Apple this week rolled out its second developer betas of iOS 16, macOS Ventura, and related operating system updates, delivering some initial tweaks compared to the first beta. We should see the first public betas in another couple of weeks around the same time as the third developer betas, offering much wider access to the updates.
This week also saw the launch of the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, which is Apple's first Mac to feature its M2 chip, as well as the annual Back to School promotion for education customers, so read on for all the details on these stories and more!
13-Inch M2 MacBook Pro Reviews: Faster Performance, But Consider Waiting for New MacBook Air
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a faster M2 chip launched on Friday and is now available in Apple's retail stores. Ahead of time, early reviews of the notebook were shared by some YouTube channels and media outlets, offering a hands-on look at the performance improvements.
While the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is up to 20% faster than the previous model, most reviews suggest waiting for the new MacBook Air with the M2 chip to launch next month.
The MacRumors Show: Ian Zelbo Talks iPhone 14 Pro and Apple Watch Series 8 Design Rumors
Apple concept graphic designer Ian Zelbo joined us on The MacRumors Show podcast this week to discuss what to expect from the design of the upcoming iPhone 14 Pro, Apple Watch Series 8, and Apple's long-rumored mixed-reality AR/VR headset.
Apple Launches 2022 Back to School Offer: Up to $150 Gift Card With Mac or iPad
As rumored, Apple on Friday launched its annual Back to School promotion for students in the U.S., Canada, and several Asian countries.
While last year's version of the promotion offered students a free pair of second-generation AirPods with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad model, this year's promotion for customers in the U.S. and Canada includes a $150 gift card with the purchase of any new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or iMac model, or a $100 gift card with the purchase of any new iPad Pro or iPad Air.
New Siri Remote for Apple TV Referenced in iOS 16 Beta
One of the references is for a "SiriRemote4," which does not correspond with any existing Siri Remote, leading to the possibility that it could be a new Siri Remote for a future Apple TV — perhaps the lower-cost model rumored to launch in the second half of 2022?
iOS 16 Will Let iPhone Users Bypass CAPTCHAs in Supported Apps and Websites
In the iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 betas, the useful new feature can be found in the Settings app under Apple ID > Password & Security > Automatic Verification.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
Apple completely overhauled the Lock Screen in iOS 16, introducing all kinds of customization options that let you make your Lock Screen unique. You can choose widgets, customize the colors, and use emojis, photos, or built-in wallpapers for a one-of-a-kind look.
This guide walks through all of the changes Apple had made to the iPhone's Lock Screen in iOS 16, an update that is now available for all eligible iPhones.
Editing Your Lock Screen
If you're familiar with the widget and Home Screen editing interfaces, editing a Lock Screen in iOS 16 is much the same. You can get to all the controls to experiment with by unlocking your iPhone with Face ID or Touch ID, swiping downwards if you're not already on the Lock Screen, and then long pressing on the display.
From there, you can tap on the "+" button to create a new Lock Screen or tap on the "Customize" option to customize the current Lock Screen. You can choose different wallpapers, colors, and widgets, which we'll go over below.
You can also swipe through your Lock Screens if you've already created multiples and want to change it. When you're done with all of your customizations, just swipe up or tap to exit out and get back to your newly individualized Lock Screen.
Tapping on the "+" button when creating a new Lock Screen or customizing an existing one will bring you to the wallpaper interface first, where you can choose the wallpaper that you want to use.
Apple has organized the different wallpapers into categories that you can select from the top of the interface or by scrolling down to see various options. There's even a "Featured" section that shows you some of the more popular wallpaper options that you might want to look into using.
As the name suggests, tapping on the "People" category will bring up images of people that you've photographed that will work well with a new depth effect that the Lock Screen supports. On select images, the time will go under the person or object in the photo to create a layered look, similar to how Portrait mode photos look on the Apple Watch.
Once you choose a person to feature on your Lock Screen, you'll see how it will look with the time depth effect. You can opt to leave the photo natural or add Studio, Black and White, or customizable Color Backdrop options, which are available depending on the photo you're using.
If you don't like the depth effect, you can turn it off by tapping on the three dots at the bottom, and there's also an option to turn off the Perspective Zoom.
