MacRumors

Google is working on its own location tracking tag to compete with Apple AirTags and Tile trackers, according to developer and leaker Kuba Wojciechowski (via The Verge).

The developer claims to have discovered references to the upcoming first-party tags in Google's Fast Pair method for quickly pairing nearby Bluetooth devices. The device is said to be codenamed "Grogu," after the baby Yoda character from "The Mandalorian" Star Wars series, and is being developed by the Google Nest team.

Wojciechowski believes the tracker could be released in multiple color options and include an onboard speaker to help users locate a missing device by sound, similar to Apple's AirTags.

Like AirTags and iPhone 11 and newer models, Google's Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones both support Ultra Wideband, and Wojciechowski claims the trackers could support the wireless protocol in addition to Bluetooth LE to provide users with precise directions to a lost tag. Google could announce the tracking tags alongside new Pixel phones at its I/O Developer Conference in May.

Google's tags would likely offer much more functionality on Android than Apple's AirTags are capable of providing. AirTags require an Apple device to set up, and while Apple does have a "Tracker Detect" app in the Google Play Store that allows Android users to scan for AirTags and other Find My-enabled items that have been separated from their owner, the app was basically designed to alleviate fears that ‌AirTags‌ can be used maliciously to track the location of individuals.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the sole Apple smartphone of 2023 to get a periscope camera lens and benefit from greatly enhanced optical zoom, with the hardware only set to become a feature of both Pro models next year, claims a new Korean report.

According to The Elec, Apple intends a "Folded Zoom" periscope telephoto lens to be an exclusive feature in the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year, corroborating a report by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo has previously said the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be only model in the iPhone 15 series to get a periscope camera lens, a prediction that analyst Jeff Pu has also made. The Korean report claims Apple will then make the periscope lens system a feature of both iPhone 16 Pro models in 2024.

In a periscope system, light entering the telephoto lens is reflected by an angled mirror towards the camera's image sensor. The change in direction in which the light travels allows for a longer "folded" telephoto setup inside phones, enabling users to zoom in further without any blurriness.

According to The Elec, Apple is tapping new suppliers for the OIS actuators that will be used in the periscope lens destined for this year's iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple will rely on Korean companies LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics to supply the actuators, replacing existing iPhone camera module actuator makers Japan Alps and Mitsumi.

Both LG Innotek and Jahwa have worked with Samsung to develop the ball-type actuators, which lend themselves better to folded zoom modules than the spring actuators Apple currently uses in its telephoto modules. Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra already features a 10x zoom periscope telephoto camera.

Apple's decision to make hardware features exclusive to this year's 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max model is likely to cause frustration among would-be upgraders who seek the best features in the smaller 6.1-inch Pro model. Apple has not differentiated camera features between its iPhone "Pro" models since the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Rumors have suggested that there will be increased differentiation between the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, in part because of stronger iPhone 14 Pro Max sales than expected. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said the iPhone 15 Pro Max could potentially be renamed the iPhone 15 Ultra, like the Apple Watch Ultra.

Additional details for the ‌iPhone 15‌ are still rather scarce given its expected September release, but Apple is widely expected to shift to USB-C and expand the Dynamic Island to all of this year's iPhones.

Apple's next-generation HomePod will launch "fairly soon," according to well-connected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman.

Apple discontinued the original HomePod in March 2021, reportedly due to lackluster sales, but the high-quality smart speaker still has many fans, and there have been rumors about the return of a new full-size HomePod for some time.

Gurman has previously said he does not expect the new HomePod to be "revolutionary," but it will have a more competitive price, an updated touch control panel on the top, and the S8 chip from the latest Apple Watch models.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also said Apple has been working on an updated version of the HomePod that could come in the first quarter of 2023.

Gurman's latest comments came after he corroborated rumors that Apple is set to announce two new products on Tuesday. Recent rumors combined with clues found in a Canadian regulatory database suggest Apple could unveil next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, but otherwise nothing has been confirmed.

Following a rumor that Apple has a product announcement planned for tomorrow, and the discovery of an unreleased MacBook Pro in a Canadian regulatory database, it appears that new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models might finally be imminent.

Ahead of the potential launch, we have recapped everything that we have heard so far about the next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

M2 Pro and M2 Max Chips

A key new feature of the next MacBook Pro models is expected to be M2 Pro and M2 Max chips for faster performance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said those chips will offer only "marginal" performance improvements over the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips in the current models, as leaked benchmarks suggested last year.

