MacRumors

Apple chip supplier TSMC will begin production of advanced 2nm chips by 2025, in what is likely to contribute to a key future iteration of Apple silicon, Nikkei Asia reports.

TSMC made the announcement at an industry event on Thursday, explaining that its 2nm technology will be based on "nanosheet transistor architecture." Nanosheet architecture is a totally different chip technology from the FinFET infrastructure used for TSMC's current 5nm chips, delivering significant performance and efficiency improvements. Apple's latest chips, such as the M2 and A15 Bionic, are produced with TSMC's 5nm fabrication process.

TSMC's first 3nm chips are due to begin production in the second half of 2022. Apple could introduce custom silicon chips based on TSMC's ‌3nm‌ process as soon as this year, but other reports claim that the technology is likely to debut with the "M3" and "A17" chips in 2023.

The 2025 timeframe is the first official schedule for the company's 2nm chip production and is highly likely to be used for future Apple silicon chips. The 2nm fabrication process, also known simply as "N2," is expected to offer a 10 to 15 percent speed improvement at the same power or a 25 to 30 percent power reduction at the same speed compared to chips made with the supplier's ‌3nm‌ technology.

Apple at the Worldwide Developers Conference introduced a new macOS Ventura feature called Continuity Camera, which is designed to allow you to use an iPhone XR or later as the webcam for your Mac.

Continuity Camera is meant to be used with a mount that attaches the ‌iPhone‌ to the Mac's display in the right spot for all of the features to work correctly. Apple is planning to partner with companies like Belkin to create accessories for Continuity Camera, but these won't be coming out until closer to the fall, so at the time being, there's no official mounting solution.

If you want to try Continuity Camera as it's meant to be used and you have a 3D printer, Jonathan Wight has created some mount patterns for the MacBook Pro and the iMac Pro. You can print out one of the mounts and attach it to the Mac to hold the ‌iPhone‌ in place.

Continuity Camera works in wired or wireless mode with the Mac, and it is designed to start up automatically when you activate an app that uses the webcam on the Mac. It uses the rear camera of the ‌iPhone‌ for the best possible picture quality, and there are several useful features.

Portrait Mode blurs the background behind you, while Center Stage uses the Ultra Wide camera to keep you centered in the frame even as you move around the room. Studio Light dims the background and illuminates the face to replace external lighting, making it ideal for backlit scenes, and Desk View uses the Ultra Wide camera to show what's on your desk during a video call.

Continuity Camera is available to developers at the current time as part of macOS Ventura, with Apple planning to make a public beta available in July. We'll likely see third-party stand options popping up on sites like Amazon any day now, but for now, the 3D printed options are great for those who have access to a 3D printer.

Apple today released a new build of macOS Monterey 12.4 that's designed for the upcoming M2 Macs, the first of which is set to be available for purchase tomorrow. The new software has a build number of 21F2092, and it is limited to the new machines so existing Mac users will not see an update.

The ‌‌‌‌‌‌macOS Monterey‌‌‌ 12.4 update can be downloaded on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences. No one has an ‌M2‌ Mac as of yet, but the 13-inch MacBook Pro with ‌M2‌ chip will be able to be ordered tomorrow, and it will be delivered to customers starting on Friday, June 24.

Apple's original macOS Monterey 12.4 release added support for new Studio Display 15.5 firmware, updated the Podcasts app, and moved Universal Control out of beta. There is no word on what's included in the supplemental update available for ‌M2‌ Macs.

While the 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with ‌M2‌ chip is debuting tomorrow, Apple has not yet announced a launch date for the ‌M2‌ MacBook Air. It is expected to be introduced sometime in July, and new ‌MacBook Air‌ owners may have a day one update to install.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip appears to be faster than a base model Mac Pro in benchmarks, despite costing nearly $5,000 less.

In an apparent Geekbench 5 result that surfaced on Wednesday, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro achieved a multi-core score of 8,928, while the standard Mac Pro configuration with an 8‑core Intel Xeon W processor has an average multi-core score of 8,027 on Geekbench 5. These scores suggest the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,299, has up to 11% faster multi-core performance than the base model Mac Pro for $5,999.

Higher-end Mac Pro configurations are still able to outperform the M2 chip, such as the 12-core model, but at the cost of $6,999 and up.

