MacRumors

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss some of the top features and changes we would like to see in iOS 17.

Apple is expected to unveil iOS 17 at WWDC in June this year, offering a range of enhancements and new features, such as a next-generation CarPlay experience, changes to Siri, support for sideloading and alternate app stores, support for Apple's mixed-reality headset, and more. We talk through some of the areas where we feel Apple could bring meaningful changes and improvements to the iPhone, with particular attention to generative AI, Spotlight, Siri, Shortcuts, notifications, Apple Music, the Health app, Apple Fitness+, and Control Center.

We also discuss some of the latest news, including the rumored "in-air" typing experience on Apple's mixed-reality headset, the two second-generation headset models that seem to be in the pipeline, and the gradual transition to under-display technologies on the ‌iPhone‌.

Listen to The MacRumors Show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, Google Podcasts, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. Watch a video version of the show on the MacRumors YouTube channel.

If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion on the state of AirPods, HomePod, and ‌Apple Music‌ in 2023 and where they could go in the next few years with YouTuber and audio aficionado David Lewis.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for more episodes, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by exciting guests like Andru Edwards, Tyler Stalman, Jon Prosser, Sam Kohl, Quinn Nelson, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Sara Dietschy, Luke Miani, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, iJustine, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, Jon Rettinger, Rene Ritchie, and Mark Gurman. Remember to rate and review the show, and let us know what subjects you would like the podcast to cover in the future.

We're tracking a collection of discounts on Apple's MagSafe charging accessories, as well as an all-time low price on the Apple Pencil 2, today on Amazon.

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.

Starting with the MagSafe Charger, this accessory is on sale for $31.00, down from $39.00. This is about $4 higher than the all-time low price on the charger, making it a solid second-best price.

Amazon also has the MagSafe Battery Pack for $79.00, down from $99.00. This is another second-best price on Amazon, but it's one of the first times we've tracked a deal on the accessory in 2023 and still a good sale at $20 off.

Lastly, the Apple Pencil 2 has returned to $89.00 on Amazon, down from $129.00. This one is an all-time low price on the stylus accessory, and Amazon is estimating a delivery date for as soon as March 6.

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

Apple plans to make the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus available in Yellow this spring, according to a Weibo post shared by Japanese blog Mac Otakara. However, we cannot independently confirm if the Weibo account has a proven track record.

Multiple sources informed MacRumors that Apple's PR team is planning a product briefing next week. Apple announced new Green colors for the iPhone 13 series on Tuesday, March 8 last year, so there is a chance the briefing is related to a new iPhone color being announced, but the subject of the briefing has yet to be determined.

Apple often adds new iPhone colors in the spring to boost sales midway through the product cycle. Last March, Apple introduced a new Green color for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, and a new Alpine Green color for the iPhone 13 Pro models. In April 2021, Apple made the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini available in Purple.

Apple last offered a Yellow color option for the iPhone 11 in 2019 and the iPhone XR in 2018. It's unclear if Apple is planning a new color for the iPhone 14 Pro models, but Yellow might be too similar to the existing Gold option for those devices.

Amazon has discounted numerous configurations of the Apple Watch Ultra today, offering these devices for $749.00, down from $799.00. Unlike previous sales, today's discounts do not require any coupon codes of any kind, as they are automatically applied on the Amazon product page.

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.

Overall, this is a second-best price on the Apple Watch Ultra. We tracked lower markdowns in February, but those all-time low prices have not returned and today's deals are still offering solid savings on the high-end Apple Watch Ultra. There are also far more configurations on sale this time around, with nearly every color and style on sale save one or two models.

