MacRumors

The chip powering the next-generation iPhone will reportedly be based on a "4nm" process, an even smaller process compared to the 5nm process used in the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and iPhone 13 lineups, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming report from DigiTimes.

Last year, Apple adopted a 5nm process with the A14 Bionic chip in the latest iPad Air and the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup. With the ‌iPhone 13‌, it used an enhanced iteration of the 5nm process. For the iPhone 14, the report claims Apple and its chipmaking partner TSMC are looking to adopt a "4nm" process for the A16 Bionic, the likely name for the chip powering the next-generation ‌iPhone‌.

A smaller process reduces a chip's physical footprint and offers improved performance and enhanced energy efficiency. A report yesterday by The Information claimed that TSMC and Apple are facing technical challenges in producing a 3nm chip, possibly being a reason the ‌iPhone 14‌ will feature a "4nm" process instead.

Separate reports from earlier in the year have suggested that Apple has booked all of TSMC's production capacity for the ‌3nm‌ process, which could instead debut in the iPhone 15 and next-generation Apple silicon Mac computers in several years.

With the ‌iPhone 13‌ and ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro already released, we now await what Apple has in store for the ‌iPhone 14‌. While we're still a little under a year away from its launch, rumors suggest that the ‌iPhone 14‌ will feature one of the most significant ‌iPhone‌ redesigns of the past several years. Get caught up on the latest rumors about Apple's next-generation ‌iPhone‌ using our roundup.

Update: While the ‌DigiTimes‌ report said "Apple will likely adopt TSMC's 4nm process," TSMC refers to the process as "N4P" and describes it as a "third major enhancement of TSMC's 5nm family."

Today we're tracking a massive sale on Apple's 2021 iPad Pro lineup, including up to $150 off the 11-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro. For many of these tablets, Amazon's sale prices today are offering the lowest discounts we've ever seen, or matching the previous record lows on each device.

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.

We've collected every iPad Pro on sale this week in the lists below, including both Wi-Fi and Cellular models. All discounts have been applied automatically, so you won't need any coupon or code to see these sales. They're also all sold and shipped directly from Amazon.

It's also worth noting that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro Magic Keyboard in Black has returned to its all-time low price of $242.99 on Amazon, down from $349.00. However, the accessory is temporarily out of stock. You can still lock in this great deal today, and Amazon won't charge you until it ships.

11-Inch iPad Pro

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $699.99, down from $799.00 ($99 off, lowest ever)
• 512GB Wi-Fi - $949.99, down from $1,099.00 ($149 off, lowest ever)
• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,349.99, down from $1,499.00 ($149 off, lowest ever)
• 2TB Wi-Fi - $1,749.99, down from $1,899.00 ($149 off)
• 128GB Cellular - $899.99, down from $999.00 ($99 off)
• 256GB Cellular - $999.00, down from $1,099.00 ($100 off, lowest ever)
• 1TB Cellular - $1,549.99, down from $1,699.00 ($149 off, lowest ever)
• 2TB Cellular - $1,949.99, down from $2,099.00 ($149 off, lowest ever)

12.9-Inch iPad Pro

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $999.00, down from $1,099.00 ($100 off, lowest ever)
• 256GB Wi-Fi - $1,099.00, down from $1,199.00 ($100 off)
• 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,249.00, down from $1,399.00 ($150 off, lowest ever)
• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,649.00, down from $1,799.00 ($150 off, lowest ever)
• 2TB Wi-Fi - $2,049.99, down from $2,199.00 ($149 off, lowest ever)
• 128GB Cellular - $1,199.99, down from $1,299.00 ($99 off)
• 256GB Cellular - $1,299.99, down from $1,399.00 ($99 off, lowest ever)
• 512GB Cellular - $1,449.99, down from $1,599.00 ($149 off, lowest ever)
• 1TB Cellular - $1,849.99, down from $1,999.00 ($149 off, lowest ever)

For even more iPad deals, head to our full Best Deals guide for iPad. In that guide we track the best discounts online for iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro.

Apple is in discussions with Samsung and LG over applying OLED displays with a two-stack tandem structure to future iPad and MacBook models, but the devices are likely several years away from launch, according to Korean website The Elec.

The report indicates that a two-stack tandem structure would consist of two layers of red, green, and blue emission layers, allowing for the future iPad and MacBook models to have significantly brighter displays with up to double the luminance. Apple's current OLED devices like the iPhone have a single-stack structure, the report adds.

