Today we're tracking some discounts on Apple's line of AirPods, including on the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods 2. These sales can be found across Verizon and Amazon, and in terms of the Verizon sale you don't need to be a Verizon customer to get these savings, and all orders receive free two-day shipping.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Verizon and Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
You can get the AirPods Pro 2 for $199.99 on Verizon, down from $249.99. We very briefly saw a discount on this model to $194.99 back in March, but this rare deal never emerged again and today's deal remains a solid second-best price.
Additionally, Amazon has a deal on one of the AirPods 3 models. You can get the AirPods 3 with Lightning Charging Case for $149.99, down from $169.99. This is about $10 off from the all-time low price on this model of the AirPods 3, but we haven't tracked that price in months and Amazon's deal is a solid second-best option.
Lastly, Amazon has the AirPods 2 for $99.00, down from $129.00. Although this is an overall second-best price, we haven't seen an all-time low price on the AirPods 2 since the holiday season, making this the best price of the year so far on the model.
We track sales for every model of the AirPods in our Best AirPods Deals guide, so be sure to bookmark that page while you shop around for the wireless headphones. Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Small developers have seen growing success over the course of the last two years, according to an Apple-commissioned study conducted by economists at Analysis Group. Data shared today highlights the ways the App Store has benefited independent App Store developers.
Between 2020 and 2022, the revenue earned by small App Store developers increased 71 percent, and in the U.S. specifically, earnings growth was at 83 percent. Analysis Group defines small developers as those who have fewer than a million annual downloads and who earn up to $1 million per year, and this group accounts for more than 90 percent of developers on the App Store.
According to the study, revenue growth for small developers outpaced revenue growth for large developers, with earnings improving across all app categories. The study points out the opportunities provided by the App Store, such as tools that help developers reach a worldwide audience. Close to 80 percent of small developers are active on multiple storefronts and earn 40 percent of total app downloads from outside of their home country.
Developers have seen success over time, with the study suggesting that many apps earning over $1 million in 2022 started out as apps from small developers. 40 percent of these developers were not on the App Store or had less than $10,000 in earnings five years ago.
Apple has commissioned several App Store studies from Analysis Group as it faces growing pressure to open up iOS to sideloading and alternate app store options. The European Union, for example, is requiring Apple to allow apps to be installed outside of the App Store, functionality that Apple is rumored to be implementing in Europe in iOS 17.
In the United States, government officials are considering legislation that would let developers use non-Apple app stores and alternative in-app payment systems on iOS devices. Apple has been fighting these changes and studies like these from Analysis Group can be used to convince regulators and the public of the benefits of the App Store.
Apple has introduced security keys as an additional step to help users protect their Apple ID accounts. Keep reading to learn why the alternative authentication method is the most secure method available and what you need to do to set it up.
What Are Security Keys?
With the release of iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, and macOS Ventura 13.2, Apple introduced support for security keys, or physical devices that can verify your Apple ID instead of a passcode.
Apple designed the feature for people who require additional protection from targeted attacks, such as phishing or social engineering scams.
The extra protection that security keys provide means that if someone had your Apple ID and your password, they still would not be able to access your account without your physical security key, which replaces the traditional verification code provided by two-factor authentication.
How Do Security Keys Work?
With a security key enabled, signing into an Apple ID requires entering your account's password and then using a security key to complete the two-factor authentication process, instead of the traditional six-digit verification code that is sent to another Apple device signed into the same account.
Why It's Worth Using Security Keys
It's worth noting from the outset that using physical security keys puts the onus on you to be careful not to lose them, otherwise you could permanently lose access to your Apple account. This is why Apple requires users to set up at least two security keys, and supports up to six in total.
Having two physical security keys set up means you can keep them in more than one safe place. For example, you could keep one at home and one in your workplace, or you could keep one with you when traveling while the other one remains safe at home.
Once you have security keys set up, you can use them to sign in with your Apple ID on a new device or on the web, reset your Apple ID password, and add additional security keys or remove them from your account.
What You Can't Do With Security Keys
There are a few things worth noting that you can't do with security keys.
You can't use them to sign in to iCloud for Windows.
You can't sign in to older devices that can't be updated to a software version that supports security keys.
Security keys don't support child accounts and Managed Apple IDs.