Wi-Fi 6E

Wireless frequency ranges mentioned in the Canadian regulatory filing indicate that the new MacBook Pro will support Wi-Fi 6E, which extends Wi-Fi to the 6GHz band for more bandwidth, faster speeds, and lower latency. The current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro support standard Wi-Fi 6, which is limited to 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

Faster RAM

The new MacBook Pro models are rumored to be equipped with "very high-bandwidth, high-speed RAM," but details are unclear. On a purely speculative basis, it is possible that the new models could be equipped with Samsung's latest LPDDR5X RAM for up to 33% increased memory bandwidth with up to 20% less power consumption.

No Design Changes

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Gurman have both suggested that the new MacBook Pro models will have no external design changes and few other major features.

This aspect wouldn't be too surprising, as Apple fully redesigned the high-end MacBook Pros in October 2021 with more ports like HDMI and MagSafe, a notch at the top of the display, an all-black keyboard area, and more. MacBooks often go multiple generations between major hardware changes, so a spec bump in 2023 is a reasonable expectation.

Update: Apple has announced new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, Wi-Fi 6E, and more.

Apple filed what appears to be an unreleased MacBook Pro with model identifier A2779 in a Canadian regulatory database on January 11, as spotted by Wade Penner on Twitter. We have independently confirmed that the listing exists, and it could indicate that a new version of the MacBook Pro is on the horizon.

For now, the filing remains visible on Canada's Radio Equipment List and can be searched for on this page by entering "579C-A2779" into the "Certification Number" field. The listing clearly refers to a laptop with "MacBook Pro" branding from Apple.

Earlier today, it was rumored that Apple has a product announcement planned for tomorrow, with a press release expected to be shared on the Apple Newsroom. The database listing and the announcement could relate to Apple's long-awaited 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips.

Based on wireless frequency ranges mentioned in the filing, it appears that the new MacBook Pro will support Wi-Fi 6E, which extends Wi-Fi to the 6GHz band for more bandwidth, faster speeds, and lower latency. The current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro support standard Wi-Fi 6, which is limited to 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

Beyond faster performance and Wi-Fi 6E, the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro are expected to have few other changes compared to the existing models with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. Apple fully redesigned the high-end MacBook Pro in October 2021 with more ports, a notch, and more, and Macs often stick with the same design for multiple generations.

Update: Apple has announced new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, Wi-Fi 6E, and more.

Apple will make its first product announcement of 2023 through a press release on its website tomorrow, Tuesday, January 17, according to Apple leaker Jon Prosser. MacRumors can corroborate an announcement is expected to take place this week.

The announcement could be one of several products expected in the near future, including updated MacBook Pros and Mac mini models.

The updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are expected to feature the same design as the models announced in October 2021, with only updated performance thanks to the M2 Pro and ‌M2‌ Max chips. An updated ‌Mac mini‌ is also expected to benefit from the performance of new ‌M2‌ chips, but rumors suggest it will feature the same design as the current model.

MacRumors has also learned Apple will hold briefings later this week with members of the press and media on the new devices ahead of review embargoes for the new products lifting next week.

Update: Apple has announced new MacBook Pro and Mac mini models with ‌M2‌ series chips.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States, Apple is paying tribute to the American civil rights movement leader with a full-page tribute on its website.

On the company's home page, a picture of King is shown alongside one of his quotes: "This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action."

"Today and every day, we honor his life and legacy of service," Apple notes. Apple also includes a link to Apple Books, where users can read King's book Stride Toward Freedom for free. Apple CEO Tim Cook also paid tribute to King on Twitter today.

Four months after launch, iOS 16 users continue to report experiencing a plethora of bugs, ranging from slow keyboard pop-ups, random rebooting, UI glitches, camera freezes, and more.

Apple released iOS 16 in September and has since released multiple follow-up updates to address bugs and security patches. The most recent update for the operating system is iOS 16.2, released on December 13. iOS 16.2 brought a new Freeform app, new always-on display options for the iPhone 14 Pro, new lock screen widgets, 5G support for India, and more. Along with the latest features, the update also brought many bugs and system glitches, according to user reports.

Across Twitter, Reddit (1,2,3,4,5,6), the MacRumors forum (1,2,3,4), and Apple Support, users say they're experiencing an unusual amount of bugs and poor system performance following the most recent iOS 16 update. According to users, the issues are wide-ranging, including Spotlight search glitches, the keyboard not appearing in apps, excessive battery drain, the Camera app freezing, problems with Focus modes, Apple Music app bugs, HomeKit accessories not working, and CarPlay glitches.

On Reddit, users report that apps can freeze after they're opened or crash entirely while in use. "This started happening after updating to iOS 16.2, where I'll be using an app (happening on any app), and the application freezes for a couple of seconds," one user said. "Yeah it's been awful! I even decided this year was the year to upgrade my phone to 14 Pro and it's been so bad," said another user.

