Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming a week after the second iOS and iPadOS 17.6 public betas. Apple seeded the third betas of iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6 to developers earlier this week.
Public beta testers can get the beta by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Public Beta. Signing up on Apple's beta testing website is required.
The new features that Apple announced for iOS 17 have all been implemented at this point, so it is not clear what will be included in iOS 17.6, and no features have been discovered in the developer betas so far.
With Apple now shifting its focus to iOS 18, it is likely that iOS 17.6 will include bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements rather than outward-facing features.
Apple has also seeded the second public betas of upcoming watchOS 10.6 and tvOS 17.6 updates.
Apple wants to ship a minimum of 90 million iPhone 16 models in 2024, reports Bloomberg. Apple is telling its suppliers and partners that it is aiming for 10 percent shipment growth over 2023, when it shipped approximately 81 million iPhone 15 models.
The upcoming iPhone 16 models will all use next-generation A18 chip technology, which will support Apple Intelligence. As of right now, only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are powerful enough for Apple's AI features, so anyone with an older iPhone that wants to take advantage of the new capabilities will need to upgrade this year. iPhone 15 pricing starts at $799, and that will also likely be the starting price for the entry-level iPhone 16 model that will support Apple Intelligence.
Apple is expecting Apple Intelligence to increase demand for the new iPhone 16 models, which indicates that Apple could see a strong 2024, especially in countries like China. Apple is lagging behind Chinese smartphone manufacturers in AI development, as brands like Xiaomi and Huawei have already shipped AI features.
There is no word yet on how Apple Intelligence will function in China because Apple has not yet established a deal with a Chinese AI company. OpenAI's ChatGPT, which will be available in the United States and other countries, is not able to operate in China. To get similar functionality, Apple needs to ink a deal with a company that operates in China. Apple has been holding talks with Baidu, Alibaba group, and Beijing startup Baichuan AI, but there hasn't been news of an agreement.
Apple Intelligence will only be available in U.S. English at launch, and it will not be launching in the European Union when the iPhone 16 models come out, which could hurt sales in Europe. Apple said in June that it needs more time to figure out how to make Apple Intelligence compatible with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act.
With Apple Intelligence, Apple is introducing a long list of new capabilities, including Writing Tools for proofreading, polishing, and summarizing text, Image Playground for generating images, and Genmoji for creating custom emoji. Apple Intelligence will also be used to overhaul Siri, but the new Siri functionality isn't slated to launch until 2025.
Google today released a tool that allows you to transfer photos and videos from Google Photos to iCloud Photos, complete with albums and descriptions.
Apple released an equivalent tool for moving from iCloud Photos to Google Photos three years ago, so this was a reciprocal move by Google. The companies released the tools as part of the Data Transfer Initiative, which is focused on ensuring that customers can download their data from one online service and upload it to another.
Google's tool merely creates a copy of your photos and videos for another service. The original photos and videos will remain in your Google Photos account following the transfer process, unless they are manually deleted afterwards.
Apple is encouraging parents to purchase a cellular Apple Watch for their children with a new "Apple Watch For Your Kids" campaign, which appears to be a more informative rebranding of the Apple Watch Family Setup feature that's been around since 2020.
The Apple Watch For Your Kids website walks through how the feature works and the perks. An Apple Watch with cellular can be added to and managed by an adult's iPhone, providing kids with a wrist-worn device for phone calls, text messaging, and location tracking.
Apple touts Schooltime, an option that restrictions notifications and apps during school hours through Do Not Disturb. The Schooltime schedule is set by parents and adds a visible yellow circle to an Apple Watch so teachers are aware the device is not usable during classtime.
Apple also promotes Apple Watch durability and water resistance, as well as the built-in activity tracking options that include workouts for children and activity awards.
The newly rebranded Apple Watch For Your Kids feature is being promoted on the Apple Watch pages, but Apple has not yet updated the support document that walks parents through setup.
Requirements for providing a child with an Apple Watch include a Series 4 or later with GPS + Cellular and a cellular service plan, an iPhone 6s or later (for the parent), a Family Sharing group setup, and Apple IDs for both the parent and child.
The latest beta of Apple's app development tool Xcode allows developers to simulate an iPhone running the third beta of iOS 18, and this has led to the discovery of some Apple Intelligence settings that are not yet available.
