Amazon today introduced a deal on Apple's AirPods 2, available for $89.99, down from $129.00. There's currently a slight shipping delay for the headphones, with the delivery date estimated for early December.
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.
This price is just about $10 off from the previous all-time low price on the AirPods 2, but this is still a solid second-best option on the AirPods 2 that you can lock in today for guaranteed delivery before Christmas. As of now, only Amazon is offering this steep of a discount.
We're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2022.
Apple today announced that the iPhone 14's Emergency SOS via Satellite feature will begin rolling out to customers in the United States and Canada starting today, with other countries coming later next month. Alongside the announcement, Apple also gave select YouTubers and media outlets early access to the feature, offering a closer look at how it works.
The service will be free for the first two years, but Apple has not said what will happen after then. To help users understand how it works, Apple has created a demo mode that allows users to experience the feature and its interface without having it active and contacting emergency services. Below, we've embedded some videos that offer a closer look at the demo mode and how the feature works.
From a technical level, Emergency SOS via Satellite works by utilizing technology built into all iPhone 14 models that allow them to connect to satellites in orbit around the earth to contact emergency services when a user is outside cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. Apple has built a new interface that allows users to send messages to emergency services over satellite using a questionnaire that asks critical questions for first responders to understand the emergency and dispatch help.
The message sent to emergency services includes a user's location, including altitude, their iPhone battery level, and their Medical ID, if they have one. The messages are sent directly to dispatchers or sent to a center of Apple‑trained specialists who can call emergency services on a user's behalf. For a more detailed dive into the feature, see our guide.
Apple today launched its Emergency SOS via satellite service in the US and Canada, and while the feature is geared to help users in a genuine emergency, Apple's satellites also make it possible for anyone to share their location whenever they are off the grid.
The new functionality means you can now share your location with friends and family, even if your iPhone 14 has no cellular connection or access to Wi-Fi, allowing you to reassure people of your whereabouts while traveling in the wilderness.
The following steps show you how to take advantage of the feature, which can be accessed via Find My on iPhone 14 models running iOS 16.1 or later. Be sure to update your device if you haven't already via Settings -> General -> Software Update. Also note that you must lack cellular coverage and not be connected to Wi-Fi for the feature to show up.
Open the Find My app on your iPhone 14.
Tap on the Me tab.
Swipe up to see "My Location via Satellite," then tap Send My Location.
That's all there is to it. As long as you are outdoors, anyone who you share your location with will now be able to see where you are, regardless of your cellular coverage.
In addition to Emergency SOS and Find My, the satellite connection on the iPhone 14 lineup also works with other features available on iPhone and Apple Watch, including Crash Detection and Fall Detection.
Note that Apple's satellite services are included for free for two years starting at the time of activation of a new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Emergency SOS via satellite and Find My via satellite are available today in the US and Canada, and will be available in France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK in December.
The iPhone 14 lineup's Emergency SOS via satellite and Find My via satellite features will launch in four additional countries next month, Apple today announced.
In its press release announcing that Emergency SOS and Find My via satellite for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models will roll out later today, Apple mentioned that the feature will be coming to France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK in December, following the debut of the service in North America. In September, a report claimed that Apple would launch Emergency SOS via satellite in additional countries before the end of 2022, followed by even more regions next year.
The feature is set to officially launch later today for iPhone 14 users running iOS 16.1 in the United States and Canada only. The service is included for free for two years starting at the time of activation of a new iPhone 14 model.
Apple has announced that the iPhone 14's Emergency SOS via Satellite service will officially start rolling out today, the company said in a press release.
Apple announced the feature during the iPhone 14's event in September, saying it would officially launch to customers in November. To use the feature, users must be running iOS 16.1 or later. At launch, Emergency SOS via Satellite will be available in the United States and Canada and will expand to additional countries in December. For the first two years, Emergency SOS via Satellite will be free for customers, so Apple may charge for the service in the future.
With Emergency SOS via Satellite, in "ideal conditions with a direct view of the sky and the horizon," iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models can send a message to emergency services using a satellite connection. Apple says messages might take up to 15 seconds to send in good conditions and longer in weaker conditions. For more information on Emergency SOS via Satellite, see our guide.