Users also report ongoing issues with the Home app following the iOS 16.2 update. One new feature of the update was an overhaul of the architecture of the Home app. Apple announced the new architecture in June, promising faster, more reliable ‌HomeKit‌ performance. Following the release of the new app, however, users reported issues with accessories not working, forcing Apple to withdraw the update.

User reports suggest issues are not limited to any specific iPhone model, given iOS 16 is supported by the ‌iPhone‌ 8 and later models. Even with the latest high-end iPhones, the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max, users are experiencing issues, including a long-standing problem with the device lagging when a user closes out of an app.

iOS 16.2 was released last month after testing with developers and public testers since October. Through the beta testing period in October, November, and December, Apple released five updates, addressing bugs and issues reported by testers.

Given the nature of bugs experienced by some users on iOS 16.2, Apple could release iOS 16.2.1 before releasing iOS 16.3 several weeks later. Apple is currently testing iOS 16.3 with developers and public beta members with just a few new features.

Apple is preparing a bid for the rights to stream the English Premier League in the United Kingdom, reports The Daily Mail.

Without citing its sources, the British tabloid claims that the tech giant is keen to increase its sports coverage by building on the decade-long contract it recently secured to exclusively stream Major League Soccer on Apple TV+ beginning next month.

If the report is accurate, Apple would become the fourth major player in contention to purchase domestic broadcasting rights for top-flight soccer (or football, as it's more commonly called in the UK).

That would likely see a marked increase in the current £5.1 billion ($6.23 billion) valuation for domestic EPL rights, which operates on a three-year renewal cycle. Tender rights are to be renewed later this year, with existing rights for the current three-year period set to expire in 2025.

Recent years have seen bidding wars play out between Sky Sports, BT Sport, and Amazon Prime Video, with Sky Sports often being the dominant player. However, packaging terms ensure that no one broadcaster gains rights to all English Premier League matches, therefore any Apple deal for EPL broadcasting rights would necessarily fall short of the exclusivity deal the company successfully negotiated with MLS.

In related news, ‌Apple TV‌+ on Sunday premiered "Super League: The War for Football," a docuseries charting the ill-fated proposal for a breakaway European league pitting the sport's elite clubs against each other.

Apple is likely planning to bring custom microLED displays to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac after the technology debuts in a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra currently scheduled to launch by the end of 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple has spent about six years developing microLED technology for what will become the first display custom-designed by the company itself, mirroring its work on Apple silicon. Earlier this week, Gurman said that Apple is planning to introduce the display technology with a new Apple Watch Ultra in 2024.

Apple reportedly kicked off its microLED project, codenamed T159, around 2017. The display is intended to offer improved brightness, color reproduction, and viewing angles, making images look more like they are "painted" atop the display glass, and replace parts currently supplied by companies like Samsung and LG.

After debuting in 2024's Apple Watch Ultra, Gurman expects Apple's custom microLED displays to expand to the ‌iPhone‌, potentially followed by the ‌iPad‌ and the Mac at an even later date. He believes Apple's long-term plan is to bring microLED displays to all of its key products, but it could be a decade before it emerges in the Mac owing to the complexity of the technology at this early stage. For comparison, Gurman noted that the ‌iPhone‌ will have had OLED displays for over six years by the time they are expected to come to the iPad.

Today marks the 15th anniversary of Steve Jobs pulling the MacBook Air out of a manila envelope at the 2008 Macworld Expo in San Francisco. Apple advertised the MacBook Air as being "the world's thinnest notebook" at the time.

"We've built the world's thinnest notebook—without sacrificing a full-size keyboard or a full-size 13-inch display," said Jobs, in a January 2008 press release announcing the MacBook Air. "When you first see MacBook Air, it's hard to believe it's a high-performance notebook with a full-size keyboard and display. But it is."

The original 13-inch MacBook Air featured a flip-down tray on the right side of the machine that provided access to a single USB port, a headphone jack, and a Micro-DVI port for connecting an external display. It was Apple's first notebook with a multi-touch trackpad, no CD/DVD drive, and an SSD upgrade option. Pricing started at $1,799 in the U.S. with a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, and an 80GB hard drive.

Apple released a completely redesigned MacBook Air with the M2 chip last July and continues to sell an older version with the M1 chip. Given the power efficiency of Apple silicon chips, the MacBook Air is no longer equipped with a fan. While the original MacBook Air measured 0.16-inches at its thinnest point and 0.76-inches at its thickest, the latest MacBook Air has a flatter design with a uniform thickness of 0.44 inches.

Rumors suggest a larger 15-inch MacBook Air will launch this year, and the notebook is expected to be updated with an OLED display next year.

Emergency dispatch centers continue to complain about Apple's new Crash Detection feature triggering an influx of false 911 calls from skiers and snowboarders.