Given that OLED technology is expensive, it's likely the displays will be used on future iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models specifically. The report claims the future iPads will come in 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes, which are indeed the current iPad Pro sizes.

The report claims the two-stack iPad displays will also be low-power LTPO panels, which could allow for a wider ProMotion refresh rate range between 10Hz and 120Hz, in line with the iPhone 13 Pro models. iPad Pro models have already supported ProMotion since 2017, but with a refresh rate between 24Hz and 120Hz.

Timing remains a big question mark. While some earlier reports claimed the first iPad with an OLED display was slated for release in 2022, today's report claims the timeframe has been pushed back to late 2023 or 2024. The first MacBook with an OLED display might follow in 2025, but this plan could be postponed further, the report adds.

In the meantime, Apple has adopted mini-LED backlighting, starting with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. Mini-LED technology offers increased brightness for HDR content and improved contrast ratio.

Update: A separate report from Nikkei Asia today claims that Apple is also actively researching and developing micro-LED display technology.

In the long term, industry insiders expect the rise of even smaller micro-LEDs that measure under 100 microns and can express primary colors without the use of a filter.

Apple has made an acquisition in micro-LEDs and is said to have an active development program in this field.

Ahead of WWDC in June, a mention of "homeOS" was spotted in an Apple job listing, igniting suspicion that Apple would announce some significant home-based operating system at the conference. While nothing of that sort did materialize, mentions of "homeOS," a so-far never-before-heard Apple operating system, continue to surface in company job listings.

In June, the job listing "homeOS" had appeared in was for a Senior iOS Engineer role on the Apple Music team. The initial job description read, "You'll get to work with system engineers across Apple, learning the inner-workings of iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and homeOS..." Shortly after the "homeOS" mention made headlines, Apple edited the description to replace homeOS with HomePod.

Now, a few months later, new mentions of homeOS have emerged in similar job listings. A similar iOS engineering role on the ‌Apple Music‌ team, posted on October 12, includes the same mention of "homeOS" that appeared in the job listing in June. The role, based out of San Diego, is also posted on Apple's regional sites, all with the mention of "homeOS."

Apple currently has two central home-based operating systems, audioOS for the ‌HomePod‌, and tvOS for the Apple TV. audioOS is based on tvOS, but the two are still distinctive by name.

As part of its longer-term strategy and future product plans, a "homeOS" operating system would help better unify the company's offering for the home into a single operating system, but that remains entirely speculative.

Given that "homeOS" has appeared once again in another job listing, though, it's a safe bet to assume it is something that Apple has thought of but has just simply not yet made public. Alternatively, "homeOS" could be a name used by Apple internally, and might never be a public-facing software platform name. We've reached out to Apple for comment.

Update: After this story was published, Apple removed the October 12 job listing mentioning "homeOS" from its website.

Nomad today kicked off a new sale that is taking 20 percent off most full-priced products across Nomad's entire website, using the code SAVE20. This sitewide sale will last for two days.

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

If you haven't shopped on Nomad before, the company is well-known for selling high-quality products that protect and accessorize the iPhone, iPad, AirPods, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch. Nomad also sells Lightning and USB-C cables, leather wallets, keychains, and more. Our code is compatible with most of Nomad's full-priced products, but won't work with new releases like the Base Station Mini.

Below we've rounded up a small collection of Nomad products that you can purchase at a discount this week, but remember that the new code applies to Nomad's entire website. When you're shopping, just use the code SAVE20 on full-priced items and not on anything already marked down.

Nomad also noted that due to supply chain issues, some of their products are seeing delayed shipping estimates ahead of the holidays. Because of this you may see backordered dates on some accessories, so if you're interested in anything this week's 20 percent off sale is a great time to lock in savings and ensure delivery before the holidays.

• AirPods Rugged Case - $27.96, down from $34.95
• iPhone 13 Series Modern Leather Case - $47.96, down from $59.95
• iPhone 13 Series Sport Case - $31.96, down from $39.95
• 12.9-inch iPad Pro Rugged Case - $95.96, down from $119.95
• 11-inch iPad Pro Rugged Folio - $119.96, down from $149.95

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Apple shipped 6.5 million laptops in the third quarter of this year, thanks in large part to high demand for the M1-powered MacBook Air.

That's according to research firm Strategy Analytics, whose data put Apple as the fourth largest seller of laptops between July and September, earning it 10% of the global market share and 10% growth year-on-year.