Apple Watches that are paired with a family member's iPhone aren't supported.
Security Keys Worth Considering
Most security keys look similar to a typical USB thumb drive, with some options available with NFC for wireless use and others equipped with Lightning, USB-C, and/or USB-A ports for direct connectivity with iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
There are many options on the market when buying security keys, but the main things to consider when choosing one are that it is FIDO Certified and that it has a connector that works with your Apple devices. Some options recommended by Apple include:
Visit the FIDO Showcase website for a complete list of keys certified by the FIDO Alliance.
How to Enable Security Keys on iPhone and iPad
Launch the Settings app on your iOS device.
Tap your name in the Apple ID banner.
Tap Password & Security.
Tap Security Keys.
Tap the blue Add Security Keys button and follow the on-screen instructions.
You can remove security keys at any time by repeating the steps outlined above and tapping or clicking on Remove All Security Keys. Doing so causes your Apple ID to revert to using a traditional six-digit verification code for two-factor authentication.
How to Enable Security Keys on Mac
Click the Apple symbol () in your Mac's menu bar and choose System Settings….
Click your name at the top of the sidebar.
Click Password & Security.
In the "Security Keys" menu section, click Add…, then follow the onscreen instructions.
After following the above steps you will be given the opportunity to review the devices linked to your Apple ID, with options to stay signed in to or log out of any associated Apple devices.
You can stop using security keys on your Mac by going to System Settings -> [your name] -> Password & Security. Click Security Keys, then click Remove All Security Keys. Doing so causes your Apple ID to revert to using a traditional six-digit verification code for two-factor authentication.
Google today hosted its 15th annual I/O developer conference in Mountain View, California, highlighting advances in artificial intelligence, changes to Google Photos, updates to search, and more.
Pixel Fold
The Pixel Fold is Google's first foldable smartphone, and it's set to launch in late June. In terms of design, it is similar to the Galaxy Z Fold, as it opens from a smartphone form factor into a tablet form factor.
The Pixel Fold features a 7.6-inch display when unfolded, with a resolution of 2208 x 1840 and a 120Hz refresh rate. When folded, the Pixel Fold has a 5.8-inch display with a 2092 x 1080 resolution. It is powered by the latest Google Tensor chip, and is equipped with a 4,821mAh battery.
There are three cameras, including a 48-megapixel main camera, an ultrawide camera, and a telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. Other features include a fingerprint scanner built into the power button, facial recognition, IPX8 water resistance, and a 180-degree hinge mechanism at the edges. Preorders for the Pixel Fold are available today, and it is priced at $1,800.
Pixel Tablet and Pixel 7a
Alongside the Pixel Fold, Google today also introduced a new 11-inch Pixel Tablet and the more affordable Pixel 7a smartphone. The Pixel Tablet includes a Charging Speaker Dock that turns it into a smart home control hub, and it is priced at $499.
The Pixel 7a is a low-cost smartphone at $499, and it offers an alternative to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.
Google Photos
A new "Magic Editor" in Google Photos adds AI editing features, with select Pixel phones to get early access later in 2023. Magic Editor can make complex edits automatically, tweaking specific parts of an image to remove unwanted objects, changing composition by repositioning the subject, and updating elements like the sky.
Magic Editor can also create new content when repositioning an image to change the way cropping and resizing works, and it is functionality that is likely to expand beyond Pixel phones in the future.
Google Maps
Maps is gaining an updated Immersive View feature that uses AI to fuse Street View and aerial images together to create a digital model of the world for route planning purposes. It will show bike lanes, sidewalks, intersections, and parking for an entire trip, along with information on weather changes throughout the day. The feature will roll out in the coming months in select cities like San Francisco, Tokyo, LA, London, and New York.
AI
Artificial intelligence is a major focus at this year's I/O event with Google announcing several new initiatives.
Gmail - "Help Me Write," a generative AI feature, is being added to Gmail. It will be able to write emails for Gmail users when provided with a prompt such as requesting a refund from a company.
Bard - Bard, Google's AI chatbot, is open for anyone to use rather than limited to a small number of people. It is now using "PaLM 2," Google's next-generation language model that offers better multilingual, reasoning, and coding capabilities. In the near future, Bard will be able to provide rich visuals for queries and users will be able to add images to search prompts.