A report today from the New York Post notes that New York's Greene County and Pennsylvania's Carbon County have experienced a burdensome increase in false 911 calls from local ski resorts due to Crash Detection. The feature allows the latest iPhone and Apple Watch models to detect a severe car crash and automatically call emergency services if the user is unresponsive, but it is also activating when some skiers and snowboarders take a tumble.

Given that emergency dispatchers respond to all calls out of an abundance of caution, the influx in false alarms has put a strain on some call centers and could divert personnel and resources away from real emergencies. There have been several reports about the issue in other popular ski resort areas like Colorado, Minnesota, Utah, and British Columbia, Canada since Apple introduced the feature last year.

In response to the report, an Apple spokesperson told the Post that the company was collecting feedback from emergency call centers that have experienced an increase in automated 911 calls due to the feature, but declined to comment further.

Crash Detection is enabled by default on all iPhone 14 models and the latest Apple Watch models, including the Series 8, Ultra, and second-generation SE. When a crash is detected, the iPhone or Apple Watch displays an alert, which users have 10 seconds to act on. If the user is unresponsive, the device begins another 10-second countdown while sounding an alarm and vibrating/tapping, and then calls emergency services. Due to loud surroundings and thick outerwear, however, some users may be unaware that the feature was triggered.

Apple says the feature relies on sensors like the accelerometer and gyroscope in the iPhone and Apple Watch, along with "advanced Apple-designed motion algorithms trained with over a million hours of real-world driving and crash record data" for increased accuracy. As with rollercoasters, the iPhone and Apple Watch may be mistaking the abrupt movement of skiing and snowboarding as a car crash in some situations.

Apple released iOS 16.1.2 in late November with unspecified Crash Detection optimizations for iPhone 14 models, followed by watchOS 9.2 in mid-December with Apple Watch optimizations. It's unclear if these optimizations have led to a reduction in false 911 calls from skiers and snowboarders; in any case, it will likely take some time before all users update their iPhone or Apple Watch to the latest software versions.

Despite this issue, there have already been several reports about the life-saving feature alerting first responders to actual car crashes.

These days Apple is associated with the iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook – game-changing products so wildly successful that they have changed the way we live. But even the most valuable company in the world has had its fair share of marketing missteps and hardware blunders.

Apple wasn't always as profitable as it is today, and the failure of some of its earlier products would have doomed most other tech companies to the annals of history. Here we take a look back at some of Apple's most infamous hardware flops. See if you agree, and let us know in the comments of any other questionable Apple devices that you think deserve to be named and shamed.

Apple III

The Apple III was the result of a project initiated in 1978 after Apple became concerned that the popularity of its Apple II, launched in 1977, would eventually wane. Originally built with hobbyists in mind, the Apple II was surprisingly popular with small businesses, but Apple was aware that IBM was working on a personal computer specifically aimed at business users, which only made Apple more eager to consolidate its hold on the market. The Apple III therefore had to be the complete system – all things to all users – and a cost-effective addition to any office or home.

A committee of engineers was assigned to the Apple III project, making it the first Apple computer not designed by Steve Wozniak. As it turned out, everyone had their own ideas about what features the Apple III should have, and all of them were included. The project was supposed to be finished in 10 months, but ended up taking two years as a result.

In November 1980 the Apple III finally launched, starting at an eye-watering $3,495, and offering twice the performance as the Apple II and twice as much memory (128KB of RAM). It was the first Apple computer to have a built-in floppy drive, and ran a new operating system called Apple SOS, featuring an advanced memory management system and a hierarchical file system.

Unfortunately, none of these innovations could save the Apple III from its flawed chassis design, and Apple was forced to recall the first 14,000 machines produced due to serious overheating issues, caused in part by Steve Jobs' insistence on not including a fan in the case. The problem was so bad that thermal expansion would often cause the chips to pop out of place. Apple even told customers to lift their machine several inches above their desks and then drop it to reseat them. A revised model under the name Apple III Plus was eventually released in 1983 that addressed the widespread failures, but the damage to the computer's reputation had already been done.

The Apple III was discontinued in April 1984, while its successor was dropped from Apple's product line in September 1985. The company sold an estimated 65,000–75,000 Apple III computers, with the Apple III Plus taking the total up to around 120,000. Jobs later said that the company lost "infinite, incalculable amounts" of money on the Apple III, and its poor reception caused thousands of US businesses to buy IBM PCs instead.

Apple Lisa

Released in 1983, Lisa officially stood for "Local Integrated Software Architecture," but was actually a backronym invented later to fit the name of Steve Jobs' daughter, Lisa. Apple positioned it as a business computer and an alternative to the Apple II. While previous computers relied on text-based interfaces and keyboard input, Lisa was the first personal computer to feature a graphical UI and mouse, interface innovations both first seen in action by Jobs during a visit to Xerox Parc's research lab in Silicon Valley.