Given the Mac Pro has other benefits like expandability, configurable GPU options, larger built-in SSD storage capacity options, and much larger RAM options, this certainly isn't an apples-to-apples comparison, but the benchmarks are nevertheless a testament to the impressive performance of Apple silicon chips in more affordable Macs.

A sample of average Geekbench 5 multi-core scores for various Macs:

• Mac Studio with M1 Ultra: 23,366
• Mac Pro with 28-core Intel Xeon W: 20,029
• 14-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max: 12,162 to 12,219
• Mac Pro with 12-core Intel Xeon W: 11,919
• 13-Inch MacBook Pro with M2: 8,928 (based on a single result)
• Mac Pro with 8-core Intel Xeon W: 8,027
• 13-Inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air with M1: 7,395 to 7,420

The Mac Pro and the high-end Mac mini are the only Intel-based Macs remaining in Apple's lineup. During its March event, Apple teased that a new Mac Pro powered by Apple silicon is coming, with an announcement widely expected by the end of this year.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro will be available to order worldwide starting this Friday, with deliveries to customers and in-store availability beginning June 24. Apple is also releasing a redesigned MacBook Air with the M2 chip in July that should likewise outperform the base model Mac Pro for an even lower starting price of $1,199.

It appears "increasingly likely" that Apple will launch a new 13-inch MacBook with an OLED display in 2024, according to display industry analyst Ross Young. In a tweet shared with his Super Followers today, Young said the notebook is expected to be a new MacBook Air, but he said there is a possibility it will have other branding.

Young, who has accurately revealed a range of display-related information for the iPhone 13 Pro, iPad mini, MacBook Pro, and other devices, also expects Apple to release new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models with OLED displays in 2024.

In another tweet shared with his Super Followers, Young said the OLED displays in all three new devices will adopt a two-stack tandem structure, in which there are two red, green, and blue emission layers, allowing for increased brightness and lower power consumption. OLED displays also do not require backlighting for further power efficiency.

Young said all of the devices will adopt LTPO display technology for a variable refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz, a feature that Apple calls ProMotion. All iPad Pro models released since 2017 already feature ProMotion, but the refresh rate can only drop as low as 24Hz, while ProMotion would be all new to the MacBook Air.

Apple is currently focused on transitioning its Mac and iPad lines to LCD displays with mini-LED backlighting, and OLED displays would be the next step. Unlike mini-LED displays, OLED panels use self-emitting pixels and do not require backlighting, which could improve contrast ratio and further contribute to longer battery life.

Amazon today has Apple's 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air (2022) for $559.00 in select colors, down from $599.00. This deal has been applied automatically and does not require a coupon code of any kind.

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 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air is available in Pink and Purple at this price; the Blue color is matching this price but it's in refurbished condition. Compared to previous sales, the $559.00 price tag is a second-best price on the 2022 iPad Air, and each model is in stock and ready to ship from Amazon today.

Apple updated the iPad Air lineup this past March, with the M1 chip, new color options, Touch ID, and a 10.9-inch edge-to-edge display. Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

Amid the controversy surrounding Stage Manager and its hardware requirements, an investigation has revealed that iPadOS 16 in fact includes an internal mode that allows Apple to test the multitasking feature on iPads that don't have an M1 chip.

Code found by 9to5Mac in the beta software reportedly references an internal setting that enables "Chamois" (the Stage Manager codename) for "Legacy Devices," or in other words, iPad models lacking the M1 processor that Apple deems is necessary to deliver an "instantaneously responsive" experience.

The existence of the internal mode tallies with comments made by Apple's head of software engineering Craig Federighi in a recent interview with Forbes, in which he said that internal testing had revealed non-M1 iPads couldn't deliver the Stage Manager experience that Apple was aiming for.

"We began some of our prototyping involving those systems and it became apparent early on that we couldn't deliver the experience that that we were designing toward with them," he said. "Certainly, we would love to bring any new experience to every device we can, but we also don't want to hold back the definition of a new experience and not create the best foundation for the future in that experience. And we really could only do that by building on the M1."

The existence of the internal mode for testing Stage Manager on older iPads is no guarantee that the feature works on these devices as Apple intended, but it is likely to add fuel to the debate around whether Apple is being completely upfront about the hardware limitations of iPads that lack the M1 chip.