Configurations include:

• Black/Gray Trail Loop (Medium/Large)
• Black/Gray Trail Loop (Small/Medium)
• Blue/Gray Trail Loop (Medium/Large)
• Blue/Gray Trail Loop (Small/Medium)
• Yellow/Beige Trail Loop (Medium/Large)
• Yellow/Beige Trail Loop (Small/Medium)
• Green Alpine Loop (Large)
• Green Alpine Loop (Medium)
• Green Alpine Loop (Small)
• Orange Alpine Loop (Large)
• Orange Alpine Loop (Medium)
• Orange Alpine Loop (Small)
• Starlight Alpine Loop (Large)
• Starlight Alpine Loop (Small)
• Midnight Ocean Band
• White Ocean Band
• Yellow Ocean Band

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

Multiple rumors have indicated that a handful of design changes are coming to the iPhone 15 Pro and ‌‌iPhone 15‌ Pro‌ Max, but one that until now has gone under the radar is the possibility that the volume controls on the side of the device will be a single unified rocker button.

As noted by YouTuber ZoneOfTech on Twitter, Apple typically uses two pins to attach each button to the chassis, but in the latest renders based on leaked ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro CAD drawings, only two pins are shown in a single indentation where the volume buttons usually sit. In contrast, CAD-based renders of the regular ‌iPhone 15‌ show two separate slots with four pins in total.

In the course of making their own ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro concept based on the leaked CADs, ZoneOfTech has become "100% sure" the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro will feature one long unified volume button rather than two separate ones. In addition, ZoneOfTech is just as certain that "the mute switch will also switch to a singular press button, rather than the up and down switch that we have now."

Rumors suggest Apple is adopting solid-state buttons with haptic feedback for the power and volume controls on its upcoming ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models, and it's beginning to look like a single unified solid-state volume button will detect touch on the top ("up") and bottom ("down") ends, and a haptic mute button will replace the classic switch.

It's unclear how the new haptic buttons will work through cases, especially if they require direct touch contact. Likewise, there will need to be solutions to accommodate device recovery in situations the ‌iPhone‌ may not be working as expected. On the plus side, solid-state button technology can improve protection against dust and water, since it doesn't need a physical depressing mechanic, but it does require extra hardware inside the ‌iPhone‌.

Apple is rumored to be adding two additional Taptic Engines to the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models to power the solid-state buttons. (Current ‌iPhone‌ models have a single Taptic Engine for haptic feedback.) The regular ‌iPhone 15‌ models are expected to retain mechanical buttons.

The original ‌iPhone‌ featured an externally unified volume rocker, or one long button raised at both ends. This button design remained on the ‌iPhone‌ 3G and ‌iPhone‌ 3GS. For the ‌iPhone‌ 4, the rocker was replaced by two circular buttons, which were eventually changed to longer separate pill-shaped buttons on the ‌iPhone‌ 6. Variations on the pill shape have been used right up to the ‌iPhone‌ 14.

Do you have a button preference? Let us know in the comments. And for more on what to expect from the ‌‌iPhone 15‌ Pro‌ models, check out our dedicated roundup with all of the rumors.

Update: 9to5Mac cites a source who confirmed the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models will have a unified volume rocker and a mute button instead of a mute switch.

Apple today announced that its revamped Maps app is rolling out in Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

The new experience provides more detail, improved navigation, custom-designed 3D models of popular landmarks, immersive turn-by-turn walking directions powered by augmented reality, and more.

Look Around, which was first introduced in iOS 13, is also expanding to all of these countries starting today. Look Around provides 3D street-level imagery in cities where it is available, and it is similar to Google's Street View.

Apple users in the above countries received notifications of the rollout this morning, and Apple Maps expert Justin O'Beirne also catalogued the expansion.

This is the seventeenth time that Apple has expanded its new map data since its public launch in September 2018. It has since expanded to the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, France, Germany, and select other countries and territories.

Apple today published a new support document letting Apple Watch Ultra users know that they can request a Depth and Water Seal Test by Apple to determine if their watch's depth gauge and seals are working properly.

The document describes a couple of scenarios under which users might want to have their watches tested, including assurance of proper functionality of the depth gauge for those who rely on it such as for diving and to check for unseen damage in the case of impacts to the watch.