Despite this, starting at just shy of ten grand (around $29,905 by today's standards), the Lisa was prohibitively expensive for all but the wealthiest of households, and the computer was a flop. By 1986, Apple had only managed to sell around 100,000 units, and the entire Lisa platform was discontinued. Apple was even forced to dispose of some 2,700 Lisas in a landfill in Utah. Fewer than 100 Lisa computers are believed to exist today.

Looking back, Jobs felt that Apple had lost its way. "First of all, it was too expensive — about ten grand," he said in an interview with Playboy in 1985. "We had gotten Fortune 500-itis, trying to sell to those huge corporations, when our roots were selling to people." Jobs actually got kicked off the Lisa project in September 1980 because of his volatile temperament, but as fate would have it, he subsequently joined the team that ended up developing the first Macintosh.

Apple Newton

In May 1992, Apple CEO John Sculley unveiled the Newton MessagePad to a rapt CES audience. He called the sleek black handheld gadget, which was about the size of a VHS cassette, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). The Newton PDA, he said, was a completely new category of device. It came with a stylus and could be used to take notes, store contacts, and manage calendars – standard functions of any modern-day smartphone, but revolutionary in 1993. Users could take it out, send a fax, and return it to their pocket, without ever going near a desktop computer.

The truly killer feature, however, was its handwriting recognition. Or at least, that was Apple's original plan. What the audience didn't know was that it barely worked. Apple shipped the first Newton MessagePad 14 months later for $900, but by that time other companies had already rushed rival PDAs to market, and the Newton still had big problems translating handwritten notes into text. After the negative reviews, it was widely derided in the media – the comic strip Doonesbury dedicated a whole week to lampooning its handwriting recognition issues, and the device even became the butt of a joke in The Simpsons.

Apple battled to make successive versions of the Newton a success, and with the release of Newton OS 2.0 in March 1996 the handwriting recognition had been substantially improved. But it was too little, too late. The brand just couldn't shake its abysmal debut performance. Worse, Steve Jobs hated it, for two reasons: It came with a stylus ("God gave us ten styluses," Jobs would say, "Let's not invent another.") and it had been Sculley's pet project. Upon his return to Apple in 1997, Jobs pushed for the product line be killed off. It was discontinued a year later.

Newton went through eight versions of the hardware, with Apple spending $100 million on its development. Only an estimated 200,000 were ever sold. But it wasn't all a waste. The same thinking behind the PDA would eventually bring us the ‌iPhone‌.

Macintosh TV

In an age where watching streaming video on your phone or PC doesn't even raise an eyebrow, Apple's original computer-television hybrid now seems like a solution in search of a problem. But when it launched in 1993, the idea of watching TV on your Mac was completely ahead of its time.

The black chassis of the Macintosh TV was essentially an LC 520 fused with a 14-inch Sony Trinitron CRT. It came with a CD-ROM drive and remote control, while a built-in tuner card with connecting coax cable allowed broadcasts to be displayed in 16-bit color. Unfortunately, users had to choose to either watch TV or use their Mac. It couldn't display TV in a window (Picture in Picture hadn't been invented yet) and it was impossible to capture video, although users could save still frames of broadcasts as PICT files.

On the face of it, the Macintosh TV offered faster performance than the standalone LC 520, thanks to a 32MHz Motorola 68030 processor. In reality though it was bottlenecked by a 16MHz bus. Also, the 5MB of RAM was only upgradeable to 8MB, whereas the LC 520 could max out at 36MB. Costing $2,099 at launch, Apple's TV-Mac mashup was not cheap, and it failed to catch on. It was discontinued in 1995, two years after its release, by which time Apple had shipped just 10,000 units.

Pippin

Launched in 1996 with the help of Japanese game company Bandai, the Pippin was Apple's infamous stab at a CD-ROM based game console, but it was badly marketed, poorly supported, and vastly overpriced. The Pippin arrived at the height of the console wars, a time when home computers had yet to become commonplace. Apple's ill-fated plan was to shift the market dynamic with a hybrid computing/gaming device.

On the face of it, the Pippin was just that, boasting some unique features that all other console rivals lacked. Based on Macintosh architecture from the early-to-mid '90s, the Pippin ran a simplified version of Mac OS 7, making it faster than other consoles. It was also equipped with a veritable selection of ports, supporting not only modem and printer connections, but also offering users the ability to connect external peripherals like keyboards and mice.

Unfortunately, Apple's intention to give Pippin users a computer-like experience in a console form factor was partly the reason for its downfall. Costing $650, the Pippin was around $400 more expensive than leading rivals such as the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. And despite Pippin's fast performance, competing consoles had the edge in terms of software, with many sporting extensive games catalogs, whereas only 25 titles were released for Pippin owing to poor third-party developer support on the part of Bandai, a relatively unknown name among the gaming community.

