Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 16.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a day after the launch of tvOS 16.5.
Registered developers are able to download the tvOS 16.6 update by downloading a profile on the Apple TV using Xcode.
tvOS updates are usually minor, focusing on internal bug fixes and improvements rather than notable outward-facing changes. There is no word as of yet what's included in the tvOS 16.6 update, but we'll update this article if we find anything new.
Apple shares some information on tvOS releases in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each tvOS launch.
Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.
YouTuber and electric vehicle expert Ben Sullins joins us on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show to talk through all of the latest rumors and expectations around the Apple Car.
Apple initially intended its electric vehicle to have many unique design features, including no steering wheel or brake pedal, and inward-facing seats in a limousine-like configuration, but the company has since scaled back its ambitions. Now, the car is expected to have a more traditional design with a driver's seat, steering wheel, and conventional pedals. It was also planned to start at around $120,000 with full-self driving functionality, but now Apple is aiming for a sub-$100,000 price point with only limited autonomous driving capabilities on highways. Apple is purportedly aiming to launch the vehicle around 2026.
We discuss what Ben expects from the Apple Car's identity, unique selling points, driving style, and go-to-market strategy. Ben analyzes where the vehicle is likely to be positioned and its sub-$100,000 price point, and whether it can compete with Tesla's offerings. We also discuss autonomous driving functionality and where the broader electric vehicle market will be by the time Apple's car launches, how Tesla is likely to respond, and more. See more of Ben's work over on his YouTube channel.
Several influencers and Apple Store enthusiasts were invited to see Tysons Corner ahead of its opening, and were walked through the new store features. Michael Steeber shared detailed images of the experience, highlighting the Genius Bar, a hardware flex space, an Apple Watch Studio, and more.
Apple has moved away from physical Genius Bar sections in its stores in recent years, but Tysons Corner has a dedicated Genius Bar in the right corner, similar to the original store. As Steeber points out, this is the first actual Genius Bar that Apple has installed in a store since 2015, though the concept of the Genius Bar never went away.
There is a flexible hardware space at Tysons Corner, which Steeber says is designed to spotlight Apple's latest hardware. Apple has also included an in-person Apple Watch Studio where customers can mix and match Apple Watch cases and bands.
Had so much fun getting a FIRST LOOK at the newly relocated Apple Tysons Corner (the very first Apple Store!) before tomorrow’s grand opening!!! From innovative accessibility features to a dedicated Apple Watch space, this store has it all pic.twitter.com/jIJP72LqKR
— Frank McShan (@frankmcshan) May 18, 2023
The store features wood paneling, a baffle ceiling design, and individually framed glass doors. Avenues, the Today at Apple section, and Apple Pickup are all present in the store, but have been redesigned, with full details available from Steeber's website.
Apple is opening the store on the 22nd anniversary of the date that the first Tysons Corner location opened on May 19, 2001. It will open at 10:00 a.m., and visitors will receive free tote bags with the logo that Apple has been using for the store's redesign.
Apple has restricted employee use of ChatGPT and other external artificial intelligence utilities amid the development of its own similar technology, The Wall Street Journal reports.
According to a document seen by The Wall Street Journal and individuals who claim to be familiar with the matter, Apple is concerned that AI tools could leak the company's confidential data. In addition to ChatGPT, Apple has barred staff from using GitHub's Copilot, a tool that helps write code with autocompletion.
Many businesses, such as banks, financial services, and healthcare institutions, have avoided adopting ChatGPT out of fear that their employees could inadvertently give the chatbot sensitive proprietary information. Samsung banned employee use of generative AI utilities like ChatGPT after discovering that staff had uploaded sensitive source code to the platform. The company was said to be concerned that data transmitted to artificial intelligence platforms including Bing and Google Bard could end up being disclosed to other users. JPMorgan Chase and Verizon have similarly banned use of these AI tools.