Search Labs - Search Labs is an experimental initiative that lets users engage with new AI-based search experiences. Search Generative Experience, for example, will bring generative AI directly to the search interface. There are a limited number of test spots that users can sign up for.
Tailwind - Project Tailwind is described as an "AI notebook" that is designed for students. It takes the information that's input and provides study guides in the form of questions and themes, plus it can organize the material in a way that facilitates studying. Tailwind is part of Search Labs.
MusicLM - MusicLM is designed to turn text descriptions that are input into music for quick songwriting. This is also part of Search Labs and available to a limited number of users.
Google Workspace - Duet AI for Google Workspace allows users to collaborate with AI on writing, creating images from text, turning data into insights, generating backgrounds for video calls, and more. There is a waitlist to use AI in Workspace.
Codey - Codey offers real-time code completion and generation, and it can be customized to a customer's codebase. It supports more than 20 coding languages, and can help with everything from creating code to debugging and documentation.
Imagen - Imagen can create images for businesses using text input.
Image Context
To combat "deep fake" images that are generated by AI, Google plans to provide more context for the images that are found through Google Search. Images will show context like when the image and similar images were initially indexed by Google, where an image first appeared, and where else it's been online.
Image information can be found by clicking on the three dots on an image in Google Images results, swiping up on an image in the Google app, or searching with an image in Google Lens.
Apple is losing yet another services executive, with TV+ lead Pete Distad set to depart the company, according to Bloomberg. Distad is in charge of the business and operations side of the Apple TV app, Apple TV+, and Apple's sports efforts.
He is responsible for establishing sports deals with Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball, and he has been working on Apple TV+ content deals since 2017. Distad works under Oliver Schusser, who reports to Eddy Cue.
With Distad leaving the company, Apple will promote Jim DeLorenzo for sports content, and is looking for a replacement to take over the TV business side.
Distad was initially hired in 2013, and before joining Apple, he was Hulu's senior vice president of marketing and distribution. Distad is the third services executive to leave the company in recent months, with his departure following services business head Peter Stern and cloud services lead Michael Abbott.
Today we're tracking a pair of discounts on Apple's 2022 13-inch MacBook Pro and 2020 MacBook Air on Amazon. With these deals you can get $199 off the notebooks, including the return of all-time low prices on both devices.
MacBook Air
Starting with the 2020 M1 MacBook Air, the 256GB model is on sale for the all-time low price of $799.99, down from $999.00. All three colors are available at this price, with delivery dates estimated for May 12 at the earliest.
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.
This version of the MacBook Air sports a tapered design and does not have the updated chassis of the newer M2 MacBook Air models. It has the M1 chip and a 13-inch Retina display, and today's sale matches the previous all-time low price seen on Amazon for the computer.
Moving to the 256GB 13-inch MacBook Pro, this model is on sale for $1,099.99 on Amazon, down from $1,299.00. This is a return of the all-time low price on this MacBook Pro, and the first time we've seen this low of a price on the 2022 13-inch MacBook Pro since last year.
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.
Secondly, the 512GB 13-inch MacBook Pro is on sale for $1,299.99, down from $1,499.00. This one is a solid second-best price on the MacBook Pro, and it's only available in Space Gray.
You can find even more discounts on other MacBooks by visiting our Best Deals guide for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. In this guide we track the steepest discounts for the newest MacBook models every week, so be sure to bookmark it and check back often if you're shopping for a new Apple notebook. Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.
Apple plans to release an iPhone with a microLED display in the future, according to a report today from supply chain publication DigiTimes. This display technology would allow for higher brightness, decreased power consumption, improved contrast ratio, and other benefits compared to current iPhones with OLED displays.
The paywalled report claims the Apple Watch Ultra will be the first Apple device to switch to microLED, followed by the iPhone and iPad:
Starting with Apple Watch, Apple plans to further introduce microLED display to iPhone and iPad. Some sources from IT industry forecast that Apple Watch Ultra will no longer use existing OLED display by end-2024 or 2025 as it will be replaced by Apple's self-developed microLED display.
With the Apple Watch Ultra not expected to use microLED until 2025, the first iPhone to adopt the technology is likely still several years away from launching. All four iPhone 15 models coming later this year are expected to stick with OLED displays.