Lenovo took first place in the top five by shipping 15.3 million units, amounting to 23% market share, while HP and Dell shipped 14.3 million and 12.2 million units to earn 21% and 18% market share, respectively.

According to the report, most vendors grew on top of record 2020 levels, while Dell topped growth rates with a massive 50% increase year-on-year. At the same time, consumer spending increased thanks to higher discounts on premium products like ‌MacBook Air‌.

Including other brands outside of the top five, 66.8 million laptops were shipped in the quarter, although the figure would likely have been higher had it not been for the supply constraints and chip shortages that have hit tech companies, including Apple.

Apple last week reported Mac revenue of $9.17 billion in the fourth quarter of its 2021 fiscal year, which is an all-time quarterly revenue record for Macs. Apple CEO Tim Cook said there was "strong demand" for the M1 ‌MacBook Air‌ in particular.

Apple is expected to release a ‌MacBook Air‌ with an entirely new design and an Apple-designed M2 chip in around six to eight months from now. Rumors suggest the notebook will have a similar design as the 24-inch iMac, including off-white bezels around the display and a variety of color choices.

Apple took significant flak from users when it moved Safari's address bar to the bottom of the screen in iOS 15, but Samsung apparently liked it enough that it's now added the same option to its own mobile web browser for Android phones.

As shown in the tweet above, the optional layout now appears in a beta version of the Samsung Internet app. To be fair to Samsung, Apple wasn't the first to move the address bar below the browser window. Google tried something similar in 2016 for its own home-grown browser before canning the idea following negative user feedback. Microsoft had a similar browser interface design on Windows Phone, and even Firefox has played with a bottom address bar on Android.

That said, Samsung's timing is a bit curious, coming in the wake of Apple's much-publicized and highly divisive Safari interface redesign. Apple made sweeping changes to Safari browser in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, making numerous alterations to the organization and layout of tabs and other tools. Following a user backlash, Apple walked back the most controversial changes in successive betas, and made the position of the address bar optional.

Following an outcry from its users, Notability says it is making changes to its controversial subscription policy to ensure that people who previously purchased the app retain lifetime access to all current features and content.

The course correction was announced by the company on Tuesday in a Medium blog post, after the popular note-taking app received substantial blowback from users who were annoyed to learn that Notability's switch to a subscription model meant features they had purchased would stop functioning after one year.

Yesterday, we made a big announcement regarding our transition to a free app with an optional subscription. We heard the disappointment from our existing customers, and we want to correct our course.

Today, we are making some changes (coming soon in Notability version 11.0.2). Everyone who purchased Notability prior to our switch to subscription on November 1st, 2021 will have lifetime access to all existing features and any content previously purchased in the app.

Lifetime access will include unlimited editing, iCloud sync, and any features or content bought through in-app purchases, according to the developers, who added: "Future features we develop may also be included, depending on their complexity and cost to maintain."

We are a small company, so we designed the original one-year access plan as a precautionary measure since we were not certain if we could support lifetime access. We sincerely apologize for putting our current users in this position.

Notability's course correction means the app no longer appears to violate Apple's App Store Review Guidelines, which forbid apps that switch to a subscription model from taking away primary functionality existing users have already paid for.

It's not clear if Apple forced its hand to fall in line with the guidelines or consumer pressure was the main influence. Either way, Notability's change of course may make it unlikely that other app developers eyeing a subscription model will attempt a similar strategy of revoking features that existing users have already purchased.

Niantic has experienced major success with augmented reality game Pokémon Go, a title that still has a loyal fanbase, but unfortunately, its Harry Potter-themed game has not fared as well. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is going to be shut down on January 31, 2022 as a result.

First introduced in June 2019, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite allows players to join the Statute of Secrecy Task Force to explore Wizarding World locations in the real world, similar to Pokémon Go.

Players need to go to landmark locations in the real world to track down magical artifacts, creatures, and enemies to battle and level up. The game uses augmented reality to project portals and other items onto real-life landscapes, and there are real-time cooperative elements involved.

The game will be removed from the App Store on December 6, 2021, which is also when in-game purchases will be disabled. As a last hurrah, starting on November 2, several changes will be implemented to make gameplay more fun.

Daily assignments will provide increased rewards, potion brewing time will be cut in half, the daily cap on sending and opening gifts will be removed, and various items and ingredients will appear on the map more frequently.