OpenAI has already sold Morgan Stanley a private ChatGPT service that allows employees to ask questions and analyze content in thousands of the bank's market research documents. Microsoft is working on a version of ChatGPT targeted at business customers to address privacy concerns.
The move comes in the context of Apple apparently working on its own large language models and AI technologies, led by senior vice president of Machine Learning and AI Strategy John Giannandrea. Giannandrea previously worked for Google and now reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook. The Wall Street Journal did not provide more information about what Apple's AI efforts encompass at this time.
Apple's mixed-reality headset will cost the company around $1,500 per unit to manufacture, according to a series of reports coming out of Asia (via XRDailyNews).
The first report from Minsheng Electronics, providing a detailed breakdown of the cost of each component in the headset, shows a total cost of $1,400. Including shipping, the conservative estimate for the bill of materials (BOM) is around $1,600.
The device's most expensive components are the microOLED displays, which come in at $280 to $320. The next most costly parts are the headset's 14 camera modules, costing $160. The device's two chips, presumably referring to the main M-series SoC and a separate dedicated image signal processor, are believed to cost $120 to $140. Assembly is expected to cost $110 to $120. The firm also expects 400,000 to 500,000 headsets to be manufactured toward the end of 2023, with Apple running a 15-day preparation cycle to stock units.
Another report from Wellsenn XR suggests that the headset will carry a total cost of $1,509, while a separate Chinese report citing two other Asian analysis firms claims that the device's BOM comes to around $1,290 or $1,300, excluding shipping. These reports add that mass production will begin in the third quarter of 2023, which runs from July to September, and that the device may be called "Apple Reality Pro."
XR expert Brad Lynch noted on Twitter that this BOM is around double that of the Meta Quest Pro headset. Including packaging, shipping, and marketing, the headset's total cost is likely well below its rumored retail price of $3,000, but with a much smaller margin than most other Apple products.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurmanrecently claimed that Apple originally planned to sell the headset at a loss, but has now elected to sell it at its approximate cost. The device is believed to have cost Apple more than $1 billion per year to develop.
A number of users are reporting that several Apple services including Apple Music and content served via the Apple TV app are currently down. Apple has yet to update its System Status page to reflect any outages, but we will update this post as more information becomes available.
Apple Music users are seeing "Loading" text when trying to play tracks or browse, while users trying to view certain Apple TV+ content and movies rented through the TV app have seen their streams stop functioning.
Update 8:20 pm: While Apple has still yet to acknowledge the outage on its status page, users are reporting that the affected services are once again functioning normally.
Apple today released iOS 16.5, the fifth major update to the iOS 16 operating system. iOS 16.5 is not as notable as some of the prior updates that we have seen, but there are some important bug fixes and feature additions.
This guide highlights all of the new features in the iOS 16.5 update.
Sports Tab in Apple News
Apple added a dedicated Sports tab in Apple News, providing sports fans with quick access to stories, scores, standings, and other information. Apple News users can select their favorite teams and leagues to get personalized news.
Tapping on sports score and schedule cards in Apple News now goes directly to game pages populated with additional information about specific games.
Pride Collection Wallpaper
To go along with the new 2023 Pride Apple Watch Band and watch face, Apple has designed a Pride Celebration Lock Screen that is available in the iOS 16.5 update.
Bug Fixes
There are a number of bug fixes in the iOS 16.5 update, including fixes for Spotlight, Screen Time, and Podcasts.
Fixes an issue where Spotlight may become unresponsive
Addresses an issue where Podcasts in CarPlay may not load content
Fixes an issue where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices
Security Fixes
According to Apple's security support documents for iOS, the iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 updates fix a long list of vulnerabilities, including three security flaws that were known to be actively exploited. Two of these issues were addressed in the prior iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1 Rapid Security Response updates and are not an issue if you were running iOS 16.4.1 (a), but a third vulnerability is still active until you install the new software.
