Apple has introduced royalty incentives to encourage music artists and record labels to publish tracks in Spatial Audio.
In an update sent to partners on Monday seen by Music Business Worldwide, Apple said it will pay up to 10% more in royalties for Spatial Audio.
The news follows a Bloomberg report in December that Apple would this year begin prioritizing streams of songs mixed in Dolby Atmos technology in its streaming calculations.
Listeners do not have to listen to the Spatial Audio version of a song for artists to be eligible for the added benefits, with the availability of tracks in Dolby Atmos being sufficient.
According to 9to5Mac, Apple says the 10% bonus is a reward for artists delivering the content, and also compensation to recognize the additional time and effort required to mix in Dolby Atmos.
Apple Music began hosting Spatial Audio tracks in 2021, using Dolby Atmos technology to replicate an in-person music experience with sound coming from various directions around the listener when using compatible speakers or headphones. In February 2022, Apple announced that over half of the service's subscribers used the feature.
Philips Hue parent company Signify is announcing several product updates today, with new products, colorways, and U.S. availability for some devices.
A new wall light, the Philips Hue Dymera, offers two beams of light that shine both up and down. The light, which supports both white shades and color, can illuminate large surfaces and is able to be used both indoors and out.
The Philips Hue Pendant Cord can be used with Hue Filament bulbs or the Hue Ellipse. 3D printed from 55 percent bio-circular material, the pendant cord comes in either black and white and can be purchased in two sizes.
For those with the Hue Perifo track lighting, there are new connector options. The T Connector allows rails to run in three directions, while the Flexible Connector allows rails to run in any direction and beyond 90-degree angles.
The Hue Being Ceiling Light is now available in black and white, rather than just the aluminum color. The Hue Being supports 50,000 shades of warm-to-cool white light.
Signify is selling the Hue Go Portable Table Lamp in updated colors that include black with an orange grip and white with a teal grip. The silicone grips are designed to make it easier to move the lamp from place to place. The lamp is able to charge in three to four hours with the included charging stand, and the battery lasts for up to 48 hours.
The Hue line now includes the Philips Hue Secure Floodlight Camera (U.S. availability is new) and the Hue Secure Camera Starter Kit. The indoor/outdoor Starter Kit has a wired camera, two Philips Hue bulbs, a Hue Bridge, and two Philips Hue Secure contact sensors that let users know when a door is opened or closed. The Floodlight Camera is meant to be used outdoors, and it offers both recording functionality and colored/white Hue light.
New app updates are expected for the Security Center of the Hue app in the first half of 2024. Signify is improving security push notifications and the event timeline, as well as options for automatic light and sound alarms when motion is detected.
The Hue Dymera light is priced at $220 in the U.S. and will be available on February 27. The Hue Perifio connectors will be coming in February and April and will be priced at $35, while the updated Hue Being lights will be available on March 26 and are priced at $220.
The Hue Go table lamps with colored grips are available now from the Hue website and are priced at $160. The Hue Pendant Cord is priced starting at 60 euros and will launch in the EU in February.
The Hue Secure Floodlight Camera will be available on February 27 and is priced at $350, and the Hue Secure Starter Kit is priced at $400 and is available today.
The packaging, seen by MacRumors in an Apple employee training video, mirrors the design used across many of its other devices that come in boxes that slide open from the top. Those hoping for an exciting new packaging design for the new product line will be disappointed; the top of the cuboid box features a front view of the Vision Pro headset, while each of the longer sides is simply emblazoned with gray Apple "Vision Pro" text.
While the design itself may be fairly unremarkable, the box's size is immense, almost filling the entire lap of a customer. This is because it contains a Solo Knit Band, a Dual Loop Band, a Light Seal, two Light Seal cushions, a cover, an external battery pack, a USB-C charging cable, a power adapter, a polishing cloth, and the Vision Pro headset itself, necessitating an extremely large receptacle. Until now, the size and design of the box has been unknown.
Customers who purchase a Vision Pro in-store are set to have their device's various sized parts boxed up with the headset itself by Apple Store employees. The device is arranged lengthways in the oblong box and comes pre-attached to the Solo Knit Band. Even though the Vision Pro's box is much larger than that of devices like the Mac Studio, which have a fabric handle on the top to help transport it, there is no grab-handle on the top of Vision Pro's box.