The Photos category allows you to use any of your photos as a Lock Screen, with Apple selecting Featured images that will work with the layered time effect or that the iPhone thinks might look particularly good as a wallpaper. Photos can be customized with a black and white option.
If you want to use multiple photos, you can choose the Photo Shuffle feature instead. With Photo Shuffle, you can have your iPhone's Lock Screen swap between photos. Apple lets you pick from Featured photos in categories that include People, Pets, Nature, and Urban, or you can select all of your photos you want to include manually.
With the Featured customization option, you can deselect any of the categories, or with the People category, choose which people you want to include. If you're using the manual option, you can choose as many or as few photos as you want.
Photos can be set to change on tap, on wake, hourly, or daily, and if a photo you don't like comes up, you can long press, choose edit, and then select the "Don't Feature Photo" option.
With the Emoji wallpaper option, you can select up to six of your favorite emoji to create a tiled background with those emoji featured. Some of the emoji will be shown larger, and some smaller, for an artistic looking wallpaper, but this can be changed.
Apple lets you choose a small grid, medium grid, or large grid, with different emoji sizes. You can also opt for rings or spiral as a customization option.
If you tap on the three dots, you can choose the color of the background behind the emoji, using a preselected color or choosing from a color wheel.
The Weather Lock Screen option shows the current weather in your area, similar to what you see in the Weather app itself. It shows live weather, so if it's cloudy, there are clouds. If it's raining, you'll see the rain animation.
There are no adjustments available for the Weather Lock Screen, and it may not be available on older devices that can't support the animation.
The Astronomy Lock Screen is similar to the Weather Lock Screen, in that it changes throughout the day based on the time and your location. There are several options, including the Earth and Earth Detail, which is a closer up view.
You can also select Moon, Moon Detail, or Solar System. The Astronomy Lock Screen is basically identical to the Astronomy Watch Face in watchOS 9. As with the Weather Lock Screen, there are no customization options for the wallpaper itself.
The Color Lock Screen wallpaper lets you select a plain color for your background, though it will use a bit of a gradient, which can look nice depending on which color you've picked for the time.
You can select from one of Apple's preset colors and adjust the hue, or you can choose any color from Grid, Spectrum, and Slider options. Opacity can be adjusted with any color that you select.
Color Lock Screen wallpapers can be adjusted with different gradient options. You can select Vibrant, Tone, Deep, Vapor, Bright, or Solid, all of which change the look. The Solid option is solid, but all of the others offer a slight color blend for a dynamic look.
Collections are a set of Apple-designed wallpapers that you can choose to use for your Lock Screen. Each Apple-created wallpaper has a unique look that's designed for the iOS 16 Lock Screen, interacting in fun ways with the time.
The Collection wallpapers come in unique colors that match some Apple Watch faces, such as Pride and Unity, but there are also iOS 16-exclusive designs to choose from. Some of the wallpapers can be customized with different color options, such as the rainbow stripe and the bokeh, and several are slightly animated.
The Bokeh face has dots that shift around, and the Pride face animates when swapping between the Lock Screen and the Home Screen.
Time Customization
After you choose a Lock Screen wallpaper, you can customize everything else on the Lock Screen, including the font and color of the time that's displayed. On any Lock Screen wallpaper, you tap on customize and then tap on the box that's around the time to change the design.
You can choose from several different fonts, and depending on the Lock Screen, a selection of colors. Most Lock Screens support any color, but there are a few of the Apple-designed options that are less customizable.
As with most of the color options, you can choose from preselected colors or use the color wheel to pick any color that you like.
After you've selected your preferred design for the time, you can tap on the "x" to finish customizing your Lock Screen.
On any Photo background, you can use the customization options to change the tint. After entering the customization interface, swipe left or right through the available options to change the style.
On most photos, you can select from black and white or natural, but on images with people, you can also opt for Studio lighting (emphasizes the person and fades out the background), black and white, or colored backdrop, with the backdrop color customizable.
The wallpaper customization options are nice for a one-of-a-kind look for your Lock Screen, but what really sets iOS 16 apart is the option to add widgets to your Lock Screen.
In the customization interface, whether creating a new Lock Screen or customizing an existing Lock Screen, there are two separate widget boxes that you can edit. You can change the widget above the time, and add up to four different widget boxes below.