The WebKit security flaw could allow an attacker to break out of the Web Content sandbox, an issue that Apple fixed with improved bounds checks. Apple says that it is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited. The other two WebKit vulnerabilities were related to processing maliciously crafted web content that could allow for the disclosure of sensitive information or arbitrary code execution.
Other Features
Know of an iOS 16.5 feature that we left out of this guide? Let us know in the comments below.
For many computer users, pairing a laptop with one or more external displays offers the ideal combination of portability and productivity. But if you're like me, you might miss that expansive screen real estate when you disconnect your displays and head out with just your laptop. That's where the Monduo 16-Inch Pro Duo comes in, offering a pair of 16-inch displays that fan out on either side of your laptop's screen to give you millions more pixels to work with even while you're out on the road.
The $800 Monduo Pro Duo isn't the only dual portable external display accessory on the market, but of the major ones I've seen it comes the closest to approaching the high-end specs of the built-in displays on Apple's notebooks. Optimized for 16-inch laptops like Apple's larger MacBook Pro, the Pro Duo's displays each measure in at a very similar 16 inches, with 100% DCI-P3 color support, 2560 ✕ 1600 resolution on each display, 500 nits of brightness, and variable refresh up to 144Hz.
The MacBook Pro's display is of course a bit higher-end with mini-LED, a higher resolution and pixel density, and 10-bit vs. 8-bit color, but the Monduo Pro Duo stacks up very well compared to other available options.
Perhaps the biggest question before even setting the Pro Duo up is whether this is practical to take with you, and I did find that to be the case. It measures in at 15.3 inches (38.8 cm) wide, 9.6 inches (24.4 cm) high, and 1.1 inches (2.8 cm) thick when folded up, and it weighs 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg). That gives it a bit larger footprint than my 16-inch MacBook Pro while being slightly lighter, but it's nearly twice as thick. Still, if you have a spacious computer bag with a couple of compartments as I do, there's a chance the Pro Duo could slide right in there.
Setup
Setting up the Monduo Pro Duo is pretty straightforward, as it consists of a single unit with the two displays that fold out to the sides. The main support unit is expandable horizontally, allowing you to mount it onto your laptop's display and slide it snugly against the display for a good fit. The areas that contact your laptop are padded to prevent damage, and there's a fold-down kickstand on the rear of the center section to help support the Pro Duo.
The two displays of the Pro Duo connect to your laptop using included cables, and Monduo offers several options to match your setup needs. Each of the two displays includes a pair of USB-C ports and a mini HDMI port. For users connecting both displays over USB-C, there are two USB-C to USB-C cables each with a 90-degree connector on one end to work with the downward-facing ports on the Pro Duo displays. One cable measures 30 cm while the other measures 88 cm, offering flexibility if you need to run both cables to the same side of your laptop.
Unpacking the Pro Duo
If you only have one available USB-C port on your laptop, the second Pro Duo display can instead be connected over HDMI thanks to an 88 cm mini-HDMI to HDMI cable with 90-degree connector. If you opt for that setup, you'll also need to connect a USB-C power cable to that display panel, and you can use either the included USB-C to USB-C power cable or the included 90-degree USB-C adapter with your own cable.
Once everything is physically connected, you'll need to download the Monduo app, which manages the display drivers to support high-resolution options and synchronization with the built-in display. The app also offers quick menu bar access to make changes to brightness and resolution, as well as color and hardware adjustments, for each of the Pro Duo's displays. Each Pro Duo display also includes an on-screen menu and a couple of hardware buttons to help you make adjustments to settings like brightness and contrast, sharpness, gamma, color modes, and more.
Display Performance
The Pro Duo's displays aren't on the level of the MacBook Pro's, but they're quite solid. The 16-inch displays are a nice match to the MacBook Pro, especially when many popular competitors are offering displays in the 10–12-inch range.