The Vision Pro headset is set to launch on Friday, February 2. Bloomberg's Mark Gurmanyesterday said that the Vision Pro, like the original iPhone, will be accompanied by a commemorative shopping bag for those who buy or pick-up the device in-store.
Apple today released iOS 17.3, a major update to the iOS operating system that adds Stolen Device Protection, collaborative Apple Music playlists, and a handful of other interesting features.
In this guide, we've rounded up everything new in the iOS 17.3 update.
Stolen Device Protection
Earlier this year, there were news reports about a series of iPhone thefts where the thief spied on a victim to learn an iPhone's passcode before going on to steal the device, leading to drained bank accounts, stolen passwords, and an untraceable iPhone.
As a solution, Apple included Stolen Device Protection in iOS 17.3 to add extra security. Should a thief get their hands on both your iPhone and your passcode, Stolen Device Protection prevents total catastrophe. With Stolen Device Protection enabled, accessing passwords in iCloud Keychain, turning off Lost Mode, erasing content, and making purchases in Safari requires biometric authentication with Face ID or Touch ID.
Actions like changing an Apple ID password require Face ID and have a one-hour security delay. So if you (or someone else) tried to change your Apple ID login information, you would need to authenticate with Face ID and then wait an hour before the password could be updated. These wait periods are not required when you are in a trusted location like home or work.
Here are actions that require biometric authentication when Stolen Device Protection is activated:
Viewing/using passwords or passkeys saved in iCloud Keychain
Taking certain Apple Cash and Savings actions in Wallet
Using payment methods saved in Safari
Using your iPhone to set up a new device
Note that these actions do not have a passcode backup, so you can't use a passcode to skirt Face ID or Touch ID. Actions that require biometric authentication and have a one-hour security delay include the following:
Changing your Apple ID password
Updating select Apple ID account security settings, including adding or removing a trusted device, trusted phone number, Recovery Key, or Recovery Contact
Stolen Device Protection is available on all iPhones that are able to run iOS 17, which includes the iPhone XS and newer. It is an opt-in feature that can be turned on in the Settings app by going to Face ID > Passcode and toggling on Stolen Device Protection.
Collaborative Apple Music Playlists
Apple introduced collaborative Apple Music Playlists in iOS 17.3. With this feature, you can take any of your existing playlists or create a new one and then invite others to join in to add songs and listen to the playlist. You can invite friends, family members, and others who share your musical preferences, and there doesn't appear to be a limit on how many people can contribute.
To use the collaboration feature, go to a playlist in the Apple Music app and then tap on the person icon. You will be able to generate a link that you can send to others, and everyone who is invited can access the playlist. There is an option to approve each person that joins, and leaving this off just opens it up to anyone with the link.
The person who created the playlist can remove people, remove songs, and turn off collaboration at any time.
Collaborative Playlist Emoji Reactions
Apple in iOS 17.3 also added a neat emoji reaction feature that allows listeners to add an emoji to any song that's playing to express their feelings about it. There are standard quick access emoji options like a heart and thumbs up, but with the "+" button, any emoji can be added.
When you're listening to a song in the playlist that has emoji reactions added by people who have collaborated on a playlist, those emoji animate as the song begins to play.
AirPlay 2 in Hotels
Select hotels now support streaming content from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac directly to an AirPlay-compatible hotel. The feature is designed to allow you to watch content on streaming services without having to log in to a hotel TV with your credentials.
AppleCare
In the Settings app under General, the AppleCare and Warranty section displays the AppleCare coverage for all devices signed in with your Apple ID.
Crash Detection
Apple has further optimized the Crash Detection feature that is available on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models. Apple has been continually tweaking Crash Detection to prevent it from activating during activities that cause movement similar to a car crash.
TV Show and Movie Wishlists
With iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2, Apple stopped allowing TV shows and movies to be purchased with the iTunes Store app. iTunes Store wishlists were an unfortunate casualty of the transition, and they became accessible.
Users who were upset about losing carefully curated wishlists can now access that information again in the iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 updates. Apple has added a new "Go to Wish List" option so users can copy down their movie and TV show watch lists.
Read More
For details on all of the features that are included in the iOS 17 update, we have a dedicated roundup.
Apple today released iOS 17.3, iPadOS 17.3, tvOS 17.3, and macOS Sonoma 14.3, and it's a good idea to update as soon as possible to the new operating systems because the software patches an actively exploited vulnerability.