Apple Watch Ultra owners can request a Depth and Water Seal Test for their device via Apple's normal online support channels. Apple will perform a visual inspection of the watch to look for any visible damage, and if the device appears intact, Apple will then test the water seals and depth gauge.

Users are cautioned that unseen damage could compromise the watch and that the Depth and Seal Water Test could render the device inoperable in such situations, necessitating a replacement fee unless the issue is covered by warranty.

Apple doesn't specify whether there is a cost for this service, so you'll need to check with Apple if you wish to have the tests performed on your watch. Once your watch has been sent to Apple, it should be returned to you within seven to ten business days.

Back in January, well-known Mac accessory company OWC introduced the Thunderbolt Go Dock, which it says is the first full-featured Thunderbolt dock equipped with a convenient built-in power supply. We were able to get our hands on one of the new docks, and thought we'd test it out for those who are interested.

If you've used a Thunderbolt 4 dock, you know that most of them require a separate power supply to operate peripheral devices and provide passthrough charging. They're often much more inconvenient than a bus-powered dock because of the bulk and the extra cable component.

The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock's power supply is included in the dock enclosure, so it's an all-in-one device that does not require you to have an extra power brick. That functionality is useful at home, but also on the go if you need to work while traveling or away from your house. Note that you still need a power cable as the dock has to be plugged in, but it uses a single cord that plugs directly into the dock rather than into a separate power brick.

There are a total of 11 ports, including three Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port (2.5 Gbps), an SD card reader, and an audio jack. The dock offers 90W of pass-through charging, so it's suitable for all of Apple's MacBooks. The only downside is the price, which is $349.

That's not too outrageous for a Thunderbolt 4 dock given the built-in power supply and the number of ports, but there are cheaper Thunderbolt 4 options out there for those who don't need this functionality, and it is not as full-featured as some competing docks at a similar price. This particular dock is best for those who need something that's convenient for use in multiple locations given its portability.

What do you think of the Thunderbolt Go Dock? Let us know in the comments below.

Alongside the second macOS Ventura 13.3 beta that came out this week, Apple has provided a new beta of the 16.4 firmware that's designed for the Studio Display. The beta comes two weeks after the first 16.4 firmware beta, which was released on February 17.

All Studio Display models are able to receive over-the-air firmware updates, but this firmware update is limited to Macs that are running the macOS Ventura 13.3 beta at the current time. Studio Display owners running macOS Ventura 13.3 can go to System Settings > Software Update to install the firmware.

Apple has not provided details on what's included in the firmware update.

Open-source privacy-focused browser Brave today introduced a new "Summarizer" option for its dedicated search engine, Brave Search.

Powered by large language models (LLMs), the Summarizer is designed to offer up concise answers at the top of the Brave Search results page for any query. This is not a generative AI model like OpenAI, as the LLMs trained by Brave are processing multiple sources of information solely from web results.

Google Search has long offered a similar summarization feature, but it is typically based on a single result from a website chosen as an authoritative source rather than multiple websites.

Brave says that using web search results for the Summarizer provides an accurate answer that is expressed in coherent language. Data is also cited via links for accurate attribution of information and to allow users to assess the trustworthiness of sources. Responses are only as accurate as the websites that the browser uses for the summary, but each source is clearly defined.

The Summarizer will also provide improved search result descriptions by using a summary rather than a snippet of text pulled from a website.

Brave's Summarizer feature is available for all Brave Search users starting today, on both desktop and mobile. Brave users who don't want the Summarizer can turn it off in the settings.

More information on the Summarizer and how it works can be found on Brave's website.

Popular Twitter clients Tweetbot and Twitterrific stopped working overnight in January after Twitter disabled the API used by third-party apps. Twitter gave zero warning that the apps were being blocked from accessing Twitter content, and in fact made no statement on the situation for well over a week.