A bug on tvOS 16.1 is causing models of the latest Apple TV with 128GB of storage to virtually run out of storage once a user has used 64GB of storage.
The bug, first highlighted in FlatpanelsHD's review of the new Apple TV and more recently by Macworld, causes new models of the Apple TV with 128GB of storage to think they only have 64GB of storage when in reality they have double the storage. Once the Apple TV surpasses 64GB of used storage, the user is presented with the following message when trying to download a new app: "The app can't be installed because there isn't enough space. Delete one or more apps or manage your storage in Settings."
According to FlatpanelsHD, the bug is not fixed in the latest beta of tvOS 16.2. In the meantime, users impacted by the bug using an Apple TV with 128GB of storage can try queueing enough downloads together until their Apple TV passes the artificial 64GB limit.
A new report has revealed internal disagreement within Apple, causing some employees who work on the company's ads business to raise concerns that showing more ads to iPhone users ruins the premium experience that's been long offered to its customers, The Information reports.
The lengthy report by The Information takes a deep dive into how Apple's ads team operates and internal concerns that the company's already growing ads business is going too far. According to the report, for example, Apple's ads salespeople are forbidden from using specific keywords when talking about the company's ads business. Salespeople should use "audience refinement" instead of saying "targeting," "platform" instead of "algorithm," and "competitor keywords" and "brand defenses" instead of "conquesting."
An Apple spokesperson, responding to the list of forbidden words, told The Information that the company wants employees to use language that is appropriate to Apple's offerings and that terms such as "targeting" do not apply since Apple doesn't let advertisers target specific users. Apple does not allow advertisers to target a demographic of less than 5,000 users to safeguard user privacy, according to the company.
While publicly, Apple displays a unified front on ads, especially those in the App Store meant to help developers gain more users and customers discover more apps, internally, employees are less than satisfied with the current approach. In internal chatrooms, at least seven employees who worked on Apple's ads team voiced concerns that the company is going too far in its ads business and will damage the premium experience of using an iPhone. The report reveals that in 2018, Apple had plans to show users ads in Spotlight search on iOS, but it was reportedly abandoned after possible internal backlash.
Some managers within Apple's ads department previously pushed salespeople to pitch ad opportunities to different companies using keywords that were less relevant to their apps but that were less expensive than other keywords, according to the report. The requests from managers often made salespeople uncomfortable, adding to the fact that Apple's ads team did not have access to contact information or financial details about developers on the App Store, alienating them further.
In the last few weeks, developers, customers, and critics of Apple have all voiced disapproval of the company's plans to expand its ads footprint in the App Store. Reports also suggest Apple plans to introduce ads in Apple Maps and Apple TV+. Even with the expansion in ads, Apple has no ambition to grow its ads business to the size of Meta or Google, according to a person familiar with the matter cited by the report.
But inside Apple there doesn't currently seem to be much appetite for goals that big. One person familiar with Apple's ad business said the company doesn’t harbor ambitions to compete at the same level as Meta and Google in digital advertising, nor does it plan to build an advertising network similar to those of its rivals that would serve ads to users outside its own apps and services. The person said ad executives are pleased with revenue growth based on Apple's existing ad spots and don’t plan to significantly increase the number of ads on iPhones to meet growth targets.
In the meantime, Apple has paused ads on the App Store for specific categories after a botched roll-out last month, and the company has not formalized plans to expand ads into other services. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's advertising chief Todd Teresi wants to more than double Apple's current revenue from its ads business to $10 billion annually, up from the current $4 billion.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk plans to eliminate a Twitter feature that provides details on what device a tweet was sent from, information that has gotten Android promoters in hot water multiple times over the past several years.
Musk said in a tweet this morning that Twitter will be eliminating the line that says "Twitter for iPhone" or "Twitter for Android," as this is a "waste of screen space." He said that "no one even knows" why the feature was introduced in the first place.
Device details have been used several times to catch employees promoting Android-based smartphones from their iPhones. In 2019, for example, a Huawei employee wished Huawei followers a happy new year, but used an iPhone to do so. A screenshot of the tweet went viral, and the employees involved were demoted for causing "damage to the Huawei brand."