The updates fix a bug in WebKit that could allow maliciously crafted content to lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple says on its security support page that it is aware of a report that the issue may have been exploited.
Apple's software releases also address several other security vulnerabilities that were not known to have been used in the wild. iOS 17.3, for example, fixes bugs with the Neural Engine, kernel, Mail, Safari, Shortcuts, and more.
Details on all of the security fixes for each update can be found on Apple's security support site.
Apple today released iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3, the third major updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating system updates that initially came out in September 2023. The software comes more than a month after Apple released iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2 with the Journal app.
iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 15.8.1 and iOS 16.7.5 for those running older versions of iOS.
With iOS 17.3, Apple is adding Stolen Device Protection to the iPhone, limiting access to private information just in case someone gets ahold of both your iPhone and your passcode. It requires biometric authentication to do things like access passwords, turn off Lost Mode, make purchases in Safari, and more.
The update also includes support for AirPlaying content directly to some hotel room TVs, creating collaborative Apple Music playlists with friends and family, and more. Apple's full release notes for the update are below.
Stolen Device Protection - Stolen Device Protection increases security of iPhone and Apple ID by requiring Face ID or Touch ID with no passcode fallback to perform certain actions - Security Delay requires Face ID or Touch ID, an hour wait, and then an additional successful biometric authentication before sensitive operations like changing device passcode or Apple ID password can be performed
Lock Screen - New Unity wallpaper honors Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month
Music - Collaborate on playlists allows you to invite friends to join your playlist and everyone can add, reorder, and remove songs - Emoji reactions can be added to any track in a collaborative playlist
This update also includes the following improvements: - AirPlay hotel support lets you stream content directly to the TV in your room in select hotels - AppleCare & Warranty in Settings shows your coverage for all devices signed in with your Apple ID - Crash detection optimizations (all iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models)
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.3, the third major update to the macOS Sonoma operating system that came out last September. macOS Sonoma 14.3 comes over a month after the release of macOS Sonoma 14.2.
The macOS Sonoma 14.3 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.4 release for those who are still running macOS Ventura and a macOS 12.7.3 release for those who have macOS Monterey installed.
macOS Sonoma 14.3 brings collaborative playlists in Apple Music, so that Apple Music subscribers can create playlists with friends and family members. The software also has an updated AppleCare & Warranty section in Settings that shows coverage for all devices signed in with an Apple ID.
Apple's full release notes for macOS Sonoma 14.3 are below:
macOS Sonoma 14.3 introduces enhancements to Apple Music, as well as other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your Mac.
Collaborate on playlists in Apple Music allows you to invite friends to join your playlist and everyone can add, reorder, and remove songs
Emoji reactions can be added to any track in a collaborative playlist in Apple Music
AppleCare & Warranty in Settings shows your coverage for all devices signed in with your Apple ID
Apple today released watchOS 10.3, the third major update to the watchOS 10 operating system that was released in September. watchOS 10.3 comes over a month after watchOS 10.2, a major update that brought Health data access to Siri.
watchOS 10.3 can be downloaded for free through the Apple Watch app on an iPhone running iOS 17 or later 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 and it needs to be placed on a charger.
The watchOS 10.3 update includes a new Unity Bloom watch face to celebrate Black History Month.
Apple's release notes also say that the update includes unspecified improvements and bug fixes.
Apple today released tvOS 17.3, the third major update to the tvOS 17 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 17.3 comes over a month after tvOS 17.2, an update that brought the revamped Apple TV app.
tvOS 17.3 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the Apple TV. Go to System > Software Update to get the new software. Apple TV owners who have automatic software updates activated will be upgraded to tvOS 17.3 automatically.
tvOS updates are typically minor in scale compared to other operating system updates, focusing primarily on bug fixes and smaller improvements rather than notable outward-facing changes. No new features were found in the tvOS 17.3 beta testing process.
Apple shares release notes for tvOS in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each new version of tvOS comes out.
Apple does not specify what's included in the HomePod 17.3 software, and the generic release notes only say that it brings stability and performance improvements.
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 today posted an ad specifically focused on the iPhone 15 Plus, the larger version of the standard iPhone 15 model. In the spot, Apple focuses on the battery life of the device, which is equipped with a higher capacity battery than the iPhone 15 due to its larger size.