Aaron Perris and Matthew Rodarmel are among those who spotted the settings, which can be seen in the screenshots above. However, Apple Intelligence features are still not available for testing in the third beta of iOS 18, released this week.
During its WWDC keynote last month, Apple said that some Apple Intelligence features would be available to try "this summer," but it did not provide a specific timeframe. The features will be available in U.S. English only at launch, and they require an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, or a Mac or iPad equipped with an M1 chip or newer.
Apple Intelligence will be able to summarize text, prioritize notifications and emails, and generate custom emoji and images, while the technology will also power a smarter version of Siri with richer language understanding, deeper per-app controls, on-screen awareness, and more. Apple said some of the features, along with support for additional languages and software platforms, will be added "over the course of the next year."
iOS 18 should be widely released in September. Even then, the initial Apple Intelligence features will still be considered a "preview" for all users.
Apple users are holding onto their devices for increasingly long periods of time as upgrade cycles slow, data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) suggests.
In recent years, a shift has occurred in the behavior of Apple customers, who are increasingly opting to retain their iPhones, iPads, and Macs for extended periods before upgrading. In the most recent 12-month period, 71% of iPhone owners and 68% of Mac owners reported that their previous device was over two years old, up from 63% and 59%, respectively, in 2020.
In the specific case of the Mac, CIRP indicates a substantial increase in the length of time users keep their devices. Currently, 56% of Mac customers hold onto their laptops or desktops for three years or more, a significant rise from 40% in 2020. This trend has led to a decline in shorter lifecycle lengths, with fewer users keeping their Macs for less than three years. CIRP's research suggests that the transition to Apple Silicon, which began in 2020 with the introduction of the M1 chip, has played a crucial role in this shift. Apple Silicon has delivered significant performance and energy efficiency improvements, making Macs more capable of handling demanding tasks for several years.
Age of previous Mac for Apple customers buying a new Mac (12 months ending March of each year)
The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic also likely influenced consumer behavior. During the early stages of the pandemic, there was a surge in demand for technology to support remote work and online education, but economic uncertainy followed and many consumers became more cautious with their spending, opting to maximize the lifespan of their existing devices rather than investing in new ones. Battery life improvements in MacBooks have also reached a satisfactory threshold for many users, further reducing the incentive to upgrade frequently.
This phenomenon has similarly been noted byBloomberg's Mark Gurman, who recently said that the percentage of iPhone and Mac users whose previous device was older than two years has risen sharply. He attributed the shift to several factors, including fewer significant features in new models, improved durability and reliability of devices, and changing user needs. The increased reliance on streaming services and web-based applications means that for many users, their current devices remain sufficiently powerful and capable for everyday tasks. As a result, the traditional motivations for frequent upgrades, such as the need for better cameras, more storage, or faster processing speeds, have diminished.
Apple's M2 iPad Air models are just a few months old, and Amazon has up to $90 off select models this week. We're tracking all-time low prices across the entire Wi-Fi M2 iPad Air lineup, although the steepest discounts will be found on 13-inch models.
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The cheapest model is the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Air for $564.00, down from $599.00. You'll also find deals on the 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB models below, all of which are in stock on Amazon with delivery dates as soon as the end of the week for Prime members.
The 13-inch M2 iPad Air models start at $738.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi tablet, down from $799.00. Similar to the 11-inch devices, all Wi-Fi models are on sale this week, and for the larger display iPad Airs these discounts reach up to $90 off original prices.
The iPad Air is Apple's middle-tier iPad model, equipped with an LCD Liquid Retina display, True Tone support, four unique color options, Touch ID, relocated front-facing camera, and two new size options with the 11-inch and 13-inch sizes.
Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.
The upcoming iOS 18 update for the iPhone includes two new Background Sounds: Night and Fire.
Introduced on iOS 15, the Background Sounds feature allows you to play ambient background sounds on your iPhone to help you focus or rest. Other available sounds include Balanced Noise, Bright Noise, Dark Noise, Ocean, Rain, and Stream.
Background Sounds is a free feature built into the iPhone that offers similar functionality as apps such as Dark Noise. We have a step-by-step guide that outlines how to turn on the feature in the Settings app or in Control Center.
iOS 18 is currently in beta for developers, and a public beta will be available soon. The update should be widely released in September.