Twitter then officially updated its terms of service to ban all apps similar to the Twitter app. Twitter clients that had been operating for more than a decade were all of a sudden banned, with no communication from Twitter, no heads up, and with no way for the developers to figure out a way to carefully unwind their businesses and communicate the shutdown to customers.

Tweetbot and Twitterrific, two of the most used Twitter clients, had subscription offerings and thousands of customers that paid for subscriptions on a yearly basis. With the apps unable to function, pro-rated refunds are set to be automatically issued to subscribers next month, which will heavily impact businesses that had no warning their income stream would be cut off.

Those refunds are going to be paid largely by Tweetbot and Twitterific rather than Apple. As John Gruber points out on Daring Fireball, this is akin to a person getting fired and then having to pay back their last six months of salary. It is a significant financial blow to app developers put out of business by Twitter's snap decision.

Tweetbot and Twitterrific have teamed up to offer multiple options to customers who are due refunds, and customers who want to help need to do the following:

1. Open Tweetbot or Twitterrific (or redownload the apps if they've been deleted and open them).
2. Choose the "I don't need a refund button." Alternatively, for Tweetbot, choose to transfer the subscription over to the new Ivory app for Mastodon.

Because refunds are being issued automatically, Tweetbot and Twitterrific customers who have been happy with their service and want to help the developers out will have to manually opt out using this method.

Customers who do want a refund can do nothing and will receive a pro-rated refund on March 28. Anyone who does not hit that "I don't need a refund button" will get their money back for the months that were left on the subscription at the time that the apps stopped functioning.

The apps have already been unavailable for more than a month, which means Tweetbot and Twitterific have no way to contact customers who are likely no longer even opening up the apps, or who have already deleted them entirely. Many customers will be issued refunds without even electing to be refunded as it is an automatic process without the manual opt-out.

Twitterrific developers Iconfactory and Tweetbot developers Tapbots both have other apps, but Tweetbot and Twitterrific were their main apps. Apple will require them to pay between 70 and 85 percent of each refund, depending on how long each person was subscribed (70% for those subscribed for less than a year, and 85% for those subscribed over a year). Apple will pay the remaining 15 to 30 percent, as that is the cut that Apple had been taking from subscriptions.

Tapbots has already transitioned to Mastodon and offers the Ivory client on both iPhone and Mac, while Iconfactory is focusing on its other apps like Linea Sketch.

Apple intends to bring new Continuity features to its upcoming mixed reality headset that will make switching between devices and virtual workspaces a seamless experience, if a new patent is anything to go by.

For anyone unfamiliar with the term, Continuity is how Apple describes all the ways that the devices in its ecosystem communicate interchangeably, allowing users to switch between them without interrupting what they are doing.

Handoff for instance enables you to start working on one device, then switch to another nearby device and pick up where you left off in the same app. Other examples of Continuity features are AirPlay to Mac, Sidecar, Universal Control, and Continuity Camera.

Last week, the European Patent Office published a patent application from Apple titled "Multi-Device Continuity for use with Extended Reality (XR) Systems," in which Apple offers some examples of how it envisions how Handoff-like interoperability will work between an XR headset and other Apple devices.

In one example, Apple describes a scenario in which a headset wearer looks over at an email on an iPhone screen, whereupon a virtual replica of the Mail app's interface gets overlaid on the iPhone display. With a hand gesture or switch of gaze, the user then transfers the email to a larger virtual display suspended in their environment and continues to draft it via detection of their finger movements by the headset cameras.

In another example, while a song is playing in a media app on their iPhone, the headset user gestures or looks at a HomePod in the same room, and by doing so, transfers music playback to the smart speaker in a continuous, uninterrupted fashion, without physically approaching the speaker. "This handoff logic can be via a direct peer-to-peer connection and/or facilitated by a cloud server," note the patent authors.

Various other scenarios are envisaged that show Apple's XR headset similarly "managing continuous transfer of control between other devices in the system responsive to three-dimensional location-based user inputs, and/or... one or more of the other devices and the device itself."