November and December will also see the launch of several events involving Dolores Umbridge, Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix LeStrange, and Voldemort, along with a holiday event. The game will wrap up, with the Calamity coming to an end before the app is shut down for good.

Players who invested money in the game will not be able to get a refund, but they will be able to spend their remaining balances and use their items before the January end date.

ColorWare, known for its customization offerings for AirPods, Xbox controllers, Nintendo Switch components, and more, today introduced custom-painted AirPods 3.

AirPods 3 are available in a range of custom paint colors, including bright glossy shades, metallics, and matte colors. Every color of the rainbow is available, as are various shades of black, silver, and gold.

Each AirPod can be painted a different color, and the case can be customized in a different shade as well. Custom paint jobs for the AirPods are priced at $319, but the price goes up to $369 when adding in the case too. AirPods are priced at $179 direct from Apple, so getting a custom color is at least $140 more expensive.

Still, even at that price point, ColorWare is the only way to get AirPods that are not white because Apple still does not offer AirPods in black or other colors.

With ColorWare's painting, all of the ‌AirPods 3‌ features remain intact such as MagSafe connectivity for the case, spatial audio, adaptive EQ, and more, and the paint does not impact the functionality.

Custom ‌AirPods 3‌ can be ordered from ColorWare starting today, and they will ship out in about two to three weeks.

Netflix today announced the full official rollout of its Netflix Games feature, which will allow Netflix users to play a handful of games on their mobile devices.

At the current time, Netflix is making games available for Android users, but support for iOS is "on the way." Netflix says that it's early days, but its goal is to build a library of games offering "something for everyone."

Games available today include "Stranger Things: 1984," "Stranger Things 3: The Game," "Shooting Hoops," "Card Blast," and "Teeter Up."

Accessing games on Netflix requires a Netflix subscription, and there are no ads, additional fees, or in-app purchases, which is how Apple's gaming service, Apple Arcade, operates. Android users will now see a dedicated games row and games tab in the Netflix app, and will be able to select games to download and play.

It's not clear how the iOS version of the app will work. Netflix can have a "catalog" app like its main Netflix app (or a separate Games app) that lists gaming titles, linking out to games that can be downloaded from the App Store. Alternatively, Netflix can use a web-based solution, but games would need to be streaming titles.

Netflix says that it will continue to improve the mobile gaming experience in the coming months, but there is no word yet on when Netflix's games will come to iOS devices.

Facebook is shutting down its Face Recognition system and will delete the facial data of more than 1 billion of its users, Facebook parent company Meta announced this morning.

People who opted in to Face Recognition will no longer be automatically recognized in photos and videos, and their facial recognition templates will be deleted.

According to Facebook VP of Artificial Intelligence Jerome Pesenti, Facebook is making this change because it needs to weigh the positive use cases for facial recognition against growing societal concerns" as regulators "have yet to provide clear rules."

Facial recognition has been available on Facebook since 2011, and at the time that it debuted, Facebook turned the feature on automatically for more than 500 million people. The option, called Tag Recognition at the time, was designed to recognize Facebook users in photos and videos posted by other users, tagging all of the people in the photo.

There were immediate privacy concerns with the launch of the feature, which have persisted to this day. Facebook in December 2017 introduced an expanded Face Recognition feature and with it, an opt-out option.

Facebook says that more than a third of Facebook's daily active users have facial recognition enabled, and the change required "careful consideration." It will disable an Automatic Alt Text feature for blind users that automatically provided the names of people in photos.

Though Face Recognition in its current incarnation is shutting down, Facebook will continue to work on facial recognition technologies.

Looking ahead, we still see facial recognition technology as a powerful tool, for example, for people needing to verify their identity, or to prevent fraud and impersonation. We believe facial recognition can help for products like these with privacy, transparency and control in place, so you decide if and how your face is used. We will continue working on these technologies and engaging outside experts.

But the many specific instances where facial recognition can be helpful need to be weighed against growing concerns about the use of this technology as a whole. There are many concerns about the place of facial recognition technology in society, and regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use. Amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that limiting the use of facial recognition to a narrow set of use cases is appropriate.

Face Recognition and the features that it enables will be officially removed "over the coming weeks." When disabled, people will no longer be automatically recognized in photos, and will no longer see suggested tags.