In the meantime, Apple is still completing its transition to OLED displays. The first Apple device with an OLED display was the original Apple Watch, followed by the iPhone X, and the first iPad and Mac models with OLED displays are rumored to launch next year. The transition to microLED will likely follow a similar smaller-to-larger device trajectory.
Anker today has a collection of discounts on Amazon, offering savings on cables, USB-C accessories, wall chargers, Bluetooth speakers, and more. Many of these discounts will only run this week, so if you're interested be sure to place an order soon.
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.
Most of these deals require you to clip an on-page coupon in order to see the discounts at the checkout screen. There are multiple types of products on sale this time around, including Anker's SmartTrack line of Bluetooth trackers and the Eufy Security Smart Package Box at $199.99, down from $399.99.
Shazam was updated today with support for Apple Music Classical on the iPhone, allowing the two apps to work together for classical music.
Launched in March, the Apple Music Classical app offers over five million classical music tracks, and is included with an Apple Music subscription.
The release notes for version 15.33 of the Shazam app:
You can now open classical songs from Shazam in the Apple Music Classical app. Simply Shazam or search for a classical song, tap the menu icon on the track page and select "Open in Classical."
Apple acquired Shazam in 2018 for a reported $400 million and has since integrated the music identification service across its software platforms.
The release candidate version of macOS Ventura 13.4 fixes a frustrating content filter bug that was introduced in an earlier version of the macOS Ventura 13.4 beta, so users who install the macOS Ventura 13.4 public release next week will not need to worry about networking issues.
Last week's fourth beta caused macOS Ventura 13.4 not to work with content filtering apps like Little Snitch and Radio Silence. After installing the update, some users on the MacRumors forums and on Twitter had problems with network connectivity, and it turned out that firewall apps were the cause.
I've received word from multiple testers that the Ventura 13.4 RC release fixes the Network Content Filter issue.🎉👍 https://t.co/nLox64Mu48
— Mr. Macintosh (@ClassicII_MrMac) May 9, 2023
Disabling content filtering apps fixed the problem, but Apple has addressed the overall issue and now content filter apps work with the macOS Ventura 13.4 update.
macOS Ventura 13.4 and iOS 16.5 will be released to the public next week.
Just under a month ahead of WWDC, Apple has started notifying winners of this year's Swift Student Challenge, with applicants able to check their status on Apple's website. The lucky winners receive exclusive WWDC 2023 outerwear, AirPods Pro, a customized pin set, and one year of membership in the Apple Developer Program.
WWDC 2023 will be held online from June 5 through June 9, with sessions and other content to be made available on Apple's website and in the Apple Developer app free of charge. There will also be a special in-person day at Apple Park on June 5 for randomly selected developers to watch the keynote, enjoy evening activities, and more.
The annual challenge tasks students with creating a Swift Playgrounds project, and Apple judges submissions based on technical ability and creativity.
Apple is working on new Beats Studio Pro headphones, according to code found in the macOS Ventura 13.4 release candidate.
The headphones appear to have an A2924 model number, which is different from the model numbers for the upcoming Beats Studio Buds+ earphones. The Beats Studio Pro name was found by @aaronp613.
Based on the name, the Beats Studio Pro will be a new version of the current Beats Studio3 headphones. The Beats Studio3 are several years old at this point, and there have been no new Beats-branded over-ear headphones launched since 2017.
Apple appears to be developing the Beats Studio Pro headphones in collaboration with Samuel Ross of A-Cold-Wall. The design looks to be largely identical to the Beats Studio3 headphones, but Apple will likely add internal improvements to justify the "Pro" moniker.
There could be an updated Apple-designed chip, as the Studio3 continue to use the old W1 chip, along with improved Active Noise Cancellation and the addition of a Transparency Mode. Apple also plans to add "Hey Siri" support, a feature that is not available in the current Studio3 headphones. The new Beats Studio Pro headphones will likely see a launch later in the year as new Beats often show up in iOS and macOS weeks or months ahead of launch.
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 updates to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the launch of the fourth betas. The release candidates represent the final version of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 that will be provided to the public.
Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option and toggling on the iOS 16/iPadOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.
iOS 16.5 adds a Sports tab in the Apple News app, making it easier to access sports-focused content. You can choose to follow your favorite teams to get updates on a regular basis. Apple's full release notes for the update are below.