Apple didn't plan to release Pippin on its own, intending to make the platform an open standard by licensing the technology to third parties, similar to its licensed Mac clone program in the late '90s. However, when Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he canned the company's clone efforts and subsequently shut down Pippin development, leading Bandai to halt the production of all models of Pippin by mid-1997. Apple had hoped to ship half a million consoles a year, but only sold a total of around 42,000 in the device's short lifespan.

20th Anniversary Macintosh

Released in March 1997 to mark Apple's 20th year in business rather than the anniversary of the Mac, the "20th Anniversary Macintosh," or TAM as it became known, might look odd by today's standards, but it was a unique machine in its own right.

Its strikingly thin and upright "all-in-one" design housed several novel features, including a built-in 12.1-inch LCD flat-screen display, vertically mounted CD-ROM and floppy drives, and an integrated TV/FM tuner. The TAM ran a modified version of Mac OS 7.6.1 to control these features, while a 250MHz PowerPC 603e CPU and 64MB of RAM ensured performance was nothing to sniff at. It even had a custom Bose sound system with two accompanying speakers and a subwoofer built into the external power supply.

Delivered to customers via a direct-to-door service undertaken by tuxedoed concierges, the TAM was marketed as an executive machine, but at $7,500, the executive pricing proved too much of a turn-off, and sales were poor. In the final weeks of its availability, Apple slashed the price of the TAM to $2,000, but this only served to anger people who had paid full price, and Apple was forced to reimburse early adopters with a new PowerBook.

Only 12,000 TAMs were made, many of which were never sold. The system lasted barely 12 months in Apple's product lineup and was discontinued a year later in March 1998, shortly before the launch of the iMac G3, which offered similar specs but a larger screen, and all for just $1,299.

Power Mac G4 Cube

Unveiled on July 19, 2000, the Power Mac G4 Cube was an engineering marvel and a statement piece of Apple industrial design. At less than one fourth the size of most PCs available at the time, the fanless machine represented an entirely new class of computer, featuring a powerful G4 PowerPC processor, discrete Nvidia video card, AirPort card for Wi-Fi, and a DVD burner, all packed neatly into an elegant eight-inch cube suspended inside a transparent molded acrylic case. Steve Jobs called it "simply the coolest computer ever," and going on first impressions, it was hard to disagree.

But the Cube was doomed almost from the start. Upgradability was limited – a handle in the bottom of the Cube allowed users to pull the innards out of the case, providing access to three RAM slots and space to insert an AirPort card, but there were no PCI slots and the proprietary video card was shrunken down to fit into the tightly enclosed space. It was also too expensive, even by Apple's standards. The lowest-priced model cost $1,799, which was $200 more than the far more upgradeable Power Mac G4.

Apple sold fewer than 150,000 units in 349 days, and on July 3, 2001, Apple announced it was suspending production of the Cube indefinitely. "Cube owners love their Cubes," said Phil Schiller, Apple's then vice president of product marketing. "But most customers decided to buy our powerful Power Mac G4 minitowers instead." Apple CEO Tim Cook would later describe the G4 Cube as "a spectacular failure."

Apple has been rumored to be working on iPads with even larger displays since mid-2021, but amid reports of the 14-inch model being cancelled, what is going on with the company's larger tablet plans?

The Rumors So Far

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was first to float the rumor of Apple designers and engineers exploring iPads with bigger screens that could further "blur the lines" between a tablet and a laptop. In January 2022, this was followed by the news that multiple suppliers, including BOE and LG, were converting factories to be able to supply Apple with OLED displays around 15-inches in size suitable for future iPad models.

The leaker known as "Majin Bu" then claimed that Apple was working on an ‌iPad‌ with a 14.1-inch display and the M2 chip – a rumor corroborated by oft-accurate display industry analyst Ross Young, who added that the device would have a mini-LED display but no ProMotion for variable refresh rates up to 120Hz. In July last year, he amended his forecast, saying that Apple had switched to an LCD display for the device, the likes of which are used on the iPad mini and iPad Air.

In October, The Information's Wayne Ma reported that Apple is developing a 16-inch iPad that it hopes to release in the fourth quarter of 2023. The prospective device would have approximately the same screen size as a 16-inch MacBook Pro, providing users with a significantly larger canvas to work with.

Finally, Young said in December that Apple had shelved its plans to launch a 14.1-inch ‌iPad‌. Any larger ‌iPad‌ models were also missing from ‌Mark Gurman‌'s latest Apple device roadmap for this year, saying that there will be no significant ‌iPad‌ hardware updates in 2023.