In the humorous ad, a man takes a video of a child who is attempting to break a wood plank with his hand. The attempts are unsuccessful well into the night, and the iPhone 15 Plus battery is able to record for hours. "Battery goes on and on," reads the tagline at the end of the video.
This is in fact the second iPhone 15 Plus battery ad that Apple has uploaded in recent months. The first spot featured a sad receptacle that was missing being able to charge the iPhone 15 Plus.
According to Apple's technical specifications page, the iPhone 15 Plus is able to provide up to 26 hours of offline video playback and 100 hours of audio playback.
Apple has announced that it will be opening a new retail store at the Mall of Scandinavia, near Stockholm, Sweden, as noted by Michael Steeber today in his Tabletops newsletter. Apple says the store will open in 2024, but it has yet to share an exact date.
Apple Mall of Scandinavia via Feber
Apple has three other stores in Sweden, but one will be permanently closing eventually. In a statement shared with Swedish publication Feber last week, Apple said it will not be renewing its lease for its Väla Centrum store in Ödåkra, Sweden. Apple has yet to disclose an exact closure date for that location.
Anker today has a large collection of accessories on sale on Amazon, including the return of a discount on the popular 3-in-1 Charging Cube Stand with MagSafe support, available for $134.95 for Amazon Prime members, down from $149.95. You'll find chargers, USB-C accessories, portable batteries, and more on sale this time around.
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Another highlight is the 60,000 mAh portable power station for $109.99 with an on-page coupon, down from $149.99. If you're looking for a smaller portable battery, there's the 10,000 mAh Nano Power Bank with built-in USB-C cable for $39.99, down from $49.99.
Note: You need to be an Amazon Prime member to see this deal.
Shoppers should note that some Amazon deals require you to clip an on-page coupon in order to see the discounts. To get these discounts, click on the box next to the on-page coupon on each product page, then head to the checkout screen in order to see the final sale price.
Apple Music Classical was updated today with what appeared to be CarPlay support, but this was quickly reversed in a follow-up update.
Apple Music Classical showed up on CarPlay starting with version 1.2 today, but support was removed in version 1.2.1 just hours later, after the app failed to load when opened on CarPlay. It's unclear if or when CarPlay support will return.
Apple Music Classical first launched in March 2023, offering users with a standard Apple Music subscription access to over five million classical music tracks at no additional cost. The streaming app features advanced search functionality, exclusive artwork, extensive metadata, curated listening recommendations, and more.
The app is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. It is built upon Primephonic, a classical music streaming service acquired by Apple in 2021.
Apple sold between 160,000 and 180,000 Vision Pro headsets during its first pre-order weekend, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a new post on Medium, Kuo said that the headset sold out soon after the pre-order process opened, with shipping times for all models slipping by five to seven weeks. While the instant sell-out and extended shipping times appear to be positive at first glance, Kuo cautioned that shipping dates remain unchanged 48 hours after pre-orders opened, indicating that demand may be quickly tapering off after core enthusiasts placed their orders.
For comparison, new iPhone models similarly sell out soon after pre-orders open, but they usually continue to see a steady increase in shipping dates in the following days, indicating ongoing demand. Kuo believes that shipping 500,000 Vision Pro units this year "should not be challenging," but demand is a key question as "Vision Pro is still a very niche product."
Ahead of the Apple Vision Pro launching on February 2, developers are in the process of preparing their apps for the mixed reality headset. So far, over 250 apps with native support for visionOS have been submitted to Apple, according to a source.
Box
By natively supporting visionOS, apps can take full advantage of "spatial" design elements and offer more immersive features.
In addition to some Apple apps, well-known third-party apps that will natively support visionOS at launch include Airmail, Box, CARROT Weather, Fantastical, Facades, JigSpace, MUBI, Night Sky, OmniPlan 4, Parcel, PCalc, Red Bull TV, Sky Guide, Tides, Webex, Zoom, and more, according to data compiled by app analytics firm Appfigures.
CARROT Weather
Webex
Fantastical
Microsoft will offer a variety of native visionOS apps at launch, such as Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Teams, based on App Store marketing images shared by developer Steve Troughton-Smith on Mastodon and @M1Astra on X/Twitter. Additional images show native apps for Crunchyroll, J.Crew, LEGO Builder's Journey, Lowe's, and others.