The pixel density on the Pro Duo displays is a bit lower than that of the MacBook Pro (2560 ✕ 1600 for the Pro Duo vs. 3456 ✕ 2234 for the MacBook Pro), but with display scaling you can ensure that things look pretty uniform across all three of your displays. You just won't get full Retina quality on the Pro Duo displays.
For example, I typically run my MacBook Pro at the "More Space" resolution of 2056 ✕ 1329, and by checking off the option to match resolution, the Pro Duo displays will automatically run at 2080 ✕ 1300 due to the slightly different size and aspect ratio compared to the built-in display, but on-screen contents will appear at the same size across all three displays.
I found the 500-nit brightness of the Monduo Pro Duo displays to be perfectly adequate for normal usage. They have a bit more of a matte finish than the MacBook Pro's display, which helps to reduce glare.
The macOS drivers from Monduo offer the ability to match the brightness, refresh rate, resolution, and scaling to match the internal MacBook Pro display, as well as handle auto arrangement of the Pro Duo displays. The Monduo menu bar app also lets you set those options individually if you prefer.
Everyday Usage
I found that the easiest setup with my 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro was to simply use dual USB-C connections while using MagSafe to keep things charged up. Once you've gone through the initial setup and figured out how everything connects and works, it only takes maybe 30 seconds to get up and running in your temporary workspace. As with other external displays, macOS will generally remember your window arrangement and pop everything into place once the two displays are connected, though that's not always 100% reliable due to the quirks of macOS.
If you need to be completely untethered, you can just run the whole setup off of your MacBook Pro's battery, but be warned that it will chew through your available power quite quickly. My fully charged 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro generally lasts about three hours while driving the Pro Duo under normal usage before it warns me that I need to plug in. So it's not going to work as an all-day on-the-go solution, but you can absolutely run the whole setup for a while without access to external power.
As you might expect with two big 16-inch displays hanging off the sides off your laptop, this setup really needs to be used on a large, solid surface for stability. The resulting setup is quite wide and just isn't very practical to use on a lap or other soft or uneven surface. Beyond the sheer width of the setup, using it on any sort of soft surface will transmit and amplify any wiggling motion out to the external displays, making it pretty impractical.
Wrap-up
Overall, I've found the Monduo Pro Duo to be a great companion for when I need to set up shop somewhere outside of my home for an extended period of time, such as on a working vacation or even waiting several hours at the dealership for my car to be worked on. For shorter periods of usage, I probably wouldn't bother toting the Pro Duo along and hooking it up, but others might find themselves perfectly willing to do that.
At $799, the Monduo 16-Inch Pro Duo isn't the cheapest option out there, but if you're a road warrior who wants to bring lots of screen real estate with you on your travels, this is the best option I've seen. If you're interested in checking it out in more detail or picking one up, you can do so at Monduo's website.
Note: Monduo provided MacRumors with the 16-Inch Pro Duo for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
The iOS 16.5, iPadOS 16.5, and macOS 13.4 updates that Apple released today address vulnerabilities that are known to have been exploited by bad actors, which means it is important to update to the new operating systems as soon as you can.
According to Apple's security support documents for iOS and macOS, the updates fix three WebKit vulnerabilities. Two of these issues were addressed in the prior iOS 16.4.1 and macOS 13.3.1 Rapid Security Response updates and are not an issue if you updated, but a third vulnerability is still active until you install the latest updates.
The WebKit security flaw could allow an attacker to break out of the Web Content sandbox, an issue that Apple fixed with improved bounds checks. Apple says that it is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.
The other two WebKit vulnerabilities were related to processing maliciously crafted web content that could allow for the disclosure of sensitive information or arbitrary code execution.
An unusual bug is affecting text messages between some iPhone and Android users in the United States, with the iPhone seemingly adding an extra "+" character to the beginning of phone numbers belonging to Android and Google Voice users.