The new Backgrounds Sounds are also included in the iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia betas.
Apple is believed to have seen a significant 21% increase in Mac shipments for the second quarter of 2024, the largest growth among global PC manufacturers during this period, as part of an industry-wide recovery.
According to a report by IDC, an industry research firm, worldwide shipments of desktops and laptops increased by 3% year-over-year for the quarter ending in June 2024. Apple and Acer led the growth among major manufacturers, with Acer showing a 14% increase in shipments. This marked the second consecutive quarter of growth for the PC industry, following a period of decline after the pandemic-driven surge in purchases during 2020 and 2021.
Ryan Reith, group vice president at IDC, noted that the combination of two consecutive quarters of growth, market excitement around AI-focused PCs, and a commercial refresh cycle, provided a much-needed boost to the PC market. AI-focused PCs are anticipated to drive a new wave of upgrades, though IDC reports that only about 3% of PCs shipped this year are said to be optimized for AI tasks. Apple's Mac lineup is likely to see further traction with the integration of Apple Intelligence, which positions the company to capitalize on the growing demand for AI-optimized PCs.
Apple's shipments jumped 20.8% from the second quarter of 2023, the largest rise among global PC makers. Acer followed with a 13.7% increase. Dell experienced a 2.4% decline in shipments, making it the only major company to see a decrease during this period. A new report from Gartner shows similar figures.
Despite weak demand in China, which held back overall results, excluding China, global shipments grew by more than 5%, according to IDC. Lenovo maintained the highest market share at nearly 23%, while HP saw a 1.8% increase from the previous year, holding 21% of the market.
Canalys, another market research firm, reported a slightly higher global PC market growth of 3.4% year-over-year, with total shipments reaching 62.8 million units in the second quarter of 2024. Apple secured the fourth position with 5.5 million units shipped, translating to a 9% market share, and marking a 6% increase from the same period last year. Lenovo led the market with 14.7 million units shipped, followed by HP with 13.7 million units, and Dell with 10.1 million units.
Mac cloud services provider MacStadium today unveiled Orka Desktop, a free virtualization tool that allows Mac users to create and manage macOS virtual machines locally via an easy-to-use admin panel.
Orka users can create or download custom macOS images locally for their own personal use, or to collaborate with team members using a familiar workflow, versioning, audit, and review controls. The tool has been designed for iOS/macOS Developers, DevOps Engineers, and IT Admins, as well as students, hobbyists, technologists, and others.
MacStadium claims it is the "ideal tool" for those who want to learn more about Mac virtualization and learn how an image can be built and tested locally, then uploaded to the cloud.
"Orka Desktop provides the tools to allow developers to create many different macOS image versions locally, commit those into a shared repository, and pass them around for collaboration. Developers can also scale further by pulling those resources into an Orka Cluster at MacStadium where you can orchestrate workloads with cloud resources," said Chris Chapman, MacStadium's chief technology officer."
MacStadium says Orka Desktop achieves near-native performance on Apple Silicon, with virtualization overhead as low as 5% in most cases. Orka Desktop also wraps and compresses macOS images with an Open Container Initiative (OCI)-compliant specification, which allows it to reduce a 90GB image by as much as 80%, shrinking it to nearly 15GB, making it much easier to move around.
There are two options for creating a new VM in Orka: Clean Install, where the image is created from an existing IPSW file, and Pull Image, where the image is pulled from an Image Repository. There is also an option to pull the latest IPSW directly from Apple's servers. More information can be found in Orka's documentation.
The new VM application requires macOS Ventura or macOS Sonoma running on an Apple silicon Mac with at least 8GB of RAM and more than 50GB of free disk space. Orka Desktop can be downloaded for free from the MacStadium website.
Best Buy today has Apple's 256GB 13-inch M2 MacBook Air for $799.00, down from $999.00. You'll find all four colors on sale at this price, including Midnight, Silver, Space Gray, and Starlight.
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Compared to previous sales, this is a match of the all-time low price on the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air. Right now, only Best Buy has this steep discount, and we aren't tracking any notable deals on the 512GB model.
Although there are now updated M3 MacBook Air computers, Apple does still sell the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air as an entry-level option. The model on sale today features an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 8GB RAM, and it should work perfectly for anyone looking for a reliable machine to do basic daily tasks.
Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.
Samsung today announced the launch of its latest flagship foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold6 and the Galaxy Z Flip6, plus it introduced new Galaxy earbuds, new smart watches, and more.
The Galaxy Z Fold6 is Samsung's larger foldable device, featuring a 6.3-inch cover display when folded and a 7.6-inch display when opened up. The new model is the slimmest and lightest to date, with a slightly larger cover screen. Samsung designed a new dual rail hinge that is more durable, and there is a strengthened folding edge that better distributes the shock of external impacts. Enhanced layers on the main display improve the crease while boosting strength, and Samsung says it is using Gorilla Glass Victus 2, all of which make this the most durable Galaxy foldable device to date.
There's a 10-megapixel selfie camera, a 4-megapixel under-display camera, and a triple rear camera setup with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens, a 50-megapixel wide-angle lens, and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens. Other features include 12GB memory, up to 256GB internal storage, a 4,400mAh battery, a fingerprint sensor, and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile chip, which is optimized for AI processing.
Galaxy Z Fold6 AI features include a Notes app with translation, summaries, auto formatting, and Composer for the keyboard that generates suggested text and can mimic your tone by analyzing past content. A sketch to image feature for the S Pen turns sketches into more detailed drawings, similar to how Apple's Image Playground feature works in the Notes app on the iPad.
Samsung partnered with Google to integrate the Google Gemini app into its new smartphones, and accessing Gemini can be done by swiping from the corner of the display. AI photo tools include Portrait Studio for creating a variety of portrait styles for images, and Instant Slow-mo for slowing a video by generating additional frames.
The smaller Galaxy Z Flip6 also has a thinner, more durable display, and the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. It features a 3.4-inch FlexWindow that unfolds into a 6.7-inch smartphone. There's a 10-megapixel selfie camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera.
An AI-based suggested replies feature can be used on the Z Flip6 to respond to texts from the cover screen. The feature analyzes your latest text messages to suggest tailored responses. The FlexWindow can take advantage of many Galaxy AI features such as Samsung Health, and there's support for additional widgets. An AI-powered Photo Ambient wallpaper is able to change in real-time based on the time and weather, and the FlexCam has a new Auto Zoom feature for finding the best framing for a shot.
Other Galaxy AI features on the new smartphones include instant translation for PDFs, equation solving much like Apple's Math Notes, browsing assist for providing translations and summaries of webpages, interpreter for one-way or continuous transcription, and real-time phone call translation.
Alongside the new smartphones, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Buds3 and the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, which have been redesigned to be more comfortable and more AirPods-like. The Buds3 have an open design, while the Buds3 Pro are in-ear with silicone tips and block out ambient noise.
Both models have ANC, but the Pro model offers adaptive noise control much like Apple's AirPods Pro. Samsung says the Buds3 Pro continually identify surrounding sound and adjust the optimal level of noise and sound. Samsung added Blade Lights LED to the Galaxy Buds3 Pro for swipe-based music and volume control.
There are two new Galaxy watches, the Galaxy Watch7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The Watch7 is available in 40mm and 44mm sizes, while the Ultra model is larger at 47mm. The Ultra model is equipped with a titanium casing. With the Galaxy Watch7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra, Samsung beat Apple to a rumored Apple Watch feature, sleep apnea detection. The feature is able to check for potential sides of moderate to severe sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea detection, ECG functionality, and heart rate monitoring use a new BioActive Sensor that Samsung says is more accurate. The Galaxy Watches includes a feature for measuring the production of glycation end products (AGEs) from the wrist using light sensors. Samsung explains that AGEs are a reflection of the overall biological aging process and an indication of metabolic health.
Samsung also provided more detail on the Galaxy Ring, which was first introduced earlier this year. The Galaxy ring is a smart ring that can be used alongside a Galaxy smartphone in lieu of a smart watch. It is made from titanium, comes in black, silver, or gold colors, and is available in nine sizes starting at size five. The ring has a seven day battery life and 10ATM water resistance, so Samsung says it is durable enough to wear anywhere without worry.
The ring tracks several sleep metrics, including movement during sleep, sleep latency, heart rate, and respiratory rate to provide a nightly sleep score, plus it is able to use Galaxy AI to generate an energy score. The energy score uses sleep, activity, sleeping heart rate, and sleeping heart rate variability to provide health insights. Samsung is not charging a subscription fee for the Galaxy Ring, and it has access to all data and insights from the Samsung Health app.