Samsung employees have tweeted Samsung promotions from iPhones multiple times over the years, and celebrities have also gotten into trouble. Actress Gal Gadot, for example, sang the praises of her new Huawei Mate 10 Pro while tweeting from an iPhone.
It is not clear when the device labels will be removed, but as of right now, the feature is still in place. Musk also said that he has instructed Twitter employees to turn off unspecified "microservices" bloatware, as "less than 20% are needed for Twitter to work."
And we will finally stop adding what device a tweet was written on (waste of screen space & compute) below every tweet. Literally no one even knows why we did that …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 14, 2022
Musk last week implemented his new $8 Twitter Blue subscription service, which provides a verification badge that was previously limited to verified individuals. It resulted in immediate chaos with a number of people paying $8 to impersonate companies and celebrity accounts. Insulin maker Eli Lilly, for example, saw its stock fall more than 4 percent after a verified account impersonated the company and announced that insulin was free. Another person impersonated LeBron James and announced he was requesting a trade, while yet another account impersonated Nintendo and tweeted an image of Mario making a rude gesture.
Twitter ended up pausing the Twitter Blue verification temporarily, and people are not able to purchase Twitter Blue subscriptions at this time. Twitter has been considering another "Official" verification badge, and it is not yet known how the company will solve the problem.
Apple is offering small and midsize businesses up to 10 percent off 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models in an effort to boost Mac sales in the holiday quarter, reports Bloomberg. That is a larger discount than businesses are typically offered, with Apple describing the deal as a "very special Mac campaign."
During October's earnings call, Apple CFO Luca Maestri said that Apple expects Mac revenue to "decline substantially" year over year in the period between October and December.
Mac sales will drop because in 2021, Apple had a lineup of new Macs that included the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. In 2022, there are no Mac updates planned for the final months of the year, and nothing available to spur holiday sales.
Apple in June refreshed the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro, but the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will not see an update until 2023. Apple also has not refreshed the iMac, the Mac mini, or the Mac Pro this year.
The MacBook Air launch in June pushed significant Mac sales in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2022 with Macs responsible for $11.5 billion in revenue, but there will apparently not be enough momentum to match 2021 MacBook Pro sales.
The ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games resumed today, with lawyers for both companies meeting in the United States Court of Appeals to attempt to get the initial ruling from last year overturned.
The Epic Games v. Apple saga started way back in 2020 when Epic Games started allowing Fortnite players to make purchases directly in the app, skirting the in-app purchase rules. Apple quickly pulled the Fortnite app from the App Store, and Epic Games was ready with an antitrust lawsuit over Apple's App Store rules.
Epic Games aimed to get the court to allow for third-party app stores and alternate methods of getting apps on iOS devices, but Epic Games largely lost the lawsuit, leading it to file an appeal. Apple won the antitrust suit, but was ordered to allow developers to add in-app links to outside websites where payments could be accepted.
Apple does not want to change its App Store rules and also appealed, leading to the court battle today. Epic Games will argue that the court made "multiple legal errors" in its initial ruling, once again arguing for sideloading to be allowed.
Apple maintains that Epic Games lost the trial because of "unprecedented" and "unfounded" accusations of anticompetitive conduct that ultimately did not sway the judge. Epic, says Apple, made far-reaching claims at the edges of antitrust law, and there is no basis for the ruling to be overturned on appeal. Apple will also argue that the original court made an error when implementing an injunction that will force App Store changes.
Apple claims that because it was not found to be engaging in anticompetitive behavior, the App Store rules are not unfair and the district court did not have the authority to mandate an injunction.
The Epic Games v. Apple appeal will kick off in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The appeal is being livestreamed on YouTube for those who are interested in watching.
Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers around the world are now able to complete same-unit repairs for all four iPhone 14 models, instead of having to replace the entire device, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors.
Image Credit: iFixit
The change came into effect last week, with Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers now able to order parts to complete iPhone 14 repairs in store. It is typical for parts to take a few weeks or months to become available for new Apple products.