The widget interfaces are not as complex as the widgets available in the Today view and the Home Screen, but are instead more subtle versions that blend in with the rest of your Lock Screen setup.
You can add four single block widgets, two larger block widgets, or choose one single block widget and two smaller block widgets. You can also opt to use no widgets if you prefer a cleaner look.
You can add a widget next to the date above the digital clock on the Lock Screen, and many of these widgets display a single data point, using text and symbols, right next to the date. Apple's built-in widget options are outlined below.
Calendar - Day of the week, date, month or next event
Clock - City time zone or next alarm
Fitness - Activity stats (move calories, exercise minutes, stand hours)
Reminders - Due today
Stocks - Single stock with up/down symbol
Weather - Moon events, sun events, conditions, location, rain, air quality, UV index, wind
Widgets You Can Add Below the Time
The widget box below the time holds a greater breadth of widget options that can display more information.
Batteries
The Batteries widget comes in both square and rectangular versions showing the iPhone's battery status. If you connect AirPods, their battery life is shown instead.
If you use two battery widgets, they will display the battery level for the same device, which may be a bug that Apple will address at a later date.
Calendar
The Calendar widget comes in three formats. You can track the current date as a square widget (though the date is already automatically listed above the time). You can also track the next upcoming event's time or use a larger widget to show both the event name and its time.
Clock
Three clock widgets let you view a clock for a city to check the time at that location, and these are available in one rectangular and two square varieties. There's also a world clock to view the time in up to three cities around the world, and two versions that display the next alarm.
Fitness
One Fitness widget displays the Activity rings graphic, while a larger readout shows your Activity ring stats (move, exercise, stand).
For the Home app, two widgets display any indoor climate sensors, one displays any lights and switches, and another informs you of any security issues. You can also monitor a specific security accessory, or view a home summary (security, climate, and lights).
News
A single larger widget provides today's top news story.
Reminders
A single larger widget offers quick access to one of your Reminders lists, and displays the next due reminder.
Stocks
One smaller and one larger widget let you view price quotes and track performance of a symbol throughout the day. There's also a larger widget that displays three stocks.
Weather
Eight optional weather widgets are available for moon events, sun events, conditions, location, rain, air quality, UV index, and wind. Only the current weather conditions and moon events come in the larger widget format.
Additional widgets will be available in the future as there is an API that will allow developers to create widgets.
Subtler Notifications
Because of the new Lock Screen design with widgets, notifications now come in from the bottom of the display, rather than the top. This makes for a more subtle notification that does not interfere with the widgets you have set up.
You can swipe upward from the bottom of the display to see more of your notifications, and then swipe back down to hide them away.
Apple is introducing a new kind of notification called Live Activities, which you can track right from the Lock Screen. With Live Activities, you can do things like track the progress of a food delivery, Uber ride, or sports game.
Live Activities show up at the bottom of the display, and you can keep an eye on the progress of whatever you're tracking without unlocking your iPhone.
Live Activities will not be available when iOS 16 launches, and will instead be coming in an update later this year.
Multiple Lock Screens
Lock Screens in iOS 16 are a lot like Watch Faces on the Apple Watch. You can set up a bunch of them, and swap between them with a swipe.
Just long press on the screen after unlocking to get to the Lock Screen customization interface and swipe left or right to go through the different Lock Screens that you've created.
Each separate Lock Screen that you create can be linked to a different Focus mode in iOS 16. To do this, open up the Lock Screen interface by long pressing on an unlocked iPhone's Lock Screen, scroll to the Lock Screen of your choice, and then tap on "Focus" to choose which Focus mode to associate the Lock Screen with.
After that, the Lock Screen will have a little icon at the bottom that lets you know which Focus it is linked to.
Setting a Separate Lock Screen and Home Screen Wallpaper
When using the new Lock Screen customization options, by default, iOS 16 changes both your Lock Screen and your Home Screen to the wallpaper that you select.
If you want to have different wallpapers for both your Home Screen and Lock Screen, set up the Lock Screen and then follow these steps:
Open up the Settings app.
Scroll down and tap on Wallpaper.