Samsung's new product lineup will be available on July 24, with preorders available starting today. The Galaxy Z Fold6 is priced starting at $1,900, while the Galaxy Z Flip6 is priced starting at $1,100. The Galaxy Ring is priced starting at $400, the Galaxy Watch7 is priced starting at $300, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra is priced starting at $650. Samsung's Galaxy Buds3 are priced starting at $180, and the Galaxy Buds3 Pro are priced starting at $250.
As part of the launch, Samsung is offering significant discounts with up to $1,200 in enhanced trade-in credit when purchasing a Z Fold6 or up to $650 when purchasing a Z Flip6, free storage upgrades on both models, a free band with either the Galaxy Watch Ultra or the Galaxy Watch7, plus savings on the Galaxy Buds3 series. Customers purchasing the Z Fold6 through our link also qualify for a bonus $100 in savings for the first 72 hours.
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The critically-acclaimed workplace thriller "Severance" returns to Apple TV+ early next year, according to a teaser video released today.
Apple said the 10-episode season will premiere on Friday, January 17, and then one episode will follow every Friday through March 21.
The sci-fi series revolves around the mysterious company Lumon Industries, whose employees cannot recall any memories about their personal lives while they are at work. Similarly, the employees cannot remember anything about the workplace when they are out of the office. The show was created by Dan Erickson, and it has an ensemble cast starring Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, Christopher Walken, and others.
The first season of Severance ended in April 2022, so fans will have waited around 33 months for the second season, which faced production delays for seven months last year as a result of the Writers Guild of America going on strike.
Severance is one of the most popular shows on Apple TV+. In the U.S., the streaming service costs $9.99 per month or $99 per year following a price increase last October, and it is included in all Apple One subscription bundles.
Google today announced that has added a new passkey set-up option to its Advanced Protection Program, allowing Pixel and iPhone owners to use their device's biometric authentication instead of physical security keys.
For those unfamiliar with the Advanced Protection Program, it's designed for high-profile Google product users who need maximum protection from hacking attempts. It's a feature aimed at journalists, activists, business leaders, and others who feel vulnerable to targeted security breaches.
When it launched in 2017, Google required users to have two physical security keys to activate it, and one of those keys plus a password to log in. Last year, the company changed the feature so that users could sign in with just a passkey, but the physical security keys were still required to set it up.
From today, that's no longer the case. When users get started with Google's Advanced Protection Program, they will have the option to set up with either a passkey or a physical security key.
Passkeys are easier to use and more secure than passwords because they let users sign in to apps and sites the same way they unlock their devices: With Face ID, Touch ID, or a device passcode. Passkeys are also resistant to online attacks like phishing, making them more secure than things like SMS one-time codes.
Apple's forthcoming iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will support 40W wired fast charging and 20W MagSafe charging, claims a rumor currently swirling around China.
Right now, iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models are capable of up to 27W peak charging speeds with an appropriate USB-C power adapter, while official MagSafe chargers from Apple and authorized third parties can wirelessly charge the iPhone 15 models at up to 15W. All four iPhone 15 models can charge up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 20W or higher power adapter, which is the same as Apple's previous iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models.
According to ITHome, that's set to change for the Pro models in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, with a boost to 40W wired and 20W wireless charging in order to "balance and improve the problem of increasing charging time caused by the increase in battery capacity."
This rationale relates to another rumor that – with the exception of the iPhone 16 Plus – models in Apple's iPhone 16 series will feature larger batteries than their predecessors.
The claim about increased charging wattage resurrects a similar rumor we covered here at MacRumors almost a year ago, when it was reported that the iPhone 16 lineup would adopt stacked battery technology, alongside 40W wired charging and 20W charging via MagSafe. Stacked batteries can result in a higher capacity and longer lifespan.
It's unclear why the rumor is again doing the rounds in Asia, but given that we are only two months out from Apple unveiling its new flagship devices, there could be something in it. The iPhone 16 series is expected to be released sometime around mid-September.
Apple will not take an observer role on OpenAI's board as part of a deal to integrate ChatGPT into its devices, according to the Financial Times.