Released in September, the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are equipped with a removable back glass panel for easier repairs, making them the first models that can be opened from both the front and back sides since the iPhone 4S. The change does not extend to iPhone 14 Pro models, which can be opened from the front side only.
Apple Stores can replace the battery inside any iPhone 14 model for $99 in the U.S., up from $69 for previous models. Customers with AppleCare+ can get an iPhone battery replaced for free, but only if the battery retains less than 80% of its original capacity.
Apple's out-of-warranty service fees have also increased for select other iPhone 14 repairs. For example, in the U.S., Apple charges $379 to fix cracked glass on an iPhone 14 Pro Max's display, compared to $329 for the same repair on an iPhone 13 Pro Max. Apple's iPhone Repair and Service page outlines additional repair fees.
Apple's 2020 M1 MacBook Air (256GB) has dropped to $799.99 on Amazon today, down from $999.00, which is a record low price. This sale is available in all three colors of the M1 MacBook Air: Gold, Silver, and Space Gray.
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.
Gold and Space Gray are in stock and ready to ship, with estimated delivery dates between November 16 and 21. Silver is seeing slight delays into late November, with estimated delivery dates between November 23 and 28.
Apple updated the MacBook Air this year with the M2 chip, but kept the M1 notebooks in its lineup as entry-level models. Although they are previous-generation devices with older hardware, the M1 MacBook Air should be perfect for anyone who needs a computer for everyday tasks like internet browsing and checking email, especially at this all-time low price.
We're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2022.
The third-generation Apple TV 4K released earlier this month is equipped with a binned version of the A15 Bionic chip with one CPU core disabled, according to the website FlatpanelsHD, citing information from the TV Info app for tvOS.
The review claims the A15 Bionic has a five-core CPU in the new Apple TV, whereas the chip has a six-core CPU in iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models.
Despite having a binned CPU and a fanless design, the website found the new Apple TV to be roughly 40% faster and throttle less than the previous Apple TV 4K with the A12 Bionic chip. The review said the new Apple TV is much faster than previous-generation consoles like the Xbox One, but the PS5 still pulls ahead in multi-core benchmark testing.
While not confirmed, the report also suspects that the Apple TV uses a version of the A15 Bionic with a four-core GPU, compared to a five-core GPU in iPhone 13 Pro models. Apple's streaming box still lags behind popular consoles in graphics performance, but the review said it is "starting to get to a point where Xbox One and PS4 games should, in theory, be playable on Apple TV without too many compromises."
Apple says GPU performance is up to 30% faster on the new Apple TV compared to the previous generation, but there are no GPU benchmark apps for tvOS.
The review pointed out that the Apple TV only offers a limited number of games that take full advantage of the A15 Bionic's capabilities, so the device remains far from a "console killer," but the performance boosts could set the stage for a bigger gaming push.
Some iPhone and iPad users appear to be experiencing a curious bug in Safari at the current time, with the app crashing when certain search terms are entered. The bug has been going on since last night, from what we can tell, and affected users are running a variant of iOS 16, though there are also reports from iOS 15 users.
Reports suggest that Safari crashes after the first three letters of select words are typed into the search bar, and it is not clear what's causing the issue. We've seen reports of "tar," "bes," "wal," "wel," "old," "sta," "pla," and other words crashing the app. What happens is that people attempt to type in something like "Walmart" or "Starbucks" or "best" and do not get beyond the first three letters before Safari crashes.
@AppleSupport hello, I have a very strange issue with my new iPhone 14 and my mothers new iPhone 14. When we start to type Walmart “Wal” into the search engine the phones instantly close safari. See video below.. please help? pic.twitter.com/P5mq1ahaih
— 805 🇺🇸 (@Dakodes) November 14, 2022
It is not clear what is causing this issue, and not all users appear to be affected at this time. It is affecting those running iOS 15.7.1, iOS 16, iOS 16.1, iOS 16.1.1, and the iOS 16.2 beta, and Apple does appear to be aware of the problem due to reports people have provided to the support team.
@rsgnl@MacRumors super weird bug confirmed on two iPhones (at home network and cell). Open Safari, start typing the word best and hit the space bar. Safari completely crashes! Was trying to search “best wallpapers…” but can’t make it to wallpapers lol.