Tap on the Home Screen icon to customize the Home Screen Wallpaper.
You can choose a solid color or pick a photo, allowing the Home Screen to use a different background from the Lock Screen.
Guide Feedback
Have questions about the iOS 16 Lock Screen, know of a feature we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.
Apple, Disney, and Amazon all submitted bids for the National Football League's out-of-market Sunday Ticket package "weeks ago" and are waiting to see who wins streaming rights to the package, according to CNBC's Alex Sherman and Jessica Golden.
"The NFL continues to be in discussion with all three bidders as it decides which partner it will choose," the report claims, despite an earlier report claiming that a deal between Apple and the NFL was "done" and "being kept quiet at Apple's request." The NFL is said to be looking for more than $2 billion for the Sunday Ticket streaming rights and a stake in NFL Media, which oversees the NFL Network channel, NFL.com, and more.
Sunday Ticket broadcasts all regional NFL games on Sunday afternoons to out-of-market viewers. In the United States, the package has been exclusively distributed by DirecTV since 1994, but the deal is set to expire ahead of the 2023 NFL season and DirecTV is reportedly not interested in renewing its exclusive rights to the package.
Sunday Ticket would add to Apple's growing portfolio of live sports content available through the Apple TV app. Apple already reached a partnership with Major League Baseball to air a weekly "Friday Night Baseball" doubleheader on Apple TV+ for the 2022 season, and Apple also reached a 10-year agreement with Major League Soccer that will see every game streamed through the Apple TV app without blackouts starting in early 2023.
It's unclear when the NFL will publicly reveal the future home of Sunday Ticket. Given that DirecTV still holds the rights to the package for the upcoming 2022 season, CNBC reports that there is no urgency for an announcement.
Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new update coming two weeks after the release of the third macOS Monterey 12.5 beta.
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and after the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.
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 three betas. It's likely this update focuses on bug fixes and other minor improvements to the operating system. This update allows M2 Mac users to download the macOS Monterey 12.5 beta.
macOS Monterey 12.5 could be one of the final updates to macOS Monterey as Apple is now shifting its focus to macOS Ventura, the next-generation Mac operating system coming this fall.
Apple also recently appears to have made Safari 16 available for developers running macOS Monterey and macOS Big Sur, as well as AppleSeed members. Developers can download the browser from Apple's developer website, while AppleSeed members will receive an invitation to download it.
Although this week was a slower week for deals in comparison to earlier in the month, there are still solid markdowns on Apple's MacBook Air and AirPods available to grab today. Alongside these sales, this week we tracked a few summertime discounts on iPhone cases and accessories.
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.
AirPods
What's the deal? Take up to $74 off AirPods and AirPods Pro
Apple's AirPods 2 remained at a solid discounted price of $99.99 this week, down from $129.00; this is still the best price we've seen in 2022. You can also get the AirPods Pro with MagSafe for $174.99, down from $249.00, which is another all-time low for 2022.
iPhone Cases & Charging Accessories
What's the deal? Save on iPhone accessories from ZAGG, Nomad, and more.
Where can I get it? See our list of retailers below.
Summer sales on iPhone accessories were popular this week, with quite a few well-known companies introducing solid discounts on cases, battery cases, and more. You can find all of the retailers with sales in the list below.
This includes our exclusive discount partnership with Nomad, where you can get 30 percent off Sport Cases from Nomad by entering the code MACRUMORS30 at the checkout screen.
Early in the week we tracked a deal on the 2020 M1 MacBook Air (256GB), which is still available for $899.00 in Silver on Amazon, down from $999.00. This is the second-best price we've tracked in 2022 on the M1 MacBook Air.
Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Apple today changed the subscription management interface on the iPhone and iPad, introducing a refreshed look that adds spacing between each subscription and it makes it clearer which subscriptions are active and inactive.
Tapping into a subscription provides details on the price of the subscription and when it is set to renew, plus the interface provides options to resubscribe to an expired subscription. Renewal buttons are more prominent than before, as are cancel buttons and options to change subscription plans for services like Apple One, Apple TV, and Apple Music.
The new subscription interface can be seen on devices running iOS 15.5 and later, including those with the iOS 16 beta. It does not appear to be available on iOS 15.4, so it may be limited to those with newer updates. No software update is required to see the refreshed interface because it loads a webview that Apple revamped.