What Sort of Larger iPad Is Apple Envisioning?

At least one of the larger ‌iPad‌ models that Apple was working on last year was explicitly rumored to not have ProMotion technology, suggesting that it was not an iPad Pro model. An LCD display without ProMotion would have put the 14.1-inch ‌iPad‌ well below the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ in terms of specifications, indicating that it would have been more akin to the ‌iPad Air‌.

The device could have been imagined as a larger ‌iPad Air‌ option, or even part of a whole new ‌iPad‌ product line with different priorities from anything we've seen before. At minimum, it seems plausible that such a device would be geared toward creative professionals such as graphic artists and designers who could make good use of the large touchscreen surface.

While larger ‌‌iPad‌‌ display sizes could bring the ‌‌iPad‌‌ closer the Mac than ever before, there would likely also need to be further software improvements to properly take advantage of the larger display. Despite the launch of Stage Manager in iPadOS 16, some users have continued to complain about the ‌iPad‌'s multitasking experience and inability to take full advantage of its hardware, making it more challenging to replace a conventional computer than it could be.

Can We Still Expect Larger iPad Models?

Despite the tumultuous state of rumors about larger ‌iPad‌ models, it appears that Apple is seriously interested in the prospect of launching bigger tablets in the future.

The biggest iPads that have been available since 2018 have been the 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌. This means that the largest iPads are still smaller than the smallest MacBooks, the M1 MacBook Air and M2 ‌MacBook Pro‌, which feature 13.3-inch displays. Since the 12.9-inch ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ is already in a similar range to the 13.3-inch MacBooks and is rumored to increase to 13-inches next year, it seems like just a matter of time before Apple offers even bigger ‌iPad‌ models.

• Will Apple Launch Any New iPads in 2023?

Bloomberg has repeatedly discussed Apple's interest in bigger iPads and although the 14.1-inch ‌iPad‌ model that was in the works is now believed to be canceled, the 16-inch model last reported by The Information could still be in active development.

2023 is expected to be a quiet year for new ‌iPad‌ hardware, with only very minor updates to the ‌iPad mini‌, ‌iPad Air‌, and entry-level ‌iPad‌ expected at best. Rumors suggest that the 16-inch ‌iPad‌ could arrive toward the end of the year, but it is possible that this could slip into 2024 – in which case the first larger ‌iPad‌ model could join redesigned ‌iPad Pro‌ models with OLED displays.

The holidays are clearly over, with the Apple rumor mill back into full swing as we hit the midpoint of January. This week saw an array of both near-term and longer-term rumors ranging from Apple's mixed-reality headset, Apple silicon Mac Pro, iPhone 15, and iOS 17 later this year to new technology potentially coming to Apple devices over the next several years.

We covered a lot of the latest rumors in this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, so make sure to tune in for more there after you read on below for an overview!

iPhone 15 Pro Now Widely Rumored to Feature Titanium Frame

It was a very busy time for Apple product rumors this week, starting with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman corroborating that iPhone 15 Pro models will feature a titanium frame, compared to a stainless steel frame currently. Titanium is also used for the Apple Watch Ultra.

iPhone 15 Pro models are also expected to feature solid-state volume and power buttons with haptic feedback.

Gurman added that the Dynamic Island will be available on all four iPhone 15 models launching later this year, as display industry analyst Ross Young claimed last year. Currently, the feature is exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Apple Reportedly Working on Touchscreen Macs, Including MacBook Pro With OLED Display

Despite years of resistance, Apple is working on adding touchscreens to future Macs, according to Gurman. His report claimed that a new MacBook Pro with an OLED display could be the first Mac with support for touch input like an iPhone or iPad.

Apple has repeatedly dismissed the idea of a touchscreen Mac over the years, so this would be a major reversal in philosophy for the company if it moves forward with these plans.

iOS 17 Rumored to Have 'Fewer Major Changes Than Originally Planned'

While we are still around five months away from Apple unveiling iOS 17 at WWDC in June, a report this week claimed that the software update may have "fewer major changes than originally planned."

The report said that Apple's focus on the "xrOS" operating system for its upcoming AR/VR headset has drawn away resources from the iPhone's software. As of now, here is is everything that we know so far about iOS 17.

Apple's 'Reality Pro' Headset Said to Debut Before WWDC, Ship in the Fall

Apple's long-awaited AR/VR headset is expected to be announced this spring and become available to purchase later in the year. Rumors suggest the headset could be named "Reality Pro."

In the meantime, more references to "xrOS" and "Reality OS" were discovered in the upcoming Apple Devices app for Windows. Apple is expected to provide more details about the headset's operating system at WWDC.