Bloomberg last week reported that Apple Fellow and App Store chief Phil Schiller would to take the position as part of its agreement with OpenAI, which will see ChatGPT integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.
A board observer is an informal board position where the participant is able to attend and contribute to board meetings, but is not allowed to vote and has no control.
However, FT today reported that both Apple and Microsoft have given up their seats as observers on the board, amid increased scrutiny by regulators of Big Tech's investments in AI startups.
OpenAI will instead host regular meetings with partners as part of "a new approach to informing and engaging key strategic partners," an OpenAI spokesperson said. The meetings will be held with Sarah Friar, the company's chief financial officer.
The European Commission last month said it was exploring the possibility of an antitrust investigation into Microsoft and OpenAI's partnership. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is also looking at investments made by companies including Microsoft, Amazon, and Google into generative AI start-ups.
Apple and OpenAI's deal will see Siri able to hand complicated user requests over to ChatGPT with explicit user permission. OpenAI is not paying Apple to integrate ChatGPT in its operating systems, nor is Apple paying OpenAI. No money is being exchanged under the terms of the arrangement at the current time.
With the third betas of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and tvOS 18, Apple has added InSight to the Apple TV app. InSight was announced as a new addition in the latest software updates at WWDC, but it was not implemented in earlier betas.
Available for some Apple TV+ shows and movies, InSight provides details on the actors in each scene and any music that's playing. InSight is located at the bottom of the Apple TV app interface when a show is playing, and it updates dynamically.
Actor names are displayed in a list, and if you tap on one, the show is moved to picture-in-picture mode and the TV app displays other shows and moves that person has appeared in. Tapping on a song name adds it to a "Saved Songs" section in Apple Music.
InSight is particularly useful on an Apple TV running tvOS 18 because if you connect an iPhone running iOS 18, you can see InSight information in the Remote app without interrupting the show or movie.
InSight is similar to the Amazon X-Ray feature available for Prime Video content, but it does not provide trivia or full cast information. As of right now, InSight is not available for all Apple TV+ shows, and appears to be limited to newer series. Apple will likely bring the feature to additional content prior to when iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and tvOS 18 launch.
Apple this month refreshed the security support document that provides iPhone, iPad, and Mac users with tips on how to recognize and avoid social engineering schemes like phishing messages and fake support calls.
The updated information follows recent reports of "smishing" attacks targeting Apple IDs. Malicious actors have been sending out SMS text messages that attempt to get users to provide their Apple ID usernames and passwords on a fake iCloud website.
Apple's guidelines provide key information that all users should be aware of to protect themselves, such as a recommendation to ignore messages with suspicious links. Apple says that it will not ask for Apple ID passwords or verification codes, and users should contact Apple directly rather than answering a suspicious phone call or message claiming to be from Apple.
Further, Apple will not ask users to log into any website, to tap Accept in the two-factor authentication dialog, or to enter a two-factor code into a website. Apple will also not request that users disable features like two-factor authentication, Find My, or Stolen Device Protection. Apple's security tips:
Never share personal data or security information like passwords or security codes, and never agree to enter them into a webpage that someone directs you to.
Protect your Apple ID. Use two-factor authentication, always keep your contact information secure and up to date, and never share your Apple ID password or verification codes with anyone. Apple never asks for this information to provide support.
Never use Apple Gift Cards to make payments to other people.
Download software only from sources you can trust.
Don't follow links or open or save attachments in suspicious or unsolicited messages.
Don't answer suspicious phone calls or messages claiming to be from Apple. Instead, contact Apple directly through official support channels.
Scammers will go to great lengths to get personal information, so Apple recommends watching out for tricks like creating a sense of urgency through scare tactics like stolen personal information or unauthorized charges. Scammers are after login information and security codes, so that information should not be entered on a website accessed through a link in a text or an email.
Apple also warns against downloading unrecognized, unsafe software and configuration profiles and following instructions on pop-ups. Users who receive a pop-up should ignore the message and close the entire window or tab.
Apple has further instructions on how to spot social engineering schemes, the forms those schemes can take, and how to report suspicious emails, messages, and phone calls. There is a separate support document on what to expect from Apple Support and the kinds of information Apple will not request.
Age of previous Mac for Apple customers buying a new Mac (12 months ending March of each year)
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