— Chris Weaver (@chrisbweaver) November 14, 2022
Given that this issue popped up overnight, it is likely some kind of server side bug that Apple will be able to resolve without an iOS update.
Update: The Safari crashing bug has now been fixed.
Adobe has started a few of its Black Friday offers early this year, including up to 71 percent off Creative Cloud All Apps. These deals can only be found on Adobe's website and are aimed at new customers signing up for their first year of the subscription platform.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Adobe. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Specifically, there are three separate deals on Creative Cloud All Apps for Black Friday this year: one for Individuals, one for Students and Teachers, and one for Business. Starting with Individuals, you can get this subscription for $39.99/month, down from $54.99/month ($479.88/year billed upfront, down from $599.88/year).
Additionally, Businesses can get Creative Cloud All Apps for $59.99/month, down from $84.99/month; and Students and Teachers can get the platform for just $15.99/month, down from $54.99/month. Remember that these discounts are for your first year only of Creative Cloud All Apps, and after it ends your subscription will revert to its original price, unless you cancel.
Adobe's Creative Cloud platform is a collection of more than 20 desktop and mobile apps that provide services for photography, design, video, and more. This includes Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Acrobat Pro, and many more. Your subscription to Creative Cloud All Apps grants you access to each of these apps.
We're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2022.
In an interview with CBS Mornings co-host Nate Burleson, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that his company is taking a careful approach to hiring amid a period of increased economic uncertainty. The full interview will air on Tuesday, but a preview is available now.
"So what we're doing as a consequence of being in this period is we're being very deliberate on our hiring," said Cook, when asked about Apple's hiring plans. "That means we're continuing to hire, but not everywhere in the company are we hiring." Cook added that Apple continues to believe strongly in investing for the long term.
Last month, Apple paused hiring for many non-R&D roles as a cost-cutting move, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The report said the move affects some "corporate functions" and "standard hardware and software engineering roles."
EXCLUSIVE: Apple CEO @Tim_Cook tells @NateBurleson that the world’s most valuable company has slowed some hiring, breaking down how economic conditions are affecting his company: “We believe strongly in investing for the long term.”
Our full interview airs tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/v1te7qD3iJ
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) November 14, 2022
"We make product, and you have to hold product," said Cook. "So that takes the serendipity of running into people, and bouncing ideas off, and caring enough to advance your idea through somebody else because you know that'll make it a bigger idea," he added.
CBS Mornings said the full interview will touch on the iPhone 14's new features and more.
Amazon has sweetened its deal on Apple's new AirPods Pro 2, now available for $229.99, down from $249.00. This is about $5 higher than the all-time low price we saw last month, making it still a great deal on the just-launched headphones.
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 AirPods Pro 2 are in stock and have a delivery window of November 16 to November 21 for most locations in the United States. Other than the AirPods Pro 2, we're tracking numerous early Black Friday sales on Amazon and at other retailers, which you can find in our roundup.
We're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2022.
Apple's work on the first version of its long-rumored mixed reality headset's operating system is concluding, while new hires related to the device are ramping up ahead of launch next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that realityOS "will include mixed-reality versions of core Apple apps like Messages, FaceTime and Maps." The first version of the operating system is reportedly "wrapping up internally and should be ready for the new hardware next year." Gurman previously said that Apple's mixed-reality headset will focus on gaming, media consumption, and communication. He believes that Memojis and SharePlay could be central to the experience.
Gurman added that job listings indicate that Apple is now ramping up hiring related to the device. The company is seeking a software producer with experience in visual effects and game asset pipelines to create content for AR and VR environments, developers that can "build tools and frameworks to enable connected experiences in a 3D mixed-reality world," and engineers who can work on development tools including App Intents, which let apps work with features like Siri and Shortcuts. The job listings also suggest that Apple is planning to build a video service for the headset, featuring 3D content that can be played in virtual reality.
In addition to a wave of new hires, Apple has reportedly also made additions to the management team overseeing the headset's development, bringing in a former senior leader from its self-driving vehicle project and one of its most senior software engineering managers. The nature of the new positions suggest a range of health and productivity apps could be coming to the headset.