The updated subscription interface is more in line with the rest of the Settings app changes that Apple made with iOS 15 and earlier updates, providing a simpler, more streamlined management system.
You can access the Subscriptions interface by opening up the Settings app, tapping on your profile picture, and then selecting "Subscriptions."
The next-generation AirPods Pro could come with a long list of new features that include heart rate detection, the ability to function as a hearing aid, and a USB-C port according to a report from 52Audio.
The site claims that it has received new information on the AirPods Pro 2, and it has used that information to provide some renders on what the earbuds might look like. Design wise, there is still a stem, in contrast to some rumors about a stemless look, and overall, the AirPods Pro 2 look a lot like the AirPods Pro and the AirPods 3.
While the AirPods Pro 2 look similar to the AirPods Pro, 52Audio is claiming that there will be a long list of new features. Some of these rumors we've heard before, but today's report gives quite a bit more detail.
Updated H1 chip - The updated H1 chip is expected to feature an upgraded SiP packaging system and self-adaptive noise cancellation capabilities. It will include better performance and improved power consumption as well.
Find My - The AirPods Pro 2 are expected to support Find My functionality, allowing them to be located with the Find My app. Prior rumors have indicated that there will be a speaker on the case, allowing them to play a sound when misplaced.
Heart Rate detection - We've heard prior rumors of health sensors coming to the AirPods Pro, and 52Audio claims they will be able to detect heart rate from within the ear.
Temperature detection - The heart rate sensor may also support temperature detection, but 52Audio says this could not be confirmed.
Sound improvements - The AirPods Pro 2 will apparently share acoustics with the AirPods 3, featuring a "combination of customized high-amplitude drive units and high-dynamic-range amplifiers." Self-adaptive equalization, spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and audio sharing will be included.
USB-C - Instead of Lightning, the AirPods Pro 2 could adopt a USB-C port.
Hearing Aid capabilities - 52Audio claims that the AirPods Pro 2 will serve as a hearing aid. Sound can apparently "be collected through the charging case and transmitted to the earphone for sound enhancement and playback," with the aim of helping people with hearing loss better hear sound in the environment. The site believes that what was previously described as a lanyard holder on the side of the AirPods Pro 2 is actually some kind of hearing aid function, which sounds questionable.
We have heard rumors about most of these features in the past, but the hearing aid functionality is new. We have also heard mixed rumors about the design of the AirPods Pro 2, but information is solidifying around an AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro look that continues to feature a stem.
52Audio has in the past provided accurate information about Apple's upcoming audio products, but the site has also shared some questionable rumors, so it has something of a mixed track record. Some of these features sound plausible because we've previously heard hints of them, but others, such as the hearing aid functionality, are more outlandish. For that reason, this information should be viewed with some skepticism.
In a letter sent to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair Lina Khan today, four U.S. legislators said the FTC should "investigate Apple and Google's role in transforming online advertising into an intense system of surveillance," according to The Wall Street Journal.
Apple and Google "knowingly facilitated harmful practices by building advertising-specific tracking IDs into their mobile operating systems," said the letter, which was signed by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), and Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), as well as U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs (D-California).
Since the release of iOS 14.5 in April 2021, Apple has required apps to ask for permission before tracking a user's activity across other companies' apps and websites, as part of a feature named App Tracking Transparency. If a user selects the "Ask App Not to Track" option, the app is unable to access the device's Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA). On earlier iOS versions, however, access to the IDFA was enabled by default.
"Until recently, however, Apple enabled this tracking ID by default and required consumers to dig through confusing phone settings to turn it off," the letter reportedly said, adding that "these identifiers have fueled the unregulated data broker market."
Given that Apple already implemented App Tracking Transparency last year, it is unclear if any potential FTC investigation would result in any further changes to the company's current policies. The Wall Street Journal said representatives for the FTC, Apple, and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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 launched its annual "Back to School" promotion for college/university students in the United States and Canada. This year's promotion offers a free Apple gift card with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad, rather than free AirPods like last year. Apple is also offering students 20% off AppleCare+ plans during the promotion.