Apple also describes another implementation where, rather than switching from a physical display to a virtual one, the headset augments a desktop Mac by positioning "accessory windows" close to yet outside of the boundaries of the Mac's monitor screen into an "extended reality environment."

How far Apple will initially push Continuity with its rumored headset is unknown, but some of the examples in the patent are likely to provide a good general idea of what the company has been working towards achieving.

In terms of what we do know about the headset, it will not need an iPhone to function and will be able to be used on its own. To that end, it will run "xrOS," a new operating system designed specifically for the AR/VR experience. xrOS will include iOS apps like Safari, Photos, Messages, Maps, Apple TV+, Apple Music, Podcasts, and Calendar, as well as a FaceTime app customized for the headset.

There will be no wearable control device for the headset, with Apple instead relying on hand gestures that are detected by the myriad cameras on the device. Typing, for example, will be done using an "in-air" method through eye movements and hand gestures.

Apple is still planning to unveil the first version of the headset, likely called "Reality Pro," at WWDC in June this year, with the device shipping toward the end of 2023 at the earliest. For more on what to expect from the headset, we have a dedicated AR/VR roundup that aggregates all of the rumors that we've heard so far.

(Via Patently Apple.)

Apple has refused to accept an update to email app BlueMail that adds generative AI features based on ChatGPT unless the developer gives it a 17+ age restriction, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The update to BlueMail uses OpenAI's latest ChatGPT chatbot API to help write emails using content from previous emails and calendar events. In communications sent to BlueMail developer Blix Inc., Apple's App Store review team expressed concerns that AI-powered language tools could generate inappropriate content for children, requesting that the app increases its age restriction to age 17 or older, or include content filtering. BlueMail's current age restriction is age four or older. The developer insists that the app already has content filtering and that placing a substantially higher age restriction could stop it from attracting new potential users.

Normally, 17 or older age restrictions on the ‌App Store‌ include apps with offensive language, sexual content, or references to drugs, leading to accusations of unfair treatment from Blix. Blix claims that other apps that promote ChatGPT-like capabilities do not have such stringent age restrictions. A spokesperson for Apple said that developers are able to dispute such decisions via the App Review Board appeal process and it is investigating Blix's complaint.

Microsoft's recently updated version of Bing that includes Chat GPT functionality has a 17 or older age restriction on Apple's ‌App Store‌, while there is no such rating for the version of the app on Google's Play Store, suggesting it is a requirement from Apple. This indicates that Apple is already cementing strict requirements around new AI apps amid concerns about its ability to moderate generated content.

Apple appears to be largely staying out of the race to develop generative AI tools. While the company recently held its annual AI summit for employees, the following sessions reportedly focused on aspects like healthcare, privacy, and computer vision, rather than its own generative AI technologies.

Apple's upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models may spark a "replacement demand" among owners of older iPhones, due to the significant improvements enabled by the A17 processor, Apple's first iPhone chip based on TSMC's first-generation 3-nanometer process.

That's according to suppliers involved in Apple's iPhone supply chain. Quoting from the latest DigiTimes industry report:

TSMC's N3E (3nm enhanced) technology will enable significant specification upgrades in the upcoming iPhone series, the sources said. Suppliers involved in the iPhone supply chain anticipate replacement demand for the 2023 models.

As we've been hearing lately, Apple is widely expected to adopt TSMC's 3nm technology this year for the A17 Bionic chip that is likely to power the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models.

The first-gen 3nm process (also known as N3) is said to deliver a 35% power efficiency improvement over TSMC's 5nm-based N4 fabrication process, which was used to make the A16 Bionic chip for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. The N3 technology will also offer significantly improved performance compared to current chips manufactured on 5nm.

Reports suggest Apple has procured 100% of the initial orders for the first-gen 3nm technology, despite the higher costs involved in manufacturing, suggesting rival smartphone vendors like Samsung are willing to wait until prices come down while they weather what is expected to be a bleak 2023 for the Android market amid global economic turbulence.

