Apple's vice president of industrial design Evans Hankey plans to leave the company next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple confirmed the report in a statement, but her successor has not been named yet.
Apple's hardware design lead Evans Hankey (left) and software design lead Alan Dye (right)
"Apple's design team brings together expert creatives from around the world and across many disciplines to imagine products that are undeniably Apple," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement shared with Bloomberg today. "The senior design team has strong leaders with decades of experience. Evans plans to stay on as we work through the transition, and we'd like to thank her for her leadership and contributions."
Hankey succeeded Jony Ive as Apple's de-facto design chief after he left the company in 2019, reporting to Apple's operations chief Jeff Williams. She will remain at Apple for at least the next six months, and Apple's software design lead Alan Dye is also staying at Apple and will continue to report to Williams, according to the report.
With this week's announcements of new iPad Pro, iPad, and Apple TV models out of the way, attention now turns to the Mac. Rumors suggest Apple plans to launch new high-end MacBook Pro and Mac mini models with M2 series chips later this year.
In his newsletter this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the initial version of macOS Ventura launching on Monday, October 24 will include support for new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, which he expects to be released in the "near future." The oft-accurate reporter said the new MacBook Pro models will be available with M2 Pro and M2 Max chip options, but he believes there will be minimal other changes to the laptops.
As for the Mac mini, Gurman has previously claimed that new models with both M2 and M2 Pro chip options were in development.
At this point, it seems likely that the new Macs will be announced in November with press releases on the Apple Newsroom site. As noted by Gurman, Apple has launched new Macs in November multiple times in recent years, including the original 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2019 and the first three Macs with the M1 chip in 2020.
The current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips were released in October 2021 and featured a complete redesign with a notch in the display and additional ports like HDMI, MagSafe, and an SD card reader. Apple last updated the base model Mac mini with the M1 chip in November 2020, and it continues to sell higher-priced Intel configurations with Core i5 and Core i7 processor options.
As for the Mac Pro, Gurman now believes that the high-end desktop tower will not be updated with Apple silicon chips until 2023. He has previously reported that the next Mac Pro will be available with M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme chips. The next MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and 24-inch iMac models are also expected to launch next year.
The new 10th-generation iPad features a USB-C port instead of Lightning, but the device remains compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil only, meaning that an adapter is now required to pair and charge the Apple Pencil with the iPad.
The adapter is included in the box with the first-generation Apple Pencil, but for customers who already own an Apple Pencil, they must purchase the adapter separately for $9. While the new iPad is set to launch October 26, the adapter is already facing a 3-4 week shipping delay on Apple's online store in the U.S. for orders placed today.
The Apple Pencil plugs into one end of the adapter and a USB-C charging cable plugs into the other end of the adapter and the iPad. This setup looks quite humorous and led to the adapter becoming a meme on social media after the new iPad was announced.
Despite being redesigned with flat edges like other iPad models, the 10th-generation iPad is not compatible with the second-generation Apple Pencil, likely due to the device having a new landscape FaceTime camera occupying the area where the magnetic connector would normally be for charging the second-generation Apple Pencil.
Apple's 2021 32GB Apple TV 4K has hit a new all-time low price today on Amazon, available for $99.99, down from its original price of $179.00. This beats the previous record low price that we tracked during Prime Early Access by about $5.
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.
Apple announced a new model of the Apple TV 4K earlier this week, and it starts at just $129 for 64GB. While this makes the 2021 64GB model harder to recommend (it's currently $119.99 on Amazon), if you're okay with a previous-generation device and want to save money, today's sale on the 2021 32GB Apple TV 4K is a great deal.
The iOS 15.7.1 Release Candidate made available earlier this week appears to prevent Face ID from working on at least some iPhones, according to user reports across Reddit and Twitter. Affected devices include iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro models at a minimum, but it is quite possible that other models are impacted too.
Affected users who attempt to reset Face ID on their iPhone receive a "Face ID Is Not Available" error, resulting in facial recognition being completely broken. It is unclear what the cause of the issue is or whether Apple is aware of the problem. We have reached out to Apple for comment on the matter and will update this story if we hear back.
Release Candidates usually end up being identical to the final release for iOS updates, but it's possible that Apple could release a new Release Candidate with a fix ahead of iOS 15.7.1's expected release to the public next week.