Microsoft PowerPoint
J.Crew
Lowe's
In addition to native apps, iPhone and iPad apps will automatically be available on the Vision Pro, unless a developer opts out using the App Store Connect tool. As a result, Apple says more than one million apps will be available for the headset at launch.
Apple last week listed some additional entertainment apps that will be available on the Vision Pro at launch, including Disney+, ESPN, NBA, MLB, PGA Tour, Max, Discovery+, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, Pluto TV, Tubi, Fubo, IMAX, and TikTok. Some of the apps will be native, while others will be compatible iPad apps.
Disney+
Disney+ will natively support the Vision Pro at launch, and its app will offer users a selection of 3D movies to watch on the headset, such as Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Elemental, and Encanto.
"At launch, viewers can transform their space into one of four Disney+ environments, bringing them even closer to the story," said Disney, in a press release last week. "Each environment includes animations and sounds that make the space feel alive, and Easter eggs from films and franchises that will surprise and delight fans."
Some popular apps will not offer Vision Pro apps of any kind at launch, including Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube, according to Bloomberg, but users can still access these services via Safari. It's also unclear if Meta-owned apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp will be available on the headset at launch.
With around two weeks remaining until the Vision Pro launches, there is still time for developers to prepare their apps, so expect more to follow soon.
Apple plans to release new iPad Air, iPad Pro, and MacBook Air models in the spring this year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this timeframe, the devices could be released as early as this March or April. After the devices are released, he said attention will shift to Apple's annual developers conference WWDC in June.
Below, we outline rumored features and expectations for these upcoming devices.
Rumored and/or likely features for the next iPad Air models include Apple's M2 chip for faster performance, a redesigned rear camera bump, Wi-Fi 6E support, and Bluetooth 5.3. No major external design changes are expected.
The current fifth-generation iPad Air with the M1 chip was released in March 2022.
iPad Pro
The next 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models are widely expected to be the first iPads equipped with OLED displays.
OLED technology would enable the next iPad Pro displays to offer increased brightness, higher contrast ratio, lower power consumption, and other benefits compared to existing models with LCD panels. Apple already uses OLED displays for the latest iPhone and Apple Watch models, excluding the lower-end iPhone SE.
Due to the switch to OLED, the next iPad Pro models are expected to be more expensive.
iPad Pro models released in 2017 and later support ProMotion, allowing for a variable refresh rate between 24Hz and 120Hz. The switch to OLED would likely allow for the refresh rate to drop down even further to 10Hz or lower to save battery life. iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro models can reach as low as 1Hz while in always-on display mode.
Other rumored and/or likely features for the next iPad Pro models include Apple's latest M3 chip for faster performance, MagSafe wireless charging, and a redesigned Magic Keyboard with a larger trackpad and an aluminum top casing. As with the iPad Air, changes to the rear camera bump are also possible for the iPad Pro.
The current iPad Pro models with the M2 chip were released in October 2022.
MacBook Air
Gurman said Apple plans to release multiple MacBook Airs with the M3 chip in the spring, so it sounds like the next 13-inch and 15-inch models will be released simultaneously this year, rather than separately like in the past.
With the M3 chip, the next MacBook Air models will gain hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading for improved graphics rendering in games, including more accurate lighting, reflections, and shadows. Apple already updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and 24-inch iMac with the M3 chip last year.
No major design changes are expected for the MacBook Air this year, but the laptop will likely gain support for Wi-Fi 6E like other Macs.
Apple last updated the 13-inch MacBook Air in July 2022, while the first-ever 15-inch MacBook Air was released in June 2023.
Apple today premiered an iPhone 15 ad entitled "New Driver" on its YouTube channel, using the stress of being a parent of a new teenage driver to highlight the Check In feature of the Messages app in iOS 17.
Check In allows you to automatically notify a friend or family member when you've arrived at your destination, reassuring them of your safety. In the new ad, an anxious father watches as his daughter awkwardly backs a car out the family's driveway, hitting a skateboard and a garbage cart on her way.
The scene then transitions to the father nervously sitting at the family's dining room table until he receives a Check In alert letting him know his daughter has arrived at school. The father breathes a sigh of relief as the tagline "Relax, it's iPhone" appears onscreen.
Render of the 
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