Apple is offering a $150 gift card with the purchase of any new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or iMac model, and a $100 gift card with the purchase of any new iPad Pro or iPad Air model, with full terms and conditions outlined on Apple's website. The gift cards can be used towards the purchase of Apple products, accessories, App Store apps, subscriptions to services like Apple Music, iCloud+ storage, and more.
The free gift card is in addition to Apple's standard educational discounts, with students able to save around $50 to $100 off a Mac or iPad.
The list of eligible devices includes the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip that became available to purchase at Apple Stores starting today, and the new MacBook Air with the M2 chip will also be eligible when it launches next month.
The offer is available through Apple's online education store or at Apple retail store locations for students attending or accepted to a higher-education institution, faculty and staff of higher-education institutions, parents purchasing on behalf of an eligible student, employees of a K-12 institution, and select others.
The promotion ends on September 26 in the United States and Canada.
Update: Apple's Back to School promotion has also gone live in some Asian countries such as India, Singapore, and Thailand, with Apple offering free second-generation AirPods with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad.
Amazon today further discounted the 45mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 7, now available for $403.00, down from $529.00. Besides this model, you can also save on many other versions of the Apple Watch Series 7 along with the Apple Watch SE, all of which we've collected below.
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.
For the 45mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 7, the deal is only available in the Blue Aluminum Case with Abyss Blue Sport Band, and only Amazon has this price. At $126 off, this is a new all-time low price for the 45mm Cellular version of the Apple Watch Series 7, beating the previous low by about $7.
Along with this Apple Watch Series 7 deal, you can also get a new record low deal on the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE, priced at $209.00, down from $309.00. This model does have a delayed shipping estimate, due to this all-time low sale, and most customers in the United States can expect a delivery date around July 10.
In regards to other sales, you can currently get the 41mm GPS Apple Watch Series 7 for $329.00 and the 45mm GPS model for $359.00, and both sales represent $70 off original prices. Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.
The two standard configurations of the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 chip are available for walk-in purchase or same-day pickup at select Apple Stores around the world starting today. The first online orders are also beginning to arrive to customers.
Apple began accepting orders for the new 13-inch MacBook Pro last Friday, with some custom configurations with upgraded specs already facing August delivery estimates.
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro features the same design as the previous model, including the Touch Bar. The only notable change is the addition of the M2 chip with an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. Apple said the M2 chip has up to an 18% faster CPU, up to a 35% faster GPU, and up to a 40% faster Neural Engine compared to the M1 chip.
With the M2 chip, the 13-inch MacBook Pro can be configured with up to 24GB of unified memory, compared to a max of 16GB for the M1 chip. In line with the previous model, the notebook also supports up to 2TB of SSD storage.
Pricing for the 13-inch MacBook Pro continues to start at $1,299 in the United States, with silver and space gray color options available.
Apple has yet to announce an order date for the new MacBook Air with the M2 chip.
Pricing for the Apple Music Student Plan has increased in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
The price changes, first spotted by Michael Burkhardt on Twitter (via 9to5Mac), increase the Apple Music Student Plan from $4.99 to $5.99 per month in the United States and Canada, and from £4.99 to £5.99 in the United Kingdom. The changes cut what was previously a 50 percent discount on the $9.99 and £9.99 monthly cost to just 40 percent.
Archived webpages indicate that the change occurred within the past 48 hours. Last month, Apple increased the price of the Apple Music Student Plan in a large number of countries, including Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Indonesia, Israel, and Kenya. Apple informed affected subscribers via email in these countries, but it seems to have not yet informed customers about the latest price change in the U.S., UK, and Canada.
Update: Price increases have also taken effect in various European countries, where most EU countries have seen a bump from EUR 4.99 to EUR 5.99, Finland has increased from EUR 4.99 to EUR 6.99, Sweden has seen an increase from SEK 49 to SEK 65, Denmark has seen an increase from DKK 49 to DKK 59, and Switzerland has seen an increase from CHF 6.50 to CHF 7.50, for example.
In a detailed post on Medium, Kuo explained that Apple's headset will be a "game-changer" for the augmented-reality and virtual-reality market. Describing some of the headset's functionality, Kuo said that while Apple has repeatedly touted its focus on AR, the headset will "offer an excellent immersive experience" and a "video see-thru" mode. The headset is expected to boost demand for immersive gaming and multimedia entertainment experiences.
