier coming next month, but we don't know for sure.
Netflix's ad-supported plan first rolled out in Canada and Mexico on November 1, and launched in the U.S. on November 3. The more affordable tier is also live in the U.K., Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Spain.
Aside from including ads, the Basic With Ads plan limits video streaming resolution to a maximum of 720p, and some movies and TV shows are not available because of licensing restrictions (they're marked with a red padlock in the Netflix interface). Unlike with the plans without ads, the ad-based tier does not support downloading movies and TV shows for offline viewing either.
Apple's market value this week briefly eclipsed the value of Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta combined, according to market data by Yahoo Finance.
When markets closed earlier this week, Apple had a market value of $2.307 trillion, while the market value of Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta combined was $2.306 trillion. Alphabet leads the group with a market value of $1.126 trillion alone.
The new valuation comes after Apple reported record-high earnings for the September quarter last week but also comes amid reports the company is drastically cutting down on new hires as it braces for possible economic uncertainty. Apple was the only company out of Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet that had increased market share after reporting their latest earnings.
Apple's market value dipped to $2.21 trillion as markets closed late Thursday.
It is Friday, November 4 in New Zealand and Australia, which means it is the official launch day of the new third-generation Apple TV 4K. Customers in Australia and New Zealand are always the first to get their hands on new devices due to time zone differences.
Customers who ordered an Apple TV 4K back on October 18 are starting to receive their deliveries. There are no Apple Stores in New Zealand, so customers in Australia will be the first to be able to buy one of the new Apple TV 4K models at an Apple retail location.
We are expecting most stores worldwide to have the Apple TV 4K readily available for walk-in purchase, as the Apple TV is not typically a device that sees high demand.
The Apple TV 4K is equipped with a much faster A15 Bionic chip that offers 50 percent faster CPU performance and 30 percent faster GPU performance compared to the A12 chip in the prior-generation model. It also includes 4GB RAM, up from 3GB, and there are 64 and 128GB variants available.
Along with HDR10 and Dolby Vision, the new Apple TV 4K supports HDR10+ on televisions that offer the feature, plus it has a thinner and lighter design than the prior version. It also comes with a new Siri Remote equipped with a USB-C port.
Pricing on the Apple TV 4K starts at $129 for the 64GB version, and goes up to $149 for the model with 128GB of storage, a built-in Ethernet port, and Thread support for connected home devices. The new Apple TV 4K is more affordable than prior-generation models that started at $179.
Following New Zealand and Australia, sales of the Apple TV 4K will begin in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and finally, North America. The Apple TV 4K is expected to be Apple's final product launch of 2022, and there are no more devices on the horizon for the year. We are expecting to see new Macs sometime early in 2023.
Apple in October paused hiring for most jobs outside of research and development, according to a report from Bloomberg. Apple is aiming to cut costs, and the new hiring freeze furthers a July plan that Apple implemented to slow hiring and spending.
The pause in hiring does not apply to teams working on future devices and long-term initiatives, but sources that spoke to Bloomberg said it will impact "corporate functions and standard hardware and software engineering roles."
Apple's website still lists open jobs, but the hiring process is on hold behind the scenes. News of the expanded hiring freeze was initially reported earlier this week by Insider, and the site said that Apple has "paused almost all hiring." Staff across multiple divisions have been told that Apple will not be onboarding new hires for several months, perhaps through the end of September 2023.
Insider's sources said that Apple has not provided budgets for new hires, and that budgets within the company are "under review" as Apple aims to cut costs.
Apple in a statement told Insider that it is continuing to hire, but because of the "current economic environment" it is "taking a very deliberate approach in some parts of the business."
"We are very confident in Apple's future and are investing for the long term. We want to be thoughtful and make smart decisions that enable us to continue fueling innovation for the long term," said Apple.
During the earnings call for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2022, Apple said that it would see slowing growth during the holiday quarter. Mac sales in particular are expected to fall dramatically compared to last year as Apple does not plan to debut any Macs in late 2022. There are no more products rumored to be launching this year, in fact.
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