Some users are not interested in updating to iOS 16, so it is important that Apple addresses this issue in iOS 15.7.1. There are also some devices that are compatible with iOS 15 but not iOS 16, including the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, first-generation iPhone SE, seventh-generation iPod touch, iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus.
While we noted yesterday that Apple had cut prices on refurbished units of some older iPad models alongside the introduction of updates for the iPad Pro and iPad lines, the company also reduced refurbished prices for some other product lines that did not see updates.
Most notably, Apple has cut prices on its refurbished 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, offering customers additional savings ahead of updates expected as soon as next month. From their April debut through earlier this week, refurbished M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro models were priced at roughly 10% off compared to corresponding brand-new models, but they have now been reduced to approximately 15% below brand-new pricing.
For example, the entry-level 14-inch model normally priced at $1,999 was originally available refurbished for $1,799, but as of this week the price has dropped to $1,709. Similarly, a stock high-end configuration of the 16-inch MacBook Pro is priced at $3,499 brand-new and was initially offered refurbished for $3,149 but has now dropped to $2,989.
Refurbished older MacBook Pro models have dropped even more, such as with the 16-inch 2.6GHz Core i7 model from 2019 that was previously priced at $1,949 for a 15% discount compared to its original $2,299 pricing for a brand-new unit. As of this week, that refurbished model is now selling for $1,749, an almost 25% discount compared to its original price.
It's worth noting that we've frequently seen steep discounts from Amazon and other retailers for brand-new units, sometimes exceeding the savings you can get buying refurbished from Apple. But for those who need to buy when one of those sales isn't running and would like the peace of mind of purchasing directly from Apple, refurbished units can be a good option for saving some money.
All of Apple's refurbished Macs feature the same one-year warranty available with brand-new products, along with all accessories. Every refurbished device from Apple goes through a rigorous testing, repair, cleaning, and repackaging process. Standard one-year warranties can be extended with AppleCare+, making Apple's refurbished products virtually indistinguishable from new products.
Since the Apple Watch launched in 2015, Apple has released numerous watch bands in a variety of colors and materials. In fact, more than 620 official Apple Watch bands have been released, and there is a beautiful iPhone app for browsing through them all.
Bandbreite is an app that provides comprehensive information about every official Apple Watch band ever released, including details such as color, release date, model number, and price. The app also lets you keep track of bands that you already own, complete with stats and insights about your collection, such as which colors you prefer most.
The app was updated this week to version 1.7 with several new features, including galleries of images for nearly every band, the ability to share stats and insights about your Apple Watch band collection with others, and many other improvements. Bandbreite is free on the App Store, and if you like it, you can consider buying the developers a coffee.
Bandbreite was first released in September 2020 by Filip Chudzinski and other Apple Watch band collectors, designers, and software engineers from multiple countries. The idea for the app stemmed from an ongoing MacRumors forum thread tracking every Apple Watch band and there is also a handy chart of bands available alongside the app.
Apple today seeded another release candidate version of macOS 13 Ventura, the next-generation version of the Mac operating system, to developers ahead of the public release scheduled for Monday, October 24. The release candidate version comes a little over one week after Apple provided the eleventh beta to developers.
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, the beta will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.
macOS Ventura introduces Stage Manager, a new feature that lets Mac users focus on a task while keeping other apps at the ready for easy swapping between tasks. The update adds Continuity Camera, which is designed to let you use the iPhone as a webcam for your Mac. It supports Center Stage, Desk View (for showing off your desk), and Studio Light.
Handoff is now available for FaceTime so you can transfer calls between iPhone, iPad, and Mac at will, and Messages supports features for marking an iMessage as unread, unsending an iMessage, and marking as unread. SharePlay also now works in the Messages app.
The Mail app supports scheduling and undoing emails for up to 10 seconds after they're sent, and there are now Weather and Clock apps that are available on the Mac. System Preferences has been renamed System Settings, and it features an iOS-like design.
Safari supports Shared Tab Groups and Apple is working on Passkeys, a next-generation credential that replaces the password. There are updates to Spotlight, Photo Library has new features, and Metal 3 is included in macOS Ventura for better graphics in games.
For everything new in macOS Ventura, we have a dedicated roundup that goes through all of the features. macOS Ventura is set to see a public release later in October.
Google today announced that Android users will be able to add emoji reactions to SMS texts received from iPhone users in Google's Messages app. This feature and other improvements to the app will begin rolling out in the coming weeks.