In a statement last week, shared by Rene Ritchie, Apple asserted that Stage Manager "requires large internal memory, incredibly fast storage, and flexible external display I/O, all of which are delivered by iPads with the M1 chip."

Stage Manager allows users to resize iPad apps into overlapping windows for an improved multitasking experience. It also supports an external display with up to 6K resolution, allowing users to work with up to four apps on the iPad and up to four apps on the external display simultaneously.

Some users have questioned why Apple does not allow Stage Manager to work on older devices by capping the external display resolution or limiting the number of apps that can be used at the same time. Others have pointed out that Stage Manager is also included in macOS Ventura, which works on Intel Macs that were released as early as 2017.

A UK consumer champion has launched a £750 million ($907 million) legal claim against Apple over the 2017 iPhone throttling controversy that saw a software update effectively slow down older devices (via The Guardian).

Market researcher Justin Gutmann has filed the claim with the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal seeking the damages for up to 25 million UK owners of a range of older iPhone models affected by the update.

The claim relates to Apple's introduction of power management features for older iPhones to prevent unexpected shutdowns during times of peak power draw on devices with degraded batteries. These power management features throttle the processor on older iPhones with less than optimal batteries, resulting in slower performance.

Gutmann claims that Apple introduced the features to disguise the fact that ‌iPhone‌ batteries were unable to cope with new iOS processing demands and that rather than recall products or replace batteries, Apple instead pushed users to download the software updates.

"Instead of doing the honorable and legal thing by their customers and offering a free replacement, repair service or compensation, Apple instead misled people by concealing a tool in software updates that slowed their devices by up to 58%," Mr Gutmann said.

"I'm launching this case so that millions of iPhone users across the UK will receive redress for the harm suffered by Apple's actions.

"If this case is successful, I hope dominant companies will re-evaluate their business models and refrain from this kind of conduct," he added.

Though introduced early in 2017, the power management features were not widely publicized until late 2017, leading many customers to feel deceived by Apple.

Apple apologized the same year for not better explaining how battery health could impact performance. It has since implemented a policy offering low-price no-questions-asked battery replacements for out-of-warranty devices.

In 2020, the company also agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle a long-running class action lawsuit in the United States that accused the company of "secretly throttling" older ‌‌iPhone‌‌ models. Apple has faced similar lawsuits in Belgium, Chile, Spain, Italy, and Portugal.

Gutmann's claim relates to the ‌iPhone‌ 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and ‌iPhone‌ X models. It seeks compensation for each model owned and is an opt-out claim, meaning customers will not need to actively join the case to seek damages.

Commenting on the claim, Apple told The Guardian: "We have never, and would never, do anything to … degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.

"Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that."

Apple today announced that apps that use iCloud can now be transferred to another developer, solving a problem that developers have been dealing with for years now.

Apple previously had an app transfer program for developers who want to transfer their apps to a new account or a new owner, but prior to now, it did not work with apps that use ‌iCloud‌.

Given the sheer number of apps that take advantage of Apple's ‌iCloud‌ functionality, this made it impossible for many developers to transfer their apps to a different App Store account using ‌App Store‌ Connect. Apple says that apps are now able to be transferred regardless of whether ‌iCloud‌ is in use.

There are some minor details that developers will need to be aware of when embarking on an app transfer for an app that uses ‌iCloud‌, with details available on Apple's website.

When an app is transferred, reviews, ratings, and other information remain accessible, and the app is not removed from the ‌App Store‌ during the transfer.

With iOS 16, Apple introduced a curious new feature that's kind of like instant Photoshop, as you can use it to pull the subject out of any image or photo, pasting it into another photo or using it as a sticker in the Messages app. It's nifty enough that we thought we'd show it off in our latest YouTube video.

Apple calls this feature "Lift subject from background," and it is part of the Visual Look Up suite of functions. To use it, you just long press on any image and then you can drag it out into a different app or copy it.

It works in Photos, Screenshot, Quick Look, Safari, and even videos, and it is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. There's not a lot of practical use for it, but it is certainly impressive and fun to use. Make sure to check out our video to see it in action.

Apple is today accepting registrations for Apple Camp, a summer program for children held in Apple's retail stores. Apple is returning to a full Apple Camp schedule this year after hosting limited sessions last year.