New Mac Pro With M2 Ultra Chip Might Launch This Spring Alongside macOS 13.3

The long-awaited Mac Pro with Apple silicon could be announced this spring, with the computer's launch potentially tied to macOS 13.3.

The new Mac Pro is expected to feature Apple's new M2 Ultra chip, but a higher-end "M2 Extreme" chip was reportedly canceled. The high-end desktop tower will apparently have the same design as the 2019 model, but lack user-upgradeable RAM this time around.

Apple to Design Custom Displays, Starting With MicroLED for Apple Watch Ultra

Apple reportedly plans to fully design and develop its own displays for devices in house, starting with a microLED display for a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024. The displays would still be manufactured by an outside supplier, with LG reportedly on board.

While the Apple Watch Ultra is expected to transition away from OLED technology, another rumor this week indicated that MacBooks will start switching to OLED next year.

MacRumors Newsletter

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

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

Apple released the second beta of iOS 16.3 earlier this week, and so far only one new feature and two other minor changes have been discovered in the software update. It's possible that iOS 16.3 will also include various bug fixes and security updates.

iOS 16.3 should be publicly released within the next month or so, and it is possible that more features will be added in later beta versions. In the meantime, we have provided additional details about the three changes discovered so far below.

Security Keys for Apple IDs

The first iOS 16.3 beta enabled a new Security Keys for Apple ID feature that Apple said will be available globally in early 2023. The feature gives users the option to use hardware security keys to further protect their account. For users who enable this feature, Security Keys strengthens Apple's two-factor authentication by requiring a hardware security key as one of the two factors instead of a verification code from another Apple device.

Apple does not plan to release its own hardware security keys. The feature will rely on third-party security keys available from brands like Yubico, such as the YubiKey 5Ci, which has both Lightning and USB-C connectors for use with iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

HomePod Handoff Prompt

As noted by Max Weinbach on Twitter, the first iOS 16.3 beta added a new prompt to transfer/hand off music from an iPhone to a HomePod. Only the prompt itself is new, as the HomePod audio handoff feature already existed.

Emergency SOS Settings Rewording

In the second beta of iOS 16.3, Apple has tweaked the wording for some Emergency SOS options in the Settings app to be even clearer.

"Call with Hold" is now "Call with Hold and Release," "Call with 5 Presses" is now "Call with 5 Button Presses," and "Countdown Sound" is now "Call Quietly." The descriptions for each have also been updated. "Call Quietly" is toggled off by default, which is equivalent to "Countdown Sound" being toggled on.

Apple's custom-designed microLED displays for future Apple Watch models will be made by LG, according to display analyst Ross Young.

In a tweet, Young explained that LG Display is constructing a small production line to supply Apple with microLED displays destined for an Apple Watch model due to launch in 2025. The facility will reportedly supply microLED backplanes and assemble Apple's displays, opening in the second half of 2024. Earlier this week, Young said that Apple will introduce an Apple Watch with a microLED display in spring 2025.

The latest clarification appears to be a response to a report from Bloomberg that said Apple will transition to its own custom displays starting with a microLED display for the Apple Watch Ultra at the end of 2024, with the long-term goal of reducing reliance on display suppliers like Samsung and LG. According to Young, Apple will continue to depend on such partners to some extent. "Apple won't do the full process," he added.

Earlier this month, analyst Jeff Pu said a new high-end Apple Watch will adopt a larger, 2.1-inch micro-LED display, providing increased brightness compared to current Apple Watch models with OLED displays. This model would presumably be a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra, which launched last September and has a 1.92-inch display.

microLED technology features microscopic LEDs that form pixels, offering more accurate color, high contrast for improved HDR and viewing in suboptimal lighting conditions, support for wider viewing angles, reduced chance of screen burn-in, low latency for higher refresh rates, and improved efficiency.

Amazon today is hosting a new Gold Box sale on Beats headphones, including best-ever prices on the Beats Studio Buds, Beats Fit Pro, Powerbeats Pro, and more. All of the discounts below are available on Amazon and in stock today.

Starting with earbuds, Amazon has the Beats Studio Buds in Moon Gray for $89.99, down from $149.95. This is the only color on sale at this all-time low price, and all other colors are a little higher at $99.95.

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 Powerbeats Pro Wireless Earphones are on sale for $149.95, down from $249.95. This sale is available in Navy, Black, and Ivory, with all three in stock and ready to ship today.

Both versions of the Beats Fit Pro are discounted on Amazon right now: the regular Beats Fit Pro are $159.95 ($40 off) and the Beats Fit Pro x Kim Kardashian are $179.95 ($20 off). In both cases you'll find all colors available at these discounted prices.

Finally, the over-ear Beats Studio3 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones are available for $199.99, down from $349.95. This one is available in four colors: Matte Black, Blue, Midnight Black, and Shadow Gray.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.