WIRED has announced that Apple's former design chief Jony Ive will sit down with Vogue's longtime editor-in-chief Anna Wintour to discuss his latest endeavors, the future of design as he sees it, and more at the virtual RE:WIRED event next week.

Ive's conversation with Wintour will take place Tuesday, November 9 at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Registration for the event is free and available online.

Our world is facing some of the most critical challenges of all time. While the last decade ushered in dramatic technological acceleration, the last 18 months have kicked off a tectonic societal shift in how we live, work, and connect.

Generating sustainable and strategic solutions to these challenges—from both communal action and heroic innovation—requires us to rewire discourse and the way we think. This is RE:WIRED.

Join us this November for a series of conversations between technologists and people who think hard about the consequences for those technologies on society, economics, sustainability and, ultimately, our future.

Ive left Apple in 2019 to form an independent design company LoveFrom with fellow designer Marc Newson. Apple said it would remain one of Ive's primary clients, but it's unclear which Apple products he has helped to design since his departure from the company. Apple did confirm that Ive was involved with the design of the colorful 24-inch iMac released in April, but it did not say if any of that work occurred after he left Apple.

LoveFrom has reached multi-year design partnerships with brands like Airbnb and Ferrari.

Ive's participation in RE:WIRED was spotted earlier by 9to5Mac. Other speakers at the two-day event will include CISA director Jen Easterly, actor John Cho, EVgo CEO Cathy Zoi, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel, and more.

Apple classified the fourth-generation iPad as an obsolete product as of November 1, meaning the device is no longer eligible for hardware service worldwide, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors. The fourth-generation iPad has yet to be added to Apple's public-facing vintage and obsolete products list, but it should be soon.

Released in November 2012 alongside the original iPad mini, the fourth-generation iPad did away with Apple's classic 30-pin connector and adopted the Lightning connector that had debuted in the iPhone 5 just weeks earlier. The fourth-generation iPad also gained Apple's A6X chip for up to twice the CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of the A5X chip in the third-generation iPad that had launched in March 2012.

Apple also classified the Late 2012 model Mac mini as an obsolete product as of November 1, according to the memo.

Amazon is continuing its pre-Black Friday discounts from yesterday with a new collection of solid markdowns on Apple products and accessories. Today we're tracking sales on Apple Pencil 2, Apple TV 4K, and the MacBook Air.

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.

Apple Pencil 2

Following a deal at Verizon late last week, Amazon is now providing the best current deal on Apple Pencil 2 at $99.99, down from $129.00. This sale is a match of one of the lowest prices that we've ever tracked for the Apple Pencil 2, and as of writing it's only available on Amazon.

We very rarely see the Apple Pencil 2 dip below this sale price, so if you've been on the hunt for one at a discount, now's a great time to buy. The Apple Pencil 2 is compatible with the following iPads: iPad mini (6th generation), iPad Air (4th generation), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd, 4th, and 5th generations), and 11-inch iPad Pro (1st, 2nd, and 3rd generations).

Apple TV 4K

Next, Amazon has the 32GB Apple TV 4K (2021) for $169.00, down from $179.00. This is the second-best price that we've ever tracked on this model of the Apple TV 4K, and it's been the most consistent discount on the accessory.

You can also get the 64GB Apple TV 4K for $189.98, down from $199.00. We've seen this Apple TV 4K discounted by an additional $10, so this sale is another second-best price. Both of these Apple TVs are sold by Amazon, and they're in stock and ready to ship today.

MacBook Air

Lastly, you can get the 256GB M1 MacBook Air for $899.00, down from $999.00 in all three colors of Gold, Silver, and Space Gray. This is currently the best price available online among the major Apple resellers, and overall it's the second-best price we've tracked.

The 512GB M1 MacBook Air is also on sale, available for $1,149.99, down from $1,249.00. Similar to the 256GB model, this is a second-best price on this 2020 MacBook Air. Both notebooks are shipped and sold directly from Amazon.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Firefox today released Firefox 94 for iOS devices, which introduces a new homepage design that adds several quality of life improvements to the browser. Firefox says that the new features are designed for "short bursts of online interactions that are constantly interrupted by life."

The update adds a feature that jumps back to the last open active tab so you don't lose what you were browsing when you close the app, and recently saved bookmarks are easier to find and get to.

All of your recent searches are also now grouped by topic, so you can return to something you were researching with just a tap.