This character causes the iPhone to think the text is coming from an international number, which results in issues with text messages. A number that is normally 858-867-5309, for example, is being displayed on the iPhone as +85 88675309.
There have been numerous complaints about the issue as of about an hour ago, with several threads on Reddit from confused users who have suddenly broken chat threads. It is not known what is causing the bug, but many of the reports seem to be from AT&T users.
Resetting network settings may fix the issue, and there are currently mixed reports on whether the bug has been addressed server side. Adding a +1 to the number may also fix the problem for those who are continuing to see formatting problems.
The Apple Pencil 2 has hit a new all-time low price on Amazon today, available for $85.00, down from $129.00. The accessory is in stock and available to deliver as soon as May 20 for Prime delivery, or May 24 for free delivery.
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.
The Apple Pencil 2 is compatible with the following iPads: iPad mini (6th generation), iPad Air (4th generation and later), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation and later), and 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later). The second generation Apple Pencil is a perfect accessory for anyone planning to use the new Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro apps coming to the iPad.
If you have the newest iPad Pro models, the second-generation Apple Pencil can now be detected while hovering up to 12mm above the display. This allows users to see a preview of their drawing before they make it, and with Scribble text fields automatically expand when the pencil gets near the screen.
Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
OpenAI today announced the launch of an official ChatGPT app for the iPhone and the iPad. OpenAI's ChatGPT has been accessible on the web and has been made available on iOS through multiple third-party apps, many of which are little better than scam apps, but this legitimate version will give users a safe way to use ChatGPT on the go.
ChatGPT is an AI-based chatbot that uses generative artificial intelligence to answer questions and provide advice on all manner of subjects. OpenAI says that ChatGPT can help with all of the following:
Instant answers: Get precise information without sifting through ads or multiple results.
Tailored advice: Seek guidance on cooking, travel plans, or crafting thoughtful messages.
Creative inspiration: Generate gift ideas, outline presentations, or write the perfect poem.
Professional input: Boost productivity with idea feedback, note summarization, and technical topic assistance.
Learning opportunities: Explore new languages, modern history, and more at your own pace.
History is synced across devices, so you can see your ChatGPT interactions both on the web and on iOS devices, and it integrates the Whisper speech recognition system.
As of right now, ChatGPT for iOS is limited to the United States, but OpenAI plans to bring it to additional countries in the coming weeks. The company says that the app will see continuous feature and safety improvements based on user feedback.
The ChatGPT app is free to use, but it does cost $19.99 per month for the ChatGPT Plus service. That is the same price available through the web, with Plus providing availability even when demand is high, faster response times, and priority access to new features such as GPT-4, the more advanced version of ChatGPT.
An OpenAI account is required to use the ChatGPT app, and it can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]
Apple today released macOS Ventura 13.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Ventura operating system that was released in October. macOS Ventura 13.4 comes six weeks after the launch of macOS Ventura 13.3, an update that introduced new emoji.
The macOS Ventura 13.4 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings.
There are several bug fixes in the update, with Apple addressing problems with Auto Unlock with Apple Watch, Bluetooth keyboards, Screen Time, and VoiceOver. The update also adds a Sports feed in the sidebar of the Apple News app, and it introduces the simplified beta installation method that was first introduced in iOS 16.4. With the update, developers and public beta testers enrolled in Apple's respective programs can toggle on beta updates from System Settings on the Mac, without the need to install a profile. An Apple ID associated with a public beta account or a developer account is required to turn on beta updates.
Apple's full notes for the update are below.
macOS Ventura 13.4 includes the following enhancements and bug fixes: - Sports feed in the sidebar of Apple News gives easy access to stories, scores, standings, and more, for the teams and leagues you follow - My Sports score and schedule cards in Apple News take you directly to game pages where you can find additional details about specific games - Resolves an issue where Auto Unlock with Apple Watch does not log you into your Mac - Fixes a Bluetooth issue where keyboards connect slowly to Mac after restarting - Addresses a VoiceOver issue with navigating to landmarks on webpages - Fixes an issue where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices
Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices. For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
macOS 13.4 Ventura could be one of the last updates to the macOS Ventura operating system as Apple transitions to development on macOS 14. macOS 14 is set to be unveiled at WWDC in June.