This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
- A new Pride Celebration wallpaper for the Lock Screen to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture - Sports tab in Apple News gives easy access to stories, scores, standings, and more, for the teams and leagues you follow - My Sports score and schedule cards in Apple News take you directly to game pages where you can find additional details about specific games - Fixes an issue where Spotlight may become unresponsive - Addresses an issue where Podcasts in CarPlay may not load content - Fixes an issue where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
Apple says that iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 will be released next week.
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming watchOS 9.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software update coming two weeks after the launch of the fourth watchOS 9.5 beta. The RC represents the final version of watchOS 9.5 that will be provided to the public.
To install the watchOS 9.5 update, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center.
Once installed, watchOS 9.5 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update. To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it has to be placed on the charger, and it will need to be in range of the iPhone it is paired with.
watchOS 9.5 adds the simplified beta installation method that was first introduced in iOS 16.4. With the update, developers and public beta testers enrolled in Apple's respective programs can toggle on beta updates from the Software Update section of the Watch app on iPhone. An Apple ID associated with either a public beta account or a developer account is required to turn on beta updates.
The update also include bug fixes and the new Pride Celebration watch face that was announced earlier today.
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming tvOS 16.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the launch of the fourth tvOS 16.5 beta.
Registered developers are able to download the tvOS 16.5 update by downloading a profile on the Apple TV using Xcode.
tvOS updates are usually minor, focusing on internal bug fixes and improvements rather than notable outward-facing changes. There is no word as of yet what's included in the tvOS 16.5 update, but we'll update this article if we find anything new.
Apple shares some information on tvOS releases in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each tvOS launch.
Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.
Apple says that the Weather app may be slow or unavailable for some users, and that the outage has been ongoing since 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
There have been reports of issues with the Weather app all day, though not all users are impacted. There was previously a major Weather outage in April that prevented the app from displaying data.
Apple today seeded the release candidate (RC) version of macOS Ventura 13.4 to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the launch of the fourth beta. The RC represents the final version of macOS Ventura 13.4 that will be provided to the public.
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and after the appropriate profile is installed, with the betas available through the Software Update mechanism in System Settings.
According to Apple's release notes, the update adds a Sports feed in the sidebar of Apple News and it addresses several bugs, including one that would prevent the Mac Auto Unlock feature from working with the Apple Watch.
macOS Ventura 13.4 includes the following enhancements and bug fixes: - Sports feed in the sidebar of Apple News gives easy access to stories, scores, standings, and more, for the teams and leagues you follow - My Sports score and schedule cards in Apple News take you directly to game pages where you can find additional details about specific games - Resolves an issue where Auto Unlock with Apple Watch does not log you into your Mac - Fixes a Bluetooth issue where keyboards connect slowly to Mac after restarting - Addresses a VoiceOver issue with navigating to landmarks on webpages - Fixes an issue where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices
Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices. For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
macOS 13.4 also adds the simplified beta installation method that was first introduced in iOS 16.4. With the update, developers and public beta testers enrolled in Apple's respective programs can toggle on beta updates from System Settings on the Mac, without the need to install a profile.
An Apple ID associated with either a public beta account or a developer account is required to turn on beta updates, which means that it is no longer possible to use a developer profile not associated with a developer account to install the developer betas.
Apple's upcoming AR/VR headset could run the Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro software that Apple created for audio and video professionals, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said today.
In a tweet, Gurman said that there's a "very real possibility" that the headset will eventually run Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. Gurman's comment comes following Apple's announcement of new versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro designed for the iPad.
Given that the Apple headset and xrOS will run iPadOS apps, there’s a very real possibility the device will (eventually) run Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro as well. More details on how the headset will work here: https://t.co/6cAnx3mMSC
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) May 9, 2023
The iPad versions of the apps have been long-desired by content creators for video editing on the go, and Apple is finally making it happen. Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are set to be released on the iPad on May 23.
Gurman previously said that the headset would run iPad apps adapted to the headset, with thousands of existing iPad apps to also be available through the 3D interface of the device. Apple may need to tweak the iPad versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro to work on xrOS, the operating system that runs on the headset, but that could already be in the works.
Apple is expected to introduce the headset at 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference keynote event, set to take place on June 5.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Verizon and Amazon. 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.
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.
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.