Firefox is also planning to add a way to get rid of tabs that are no longer relevant to you. When this feature releases on iOS in the coming months, tabs you have not visited in the last 14 days will be moved to an inactive state where they're still viewable, but they no longer clutter the tab view.

On the desktop, Firefox 94 adds 18 new themes to choose from with six new limited-time seasonal colorways, and it uses Apple's low power mode for fullscreen video on YouTube and Twitch to extend battery life for long viewing sessions.

There's also a new Site Isolation feature to protect Firefox users against side-channel attacks like Spectre.

The iOS version of Firefox can be downloaded from the App Store, and the Mac version can be downloaded from the Firefox website.

Apple bucked a trend when it unveiled macOS Monterey in June featuring an abstract wallpaper graphic, breaking an eight-year tradition of using a photo of the natural landscape that inspired the latest Calfornia-themed version name.

This change came as a shock to YouTuber and photographer Andrew Levitt and his friends Jacob Phillips and Taylor Gray, whom together have made recreating macOS wallpapers something of a tradition.

Once the trio of friends had come to terms with the new abstract wallpaper, they concluded that it was supposed to represent Monterey Canyon, which is deep underwater and impossible to photograph. So, instead they decided to create their own Monterey landscape, but finding the right shot came with its own problems, as their intrepid video diary explains.

After several false starts, the group eventually found an ideal location – Lone Cypress on Pebble Beach – and, using time-lapse photography, were able to create a not only a still image but also a dynamic wallpaper that changes according to the time of day.

They have since made both the still shot and the dynamic version available to download. The following steps explain how to install the dynamic version of the Monterey wallpaper.

1. Click the Apple symbol in the menu bar and select System Preferences....
2. Click Desktop & Screen Saver in the preferences pane.
   
   

3. Select one of the official wallpapers that come with macOS, such as "Catalina," "Big Sur," or "Monterey Graphic," and set it to Dynamic.
   
   

4. Open a Finder window and navigate to the "macOS Monterey.heic" wallpaper you downloaded.
5. Right-click (or Ctrl-click) on the file and select Services -> Set Desktop Picture from the contextual menu.
   

Follow the creators on Instagram: Andrew Levitt, Jacob Phillips, and Taylor Gray.

Notability users have been left frustrated and annoyed after the developer of the popular Mac and iOS note-taking app revealed on Monday that it has switched to a subscription-based model, and that key features included in original app purchases will stop functioning after one year.

Previously available as a one-off $8.99 purchase, Notability for iPhone, iPad, and Mac is now free to download on the App Store, but not all the features are available in the "freemium" version, and those that are included have editing limitations.

To get "the full Notability experience" offered by version 11.0 of the app now requires an annual $14.99 subscription, which includes unlimited note taking and access to additional features that are otherwise available as in-app purchases.

As far as it affects current users who purchased the full app, key features will become non-functional after one year, after which they will have to subscribe to retain the feature set they originally paid for. In other words, no grandfathering scheme is currently being offered. Addressed to those users, a Medium post from the Notability Blog explains:

Thank you for your support all these years. You will be able to continue using Notability as you do now for the next year for free. You will continue to have access to any items or technology you previously purchased. If you would like access to more premium content or technology like MyScript's Handwriting Recognition and Math Conversion, you may choose to subscribe at any point. After the year is up, you can choose to become an annual subscriber or use the free version of Notability.

Thousands of Notability users have taken to Twitter and Reddit to express their frustration with the unexpected change.

As many users have pointed out, on the face of it, the change appears to violate Apple's App Store Review Guidelines, which state "if you are changing your existing app to a subscription-based business model, you should not take away the primary functionality existing users have already paid for." We've reached out to both Notability and Apple for comment.

Notability has garnered an Apple Editors' Choice spot and is regularly a top-ranked app worldwide on the App Store. The app has gained widespread popularity with students and teachers alike, as it includes a variety of note-taking, journaling, and drawing tools, and can be used to mark up imported documents.

The other popular note-taking app for iOS and Mac that Notability is often compared to is GoodNotes, which remains available as a one-off $7.99 purchase on the App Store.

Several popular apps have switched to subscription models in recent years as a way to stave off dwindling income after years of free updates, but some developers have taken a different and less divisive approach.

For example, just over a year ago the developers of popular paid-for camera app Halide released Halide Mark II as a whole new app, and gave it to all users of the original app for free, with all the new features and updates free for a year. After the year is up, the app continues to work, but to get additional features requires an optional subscription or a one-time purchase.