Given that the Messages app on iOS lacks support for the Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol, emoji reactions from Android users will appear as annoying follow-up SMS text messages on the iPhone, according to CNET. For example, the message will say something along the lines of "Joe reacted with Heart to 'let's go to the movies tonight.'"
Google's head of its Messages app Jan Jedrzejowicz told CNET that it will be up to Apple to decide whether or not to parse those texts into the appropriate Tapback reaction on the iPhone, similar to how Tapbacks now appear properly on Android.
The feature seems to be at least partly an attempt at Google encouraging Apple to support RCS on the iPhone, as this would eliminate the annoying follow-up SMS messages. Google launched a campaign earlier this year pushing for Apple to adopt RCS, but Apple CEO Tim Cook suggested the feature has not been highly requested by iPhone users.
We discuss the details of Apple's latest product announcements, including the more powerful Apple TV 4K with the A15 chip, and explore the significance of switching to USB-C on the Siri Remote. We weigh up features like the M2 chip and Apple Pencil hover that headline the new iPad Pro, and take a deep dive into where the 10th-generation iPad now sits in the lineup amid features like its landscape front-facing camera, range of vibrant color options, support for the Magic Keyboard Folio, and support for the first-generation Apple Pencil and the adapter required to charge it.
If you haven't already listened to the last episode of The MacRumors Show, be sure to catch up for a discussion about how Google's new Pixel Watch, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Tablet devices compare to Apple's offerings.
Amazon today has a few cellular stainless steel Apple Watch Series 8 models at a discount, headlined by a big $100 discount on the 45mm stainless steel Apple Watch Series 8 with Graphite Milanese Loop for $699.00, down from $799.00.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Only the Graphite is available at this discounted price, and it's in stock and sold by Amazon with a delivery estimate between October 23 and 25. To date, this is the lowest price we've ever seen on this model of the Apple Watch Series 8.
There are a few smaller discounts on the 41mm stainless steel Apple Watch Series 8, which is on sale for $659.00, down from $699.00. This one is available in a few colors and both the M/L and S/M band sizes have this deal. You can find the band size options below the color selection on Amazon.
As expected, Apple today confirmed in a press release that iOS 16.1 will be released on Monday, October 24 alongside iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura.
iOS 16.1 includes at least eight new features for iPhone users, such as iCloud Shared Photo Library and Live Activities support in third-party apps on the App Store, along with several bug fixes. Below, we have recapped everything new in iOS 16.1 and shared complete release notes for the update ahead of its release next week.
iCloud Shared Photo Library
iCloud Shared Photo Library makes it easier for you to share photos with your family members or friends in the Photos app. The feature will let you and up to five other people add, edit, or remove photos in a shared library accessible via iCloud.
Live Activities for Third-Party Apps
iOS 16.1 expands Live Activities to third-party apps in the App Store. The feature allows iPhone users to stay on top of real-time events, such as a sports game or a food delivery order, right on the Lock Screen or in the Dynamic Island.
Live Activities appear at the bottom of the Lock Screen on iPhone 13 models and earlier, as well as on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. On the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, Live Activities appear in the Dynamic Island when the device is unlocked, or on the Lock Screen when the device is locked or in always-on display mode.
Clean Energy Charging
iOS 16.1 includes a new Clean Energy Charging feature that Apple says "aims to decrease the carbon footprint of the iPhone by optimizing charging times for when the grid is using cleaner energy sources." The feature is available in the U.S. only.
Apple Fitness+ Without an Apple Watch
Apple Fitness+ is available to iPhone users without an Apple Watch starting with iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1, and tvOS 16.1. Without an Apple Watch, iPhone users will not see real-time metrics like heart rate and calories burned during a workout.
Launched in December 2020, Apple Fitness+ features a library of over 3,000 workout and meditation videos, with new content added weekly. The subscription-based service is available through the Fitness app on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV in 21 countries, with U.S. pricing set at $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year.
Matter Accessories in Home App
iOS 16.1 includes support for Matter, an upcoming connectivity standard that will enable compatible smart home accessories to work together seamlessly across multiple platforms, including Apple's HomeKit, Amazon's Alexa, and Google's Home.
Controlling Matter accessories with the Home app and Siri will require a HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV 4K, or Apple TV HD running as a home hub.
Apple Card Savings Account
Starting with iOS 16.1, Apple Card users will be able to open a new "high-yield" savings account from Goldman Sachs and have their Daily Cash cashback rewards automatically deposited into it, with no fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements. Users will be able to manage the savings account in the Wallet app.