Apple Camp will take place each week from June 20 through August 31, with a new two-hour format for families. Participants in Apple Camp will be able to create a digital comic book about protecting and celebrating the planet through the "Art Lab: Comic Book Adventure With Your Family" session.

"We can't wait for campers and their families to ignite their imaginations as they learn from our team members and each other during Apple Camp," said Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of Retail + People. "This special program has provided a space for connection and learning in our stores around the world for the past 20 years, and we're thrilled to be hosting these experiences again."

Apple Camp attendees will use the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to take photos and then add drawings, speech bubbles, and stickers to design their own stories.

Apple designed Apple Camp for children aged 8 to 12, with kids able to participate alongside their parents or guardians. Sessions will be available both in stores and outdoors, and devices are provided. Along with in-person sessions, Apple is also providing a downloadable Camp Field Guide that includes 20 at-home activities for the iPad.

Apple's new M2 chip is up to 20 percent faster than the M1 chip when it comes to multi-core performance, according to leaked M2 benchmarks from the upcoming 13-inch MacBook Pro that were discovered on Geekbench today.

The ‌M2‌, which runs at 3.49GHz compared to 3.2GHz for the ‌M1‌, earned a single-core score of 1919, which is roughly 12 percent faster than the 1707 single-core score of the ‌M1‌ 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌. The ‌M2‌ earned a multi-core score of 8928, up about 20 percent from the 7419 score of the ‌M1‌ model.

Apple has said that the ‌M2‌ chip is up to 18 percent faster than the ‌M1‌, so the Geekbench 5 test is right in line with Apple's claims.

As for the Metal benchmark, the ‌M2‌ chip scored 30627, a notable improvement over the 21001 score earned by the ‌M1‌. The ‌M2‌ chip offers up to a 10-core GPU, compared to the 8-core maximum of the ‌M1‌.

The ‌M2‌ chip is available in the new 2022 MacBook Air and 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌. Apple has not provided information on when the ‌MacBook Air‌ will launch, but the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ will be available for pre-order starting Friday, June 17.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.5 update to its public beta testing group, with the update coming one day after Apple provided the beta to developers.

Public beta testers can download the macOS Monterey 12.5 update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

There's no word yet on what new features or changes might be included in macOS Monterey 12.5, and nothing new was found in the first developer beta. Apple has provided no details on this time, so we may need to wait for release to find out what bug fixes or minor changes might be included.

macOS Monterey 12.5 is likely to be one of the final updates to the macOS Monterey operating system as Apple begins its transition to the next-generation version of macOS, macOS Ventura. macOS Ventura is set to be released this fall.

Apple today seeded the third public betas of iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6, with the software updates coming two weeks after Apple seeded the second public betas of iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6.

The iOS and iPadOS 15.6 betas can be downloaded over the air after the proper profile from Apple's public beta testing website has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

There have been no new features found in the developer betas of iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6, suggesting that this is a minor update primarily focusing on bug fixes. Apple has also provided no release info at this time.

iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6 are likely to be some of the last updates to iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 as Apple starts transitioning to the next-generation updates, iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, both of which were unveiled at WWDC.

Apple is planning a new 15-inch MacBook model that could launch around the second quarter of 2023 or later, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today.

In a tweet, Kuo said the notebook may be available with both M2 and M2 Pro chip options. Kuo previously claimed the new 15-inch model might not be branded as a MacBook Air, but he did not provide any further details about potential naming.

For the new 15-inch MacBook, configurations with the M2 chip would be bundled with Apple's new dual-port 35W power adapter, while configurations with the M2 Pro chip would ship with a more powerful 67W adapter, according to Kuo. These power adapters are already options for the new M2-powered MacBook Air launching next month.

Kuo also said he has not yet heard of any plans for the previously rumored 12-inch MacBook. Last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple was considering launching a new 12-inch notebook at the end of 2023 or in early 2024. Gurman said it was unclear if the notebook would be a low-end MacBook or a higher-end MacBook Pro.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have surfaced about several new MacBook and iPad sizes planned for 2023 and beyond. Gurman recently reported that Apple was working on a new 15-inch MacBook Air, for example, which could end up being the machine that Kuo is referring to. As the devices get closer to launching, details should become clearer.