Apple's faster A17 chips will be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, while the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will adopt the A16 chip that was first used in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. TSMC is poised to move N3E – an enhanced version of N3 – to commercial production in the second half of this year, and Apple is again expected to be the first customer to adopt the process.

The 2023 iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to feature USB-C instead of Lightning, solid-state volume and power buttons, new periscope camera technology, a tweaked design, and more. For all the details, check out our dedicated iPhone 15 Pro roundup.

Apple has announced an additional 1 billion euros investment in German engineering over the next six years as part of its Silicon Design Center expansion in central Munich.

Apple says the investment will go towards the design and construction of a "state-of-the-art research facility" at Seidlstrasse, where Apple's R&D teams can "come together in new ways, enhancing collaboration and innovation."

"Our R&D teams in Munich are critical to our efforts to develop products delivering greater performance, efficiency, and power savings," said Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Technologies. "The expansion of our European Silicon Design Center will enable an even closer collaboration between our more than 2,000 engineers in Bavaria working on breakthrough innovations, including custom silicon designs, power management chips, and future wireless technologies."

In addition to Apple's new Seidlstrasse facility, teams will occupy several additional R&D spaces at Denisstrasse and Marsstrasse as part of the Silicon Design Center expansion. The three new sites are located across the street from Apple's recently opened R&D facility at Karlstrasse. Together with engineering sites at Arnulfstrasse and Hackerbrücke, the new facilities form Apple's European Silicon Design Center, centrally located in Munich’s Maxvorstadt neighbourhood.

The announcement builds on Apple's previous 1 billion euros investment commitment from 2021, when Apple established Munich as the headquarters of its European Silicon Design Center.

Apple says it has spent over 18 billion euros with more than 800 German companies, supporting job creation, community development, and workforce opportunities throughout the country over the past five years.

Apple is closing its Northlake Mall location in Charlotte, North Carolina, after multiple shootings in the area, according to a report from Bloomberg. Employees were informed that the location would be shutting down immediately, even though it was open on Wednesday morning.

Apple's website for Northlake Mall store now says that the store will be permanently closing on Wednesday, March 1 at 4:00 p.m, with a new location in the Charlotte area planned for next year. In the meantime, Charlotte customers can visit the Apple SouthPark location.

Bloomberg says that three recent shootings in the mall "contributed" to Apple's decision to close immediately, and the move is unusual. As of Tuesday, employees were not aware the store would be closing, nor did the website mention the upcoming closure.

The relocation of the Charlotte store was already in the works and had been planned before the shutdown. Employees are being transferred to the SouthPark store or will work for the online store.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple today released a Rapid Security Response (RSR) update for the macOS Ventura 13.3 beta, with the update coming just a an hour after an RSR update for the iOS 16.4 beta.

macOS Rapid Security Response 13.3 (a) is applied to the Mac automatically upon restart.

This is the second RSR that Apple has released for a macOS Beta. The first RSR release did not add any new features, with Apple instead using the launch as a test to make sure it is functional before it is deployed for an actual security update. Today's update may also be launching in a test capacity, and it is unclear if it includes any actual security fixes.

Rapid Security Response is an iOS 16 and macOS Ventura feature released as part of those updates.

The watchOS 9.4 update that Apple is beta testing right now will include a battery recalibration process for the 44mm Apple Watch Series 6, Apple said today in an updated Apple Watch support document.

After updating to watchOS 9.4, the 44mm Apple Watch Series 6 will be able to estimate maximum battery capacity more accurately following the recalibration process.

Apple recalibrated the batteries of the Apple Watch Series 4 and Apple Watch Series 5 models with the watchOS 9 update, and now the process is being extended to the 44mm Apple Watch Series 6.

Battery recalibration has also been done for some iPhone models in the past, including the iPhone 11. Recalibration is able to improve inaccurate estimates of battery health that some users may be seeing.