Kuo said that the device is "the most complicated product Apple has ever designed," leading Apple to use components from many of its existing suppliers. Kuo also believes that Apple will be an industry leader in the headset space, has "significant competitive advantages," and does not need to join the Metaverse Standards Forum. Notably, Kuo thinks that rivals will race to imitate Apple's headset once it launches, "leading the headset hardware industry to the next stage of rapid growth."
While Apple's headset was widely believed to be scheduled to launch this year, a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman cast doubt on the chances of the device emerging this year due to development problems. According to DigiTimes, Apple in February 2022 completed key production tests on the headset and reportedly plans to begin mass production around August or September. Kuo's prediction of an announcement in January 2023 therefore appears to be broadly in line with other rumors about when the device could emerge.
Regardless of the exact timing, Apple's headset project is believed to be "approaching liftoff," with the device mirroring the development timeline of the Apple Watch in the period before its launch. Apple's work on the headset's operating system, "realityOS," has been rumored since 2017, but the existence of the operating system was confirmed when references to it were found in App Store upload logs and Apple open source code.
Update: This article has been edited to reflect an edit made to Kuo's Medium article. It previously said that Apple's headset would "likely be released" in January 2023, but this has since been revised to "likely be announced."
It's officially Friday, June 24 in New Zealand and Australia, which means it's the launch day for the 13-inch M2MacBook Pro. Customers in New Zealand and Australia are always the first to get their hands on new devices due to time zone differences, and the M2 Macs are no exception.
M2 MacBook Pro models are beginning to arrive to customers who pre-ordered the machine last Friday, and new MacBook Pro owners will likely soon be sharing their experiences with the updated M2 chip on the MacRumors forums, Twitter, and other social networks.
New Zealand does not have Apple Stores, so customers in Australia will be the first to be able to pick up an M2 MacBook Pro. Stock in Australia will give us an idea of what we might be able to expect from other stores worldwide. A spot check shows the stock M2 MacBook Pro models available for purchase at multiple stores in Australia, but custom configurations with upgraded unified memory and SSDs will not likely be available in stores.
Following New Zealand and Australia, sales of the MacBook Pro will begin in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and then North America.
The 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro features the same design as the prior-generation model, and the M2 chip is the only upgrade. The M2 chip features the same 8-core CPU as the M1, but with an upgraded nine or 10-core GPU.
Are you getting a new M2 MacBook Pro today? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Netflix is planning to implement a more affordable ad-supported tier to draw in customers who do not want to pay the $9.99 starting price for an ad-free plan, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos confirmed at the Cannes Lions advertising festival today (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The plan is aimed at people who think that Netflix is too expensive and who don't mind ads, with no changes planned for the existing Netflix tiers. "We've left a big customer segment off the table, which is people who say: 'Hey, Netflix is too expensive for me and I don't mind advertising,'" Sarandos said. "We are adding an ad tier; we're not adding ads to Netflix as you know it today. We're adding an ad tier for folks who say, 'Hey, I want a lower price and I'll watch ads.'"
Netflix is already in talks with ad-sales partners, and while Sarandos did not provide details on when the ad-supported tier might come out, Netflix has told employees internally that it is aiming for a launch before the end of 2022.
The Basic Netflix plan is priced at $9.99 and it offers 480p streaming, while the Standard plan is priced at $15.49 for 1080p resolution. Netflix's most expensive Premium plan, priced at $19.99 per month, is the sole tier that offers 4K HDR streaming. Netflix is the only streaming service that charges extra for improved streaming quality, and the ad-supported tier would presumably offer streaming quality similar to the Basic plan.
In addition to offering an ad-supported tier, Netflix is planning on cracking down on account sharing. In select countries, Netflix has been testing an extra payment for those who share their Netflix accounts with people outside of their households.
In the first quarter of 2022, Netflix said that it lost subscribers for the first time in 10 years. Revenue growth "slowed considerably," which the company blamed on "a large number of households sharing accounts" and "competition." Netflix estimates that 222 million paying households are sharing with an additional 100 million households that are not being monetized. Netflix has confirmed that it plans to implement "more effective monetization of multi-household sharing" in the future.