After a long wait, Meta this week announced the ability to transfer WhatsApp chat history, photos, videos, and voice messages from Android to iPhone while maintaining end-to-end encryption. The system uses Apple's Move to iOS app for Android phones, and can be initiated during the setup process for a new (or factory reset) ‌iPhone‌.

This article runs through the steps involved in transferring your WhatsApp chat history from an Android phone to an ‌iPhone‌. The much-requested migration feature transfers everything in your WhatsApp history including texts, voice notes, and media files to a new ‌iPhone‌.

Note that WhatsApp chat history migration is only supported on Android devices running Android 5.0 or later and iPhones running iOS 15.5 or later. Also, both the Android phone and the ‌iPhone‌ need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network when the migration takes place. The following steps guide you through the process.

Transfer WhatsApp Chats From Android to iPhone

1. On your Android phone, download the Move to iOS app from the Google Play Store.
2. Start the ‌iPhone‌ setup process of your new (or factory reset) ‌iPhone‌.
3. When the Apps & Data setup screen appears, select Move data from Android.
   
   

4. On your Android phone, open the Move to iOS app and follow the onscreen instructions.
5. On your ‌iPhone‌, tap Continue when you see the Move from Android screen, then wait for a ten-digit or six-digit code to appear.
   
   

6. Enter the code on your Android phone, select WhatsApp on the Transfer Data screen, then tap Start.
7. Wait for your WhatsApp history and data to be prepared for migration. Once the process is complete, you will be signed out of WhatsApp on your Android device.
8. Once your ‌iPhone‌ is fully setup, download WhatsApp from the App Store and sign into the service using the same phone number.

After following these steps, the WhatsApp chat history from your Android phone should appear on your new ‌iPhone‌.

Satechi is offering 20 percent off sitewide to coincide with Father's Day this weekend, marking a great chance to save on the company's best accessories. In order to get the discount, you can shop on Satechi's website and then enter the code FATHERS at checkout.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Satechi. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Satechi is known for its wireless chargers, USB-C hubs, keyboards, cables, and other accessories, many of which are compatible with Apple products like the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, iMac, and iPhone. Satechi has a hub showcasing all of its newest products to give you an idea of what can be bought with the discount, but remember that the FATHERS code will work sitewide.

• 30W USB-C Wall Charger - $24.00, down from $29.99
• USB-C Magnetic Charging Cable for Apple Watch - $32.00, down from $39.99
• 2-in-1 Headphone Stand and Wireless Charger - $64.00, down from $79.99
• Pro Hub Max - $80.00, down from $99.99
• 3-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand - $96.00, down from $119.99
• USB-C Slim Dock for 24-inch iMac - $120.00, down from $149.99

The sale will end later this week, so browse Satechi's website soon if you're interested in using the coupon code before it expires. Additionally, be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Qualcomm has successfully appealed a 997 million euro ($1.05 billion) fine from EU antitrust regulators for paying Apple to use its LTE chips in iOS devices (via Reuters).

The fine was imposed by regulators in 2018 after a European Commission investigation concluded that payments to Apple from 2011 to 2016 were made with the sole aim of blocking Qualcomm's LTE chipset market rivals, such as Intel.

The General Court, Europe's second-highest, annulled the EU finding and faulted the EU competition enforcer, Margrethe Vestager, over the handling of the case.

"A number of procedural irregularities affected Qualcomm's rights of defence and invalidate the Commission's analysis of the conduct alleged against Qualcomm," judges said.

"The Commission did not provide an analysis which makes it possible to support the findings that the payments concerned had actually reduced Apple's incentives to switch to Qualcomm's competitors in order to obtain supplies of LTE chipsets for certain iPad models to be launched in 2014 and 2015."

The EU competition enforcer can appeal the judgement to the EU Court of Justice, Europe's highest court. The Commission said it would carefully study the judgement before considering its next steps.

The judgement is another painful setback to Vestager's crackdown on Big Tech. The loss represents Vestager's second major defeat after failing to get the court's backing in January for a 1.06 billion euro fine on Intel 12 years ago for engaging in illegal anti-competitive practices to exclude rival AMD. Before January, the Commission hadn't lost a big antitrust case in more than 20 years.

Qualcomm's fine is one of several imposed by the EU antitrust chief on companies including Google, Facebook, and Amazon over anti-competitive practices.