Reachability Support for Dynamic Island
iOS 16.1 adds Reachability support for the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models, making it easier to access with one hand.
Reachability is an optional feature that lowers the top half of the screen so it's within easy reach of your fingers. The feature can be enabled in the Settings app under Accessibility → Touch → Reachability. To use the feature, simply swipe down on the bottom edge of the screen. To return to a regular view, tap the upper half of the screen.
Key Sharing in Wallet App
iOS 16.1 allows you to securely share keys stored in the Wallet app for cars, hotel rooms, and more via messaging apps such as Messages and WhatsApp.
iOS 16.1 Release Notes
Apple's full release notes for iOS 16.1:
This update introduces iCloud Shared Photo Library making it easy to keep your family photos up to date. This release also adds support for third party apps in Live Activities, support for Apple Fitness+ on iPhone even if you don’t have an Apple Watch, and includes other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.
iCloud Shared Photo Library - Separate library for seamlessly sharing photos and videos with up to five other people - Setup rules allow you to easily contribute past photos based on start date or people in the photos when you set up or join a library - Library filters for quickly switching between viewing the Shared Library, your Personal Library, or both libraries together - Shared edits and permissions let everyone add, edit, favorite, caption, and delete photos - Sharing toggle in Camera lets you choose to send photos you take straight to the Shared Library, or enable a setting to share automatically when other participants are detected nearby using Bluetooth
Live Activities - Live Activities from third party apps are available in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen for iPhone 14 Pro models
Fitness+ - Apple Fitness+ is supported on iPhone even if you don’t have an Apple Watch
Wallet - Key sharing enables you to securely share car, hotel room, and other keys in Wallet using messaging apps such as Messages and WhatsApp - Savings account enables Apple Card customers to grow their Daily Cash by depositing it in a high yield savings account
Home - Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, is supported enabling a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across ecosystems
Clean Energy Charging - New setting that can try to reduce your carbon footprint by selectively charging when lower carbon emission electricity is available
Books - Reader controls are automatically hidden as you start reading
This update also includes bug fixes for your iPhone: - Deleted conversations may appear in the conversations list in Messages - Dynamic Island content is not available when using Reachability - CarPlay may fail to connect when using a VPN app
iOS 16.1 should be released around 10 a.m. Pacific Time on Monday.
Verizon today has solid discounts on Apple's three MagSafe accessories: the MagSafe Charger, MagSafe Duo Charger, and MagSafe Battery Pack. Verizon offers free two-day shipping and free in-store pick-up for all orders, and you don't need to be a Verizon Wireless user to take advantage of these deals.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Verizon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
In total, you can save 25 percent on MagSafe chargers with this sale, and no coupon is required. You can get the MagSafe Charger for $29.99, down from $39.00. The MagSafe Duo Charger is down to $96.74, from $129.00; and the MagSafe Battery Pack is down to $74.24, from $99.00.
Verizon has been one of the only retailers to consistently discount these accessories over the past few months, as well as provide all-time low prices on them. In this regard, the MagSafe Battery Pack and MagSafe Duo Charger are at the best prices we've ever tracked, while the regular MagSafe Charger is just about $2 higher than its best-ever price, so it's still a solid deal.
The carrier also has steep markdowns on iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 cases this week, as low as $12.49 for official Apple Silicone Cases. Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.
After months of rumors and leaks, Apple this week finally released the new M2iPad Pro through a press release on its website. As expected, the new iPad Pro is powered by the M2 chip, as rumors predicted.
Other rumors, however, did not turn out to be true, and we’ve rounded up a few of those incorrect rumors below.
MagSafe and Reverse Wireless Charging
One of the most prominent iPad Pro rumors was that the upcoming models would include some form of MagSafe and reverse wireless charging capabilities. Rumors suggested that the iPad Pro would adopt a glass back that would allow users to place an iPhone or AirPods on the back of the iPad Pro to charge it while adopting some form of new MagSafe system for the iPad itself.
Evolving rumors had indicated that Apple prototyped multiple designs and could scrap the all-glass back, but a more feasible rumor of a glass Apple logo to accommodate wireless charging also failed to come true.
New Four-Pin Connector
A rumor suggested that the upcoming iPad Pro models would feature a new four-pin connector alongside the existing three-pin connector in the high-end iPads. The rumor suggested that the new four-pin connection would be used to support a wider variety of accessories with a higher throughput of power.