Sarandos said that he believes Netflix could return to growth with the changes that are planned. "We have plenty of scale and profitability and free cash flow to continue to grow this business," he said, suggesting that there's "still a lot of room to grow."
Google today announced several updates that are coming to the Chrome browser on iPhone and iPad, including Enhanced Safe Browsing, a feature that is designed to provide users with better protection against phishing, malware, and other web-based threats.
If turned on, the Enhanced Safe Browsing feature will warn users proactively if web pages are dangerous, with the setting using Google's Safe Browsing function. Chrome will also warn if a username and login typed into the browser have been compromised in a third-party data breach.
Enhanced Safe Browsing has been available on the desktop and on Android for some time now, but it is also set to expand to iOS with the next Chrome update.
Along with Enhanced Safe Browsing, Chrome will also be able to be set as the Autofill provider, filling in logins and passwords on the iPhone and iPad in addition to the desktop.
An interface tweak will allow users to discover new content or start a fresh search in Chrome when the app hasn't been used in a while. Recent tabs will still be available, but Google wants to make it easier for users to browse content or get back to frequently visited sites more quickly.
Chrome Actions on iOS will let iPhone and iPad users type an action into the address bar to do things like clear browsing data, open an incognito tab, or set Chrome as the default browser, plus on-device machine learning is now available to translate websites faster into your language.
Google says that these features are coming in the next release, and that "even more innovation" is on the way for the iOS Chrome app. The Chrome app for iPhone and iPad can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
iOS 16 includes code-level references to what appears to be a new and unreleased version of the Siri Remote for the Apple TV.
The first two betas of iOS 16 include strings for "SiriRemote4" and "WirelessRemoteFirmware.4" that do not correspond with any existing Siri Remote, according to Aaronp613, a contributor at AppleDB, an online database of Apple software and devices.
Aaron said the original Siri Remote is identified as "SiriRemote," while a revised version of that remote with a white circle around the "Menu" button is "SiriRemote2," and the silver Siri Remote released last year is "SiriRemote3." This leads to the possibility that "SiriRemote4" is an upcoming remote for the Apple TV.
No additional details about "SiriRemote4" are mentioned in the code, so nothing is known about the remote's potential design or features at this time. The code findings also do not guarantee that Apple will move forward with releasing a new remote.
Last month, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said a new Apple TV would launch in the second half of 2022 with an improved cost structure, suggesting that it could have a lower price than the existing Apple TV 4K, which starts at $179 in the United States. Kuo did not provide any additional details, so it is unclear if the new Siri Remote could be for a new lower-cost Apple TV later this year, but it is certainly a possibility.
The latest Apple TV model was released in April 2021 with a new Siri Remote that features a more practical design than the previous remote. A new tvOS 16 update for the Apple TV is currently in beta and expected to be released around September.
A trio of Apple accessory makers have introduced notable discounts on iPhone cases this week, offering up to 50 percent off protective cases for the iPhone 13, iPhone 12, and more.
Nomad
Starting with Nomad, our exclusive sale is taking 30 percent off the retailer's Sport Case lineup for the iPhone 13 family. Once you add one of the Sport Cases to your cart, you can enter the code MACRUMORS30 to see the discount. This sale will expire on Sunday.
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.
At 30 percent off, Nomad's Sport Cases are priced at $27.97 with our exclusive code, down from $39.95. Cases are available for the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max, and come in five different colors.
Casely
Over at Casely, you can take 50 percent off the company's Power 2.0 smartphone cases. Thanks to the discount, these accessories are priced at $37.50, down from $75.00, and you won't need any coupon code to see the discounts.
These cases fit a wide variety of iPhones, including iPhone 13 and iPhone 12, and as far back as iPhone 6 and iPhone X. The Power 2.0 feature includes a battery to fuel up your iPhone while on-the-go. Shoppers should note that this case style is not available for every iPhone model, but you can check by selecting a case design and choosing your iPhone model from the drop-down menu.
Pad & Quill
Pad & Quill is hosting a small sale on its leather folio cases for the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. You can save as much as 50 percent during this event.
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 Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
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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.