Apple today released iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5, the fifth updates to the iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 16.5 comes over a month after the launch of iOS 16.4, an update that brought new emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, and more.
iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes for the updates to propagate to all users because of demand.
In iOS 16.5, Apple is adding a new Pride wallpaper, a Sports tab in Apple News, and fixes for issues with Spotlight and Screen Time. Apple's release notes are below.
This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
- A new Pride Celebration wallpaper for the Lock Screen to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture - Sports tab in Apple News gives easy access to stories, scores, standings, and more, for the teams and leagues you follow - My Sports score and schedule cards in Apple News take you directly to game pages where you can find additional details about specific games - Fixes an issue where Spotlight may become unresponsive - Addresses an issue where Podcasts in CarPlay may not load content - Fixes an issue where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 are likely to be some of the final updates that we get for the iOS 16 operating system as Apple transitions to working on iOS 17. iOS 17 is set to be introduced at WWDC in June.
Apple today announced the launch of a new multiview feature for the Apple TV 4K, which is designed to allow MLS Season Pass and Friday Night Baseball fans to watch multiple sports games at the same time.
Apple TV 4K owners can watch up to four simultaneous sports streams, including Major League Soccer matches, Friday Night Baseball games, and some MLS and MLB live shows like MLS 360 and MLB Big Inning.
The customizable multiview experience in the Apple TV app lets users see available live games at the bottom of the screen, and they can select the games that they want to watch. There are multiple layout options available for two matches and for matches, along with audio control preferences. Swapping back to one screen can be done with a click.
Though Apple does not mention it, multiview sports could require tvOS 16.5, as the feature has been active during the tvOS 16.5 beta testing period. tvOS 16.5 is available as of today.
Apple today released watchOS 9.5, the fifth major update to the watchOS 9 operating system. watchOS 9.5 comes over a month after the release of watchOS 9.4.
watchOS 9.5 can be downloaded for free through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by opening it up and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone.
The watchOS 9.5 update adds the Pride Celebration watch face to match the 2023 Pride band, and it includes unspecified bug fixes.
We expect watchOS 9.5 to be one of the final updates to watchOS 9, as Apple will soon shift its focus to watchOS 10, the new version of watchOS that will be unveiled at WWDC in June.
Apple today released tvOS 16.5, the fifth major update to the tvOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. Available for the Apple TV 4K and the Apple TV HD, tvOS 16.5 comes over a month after the launch of tvOS 16.4.
tvOS 16.5 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System > Software Update. If you have automatic software updates turned on, you will be upgraded to tvOS 16.5 automatically.
With tvOS 16.5, Apple is introducing a multi-view sports feature that will allow Apple TV users to stream up to four sports games simultaneously with a four-quadrant screen layout. Multi-view sports works with MLB Friday Night Baseball games and MLS Season Pass matches. The grid view can be enabled by selecting the grid icon above the timeline bar and then choosing the "More Matches" button, and volume for one game can be played at once, with swapping available using the Apple TV Remote.
There are no other notable features in tvOS 16.5 that we know of, but Apple will outline the changes in the update in its tvOS support document.
Alongside the iOS 16.5, iPadOS 16.5, tvOS 16.5, and macOS Ventura 13.4 updates, Apple has released new 16.5 software created for the HomePod and HomePod mini.
According to Apple's release notes, the update adds stability and performance improvements to the HomePod.
HomePod software is installed automatically on the HomePod unless the feature is disabled, but the HomePod can also be manually updated in the Home app by following the instructions in our HomePod update how to.
Apple headset concept by 
Unpacking the Pro Duo
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