The rumor did not ultimately come true, with the latest sixth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro and fifth-generation 11-inch iPad Pro featuring the same three-pin connector as before.
Landscape FaceTime Camera
With the 10th-generation iPad, Apple has placed the front FaceTime camera on a long edge of the iPad’s bezel for the first time, giving the iPad a landscape front camera. One rumor suggested that Apple would bring the same landscape FaceTime camera to the iPad Pro, as well as a landscape Apple logo in the back, meant to present the iPad's default orientation as landscape and not portrait.
Apple's decision to bring a landscape FaceTime camera to the entry-level iPad in the same update cycle as the iPad Pro, while not bringing it to the iPad Pro, is sure to be intriguing for some customers.
Conclusion
While these rumored features and changes did not happen with the latest iPad Pros, that's not to say they'll never come true since we may see some of the features in future iPad Pro models. The latest M2 iPad Pro became available for pre-order earlier this week and will begin arriving to customers on Wednesday, October 26.
Apple this week expanded the iPad lineup with a new 10th-generation entry-level iPad, a new keyboard, and possibly confusing compatibility with older accessories. The new iPad, for example, does not support the second-generation Apple Pencil or the Magic Keyboard but is supported by a new "Magic Keyboard Folio" and the first-generation Apple Pencil.
To help make it clear which accessories from Apple are supported by which iPad, we've created this guide below, organized by each iPad model currently offered in Apple's lineup and which accessories they support. The accessories listed below are considered "iPad Essentials" by Apple.
The addition of the new 10th-generation iPad means the iPad lineup is the largest it's been in recent memory and potentially confusing for customers. Price-wise, the new iPad joins the lineup right before the iPad Air at a starting price of $449. The ninth-generation iPad remains in the lineup at $329.
Compared to the iPad Air, the new entry-level iPad does not feature a laminated display or an anti-reflective coating, lacks support for the second-generation Apple Pencil and is powered by the A14 Bionic chip. Pre-orders for the new entry-level iPad and the new iPad Pro, now featuring the M2 Apple silicon chip, began earlier this week and will begin arriving to customers on Wednesday, October 26.
Apple has moved to cut back iPhone 14 Plus orders with supply chain partners after unexpectedly sluggish sales less than two weeks after the model launched, reports DigiTimes.
According to the report, several supply chain makers and channel operators have confirmed that they received notification from Apple to cut iPhone 14 Plus production by around 40 percent. Apple is believed to be shifting production away from the non-Pro models to make more iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max devices, as suggested by increased component shipments.
Despite better iPhone 14 Plus sales in China compared to last year's iPhone 13 mini, shipments in other markets have been flat, which has caused Apple to adjust shipment ratios for the different iPhone 14 models. As a result, DigiTimes' sources indicated that total shipments of the iPhone 14 Plus will likely be revised downward to around 10 million units for 2022.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said that Apple's product segmentation strategy for standard models has failed this year, following worse iPhone 14 Plus pre-order results than the third-generation iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 mini. Apple is believed to have shelved plans to increase production of both the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in response.
Despite the drop in orders, related shipment ratio adjustments will mean that total iPhone 14 series shipments in 2022 will likely maintain at 85-90 million units, according to today's report.
Windows PC maker HP appears to believe that "the perfect laptop" is one that runs macOS — at least according to an ad the company promoted on Reddit. The ad shows an HP laptop with a macOS screenshot in what is clearly a Photoshop job gone wrong.
"For the digital nomads and work from anywhere-but-home types (yeah, we see you), HP has perfect laptops for wherever you're working from," the ad says. The macOS screenshot shows a Gmail inbox in Chrome, with an Apple logo visible in the menu bar.
Apple's licensing agreements do not permit macOS to be run on PCs, but there is a Hackintosh community of users who unofficially install macOS on PCs. Apple did allow its System 7 operating system to be licensed to other computer vendors in the mid-1990s, but the program was discontinued by Steve Jobs when he returned to the company.
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview release 156 includes bug fixes and performance improvements for Web Inspector, CSS, JavaScript, Rendering, Media, Web Animations, Accessibility, Web API, and Safari Extensions.
The current Safari Technology Preview release is built on the Safari 16 update and it includes support macOS Ventura fdatures like Live Text, Passkeys, Web Extension improvements, and more.
Apple's aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
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.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Verizon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
