MacRumors

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with BluShark to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an aluminum Apple Watch Series 7 and a BluShark Apple Watch band to go along with it. The Apple Watch Series 7 is the newest Apple Watch, and it has a larger display, fast charging, and better durability.

BluShark has a large selection of Apple Watch bands available in materials that include Leather, Silicone, Cordura, Knit Weave, Canvas, and an AlphaPremier seatbelt weave. All of the bands are affordable, ranging in price from $18 to $78, and there are designs for both 38/40/41mm models and the larger 42/44/45mm models. Each band comes with Apple Watch lugs in silver, space gray, or black.

Leather bands from BluShark come in a range of attractive styles and colors. The Rally band, for example, has a perforated design and comes in brown, black, and red, while Italian Calfskin Leather bands are available in blue, black, and gray.

BluShark's Leather Basics bands come in vintage gray, vintage brown, and saddle brown, and each of these has an attractive weathered look and a soft leather design that makes them comfortable to wear. There are also Two Switch Leather Bands with a classic look.

BluShark's Cordura bands use ultra strong and lightweight Cordura fabric, which is wear resistant and will hold up over time. They're thinly padded with leather so they're comfortable to wear, and they come in colors like pink, silver, blue, black, gray, and orange.

The CanvaSoft bands are made from a soft canvas material that's meant to provide a rugged canvas look without the stiffness that's normally associated with canvas watch bands. They're 1.9mm thick and designed to be soft and pliable.

The Knit Weave Bands are available in attractive two-tone striped designs and are made from a nylon weave that provides a texture that resembles a knit fabric. BluShark says these bands are designed to create a complex depth of color.

BluShark's AlphaPremier bands are made from a soft, supple seatbelt weave nylon and are modeled after BluShark's original AlphaPremier bands for traditional watches. The straps are dual-layer and held in place with nylon keepers, with the band available in black and white, black and red, black, navy blue, and gray.

Silicone bands are BluShark's most affordable offering at $18, with both textured and smooth options available. Silicone bands come in gray, blue, black/yellow, orange, and white pearl.

We have one aluminum Apple Watch Series 7 to give away, with the winner to select the size and color. The winner will also receive a BluShark band of their choice.

To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (November 5) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on November 12. The winner will be chosen randomly on November 12 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

Apple has fixed an issue that could cause some Intel Macs with a T2 chip to fail to boot up after macOS Monterey was installed, Apple said in a statement. There was a problem with the firmware on the Apple T2 security chip that prevented some users from being able start their Macs after updating to the macOS Monterey software.

Apple says that a BridgeOS firmware update is now included with the existing macOS updates to prevent further failures, and users already impacted by the issue should contact Apple Support for assistance with their machines.

Following the launch of macOS Monterey, there were multiple reports from users who found their Macs bricked after updating. Affected users were unable to turn their Macs on, an issue that affected models with a T2 security chip that powers things like Touch ID. Macs with M-series chips were not affected as they do not have a separate T2 chip. Macs with a T2 chip were manufactured between 2017 and 2020, with a list available below.

• iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
• ‌iMac‌ Pro
• Mac Pro (2019)
• ‌Mac Pro‌ (Rack, 2019)
• Mac mini (2018)
• MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
• ‌MacBook Air‌ (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
• ‌MacBook Air‌ (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
• MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)

Intel Mac users will no longer run into this issue now that new firmware has been released to address the problem, but those who already have a dead Mac will need help from Apple to get their devices up and running again.

With Apple's long-awaited new MacBook Pro now available, there are early signs of what we could expect from the MacBook Pro going forward as the company iterates on its major 2021 redesign.

Following a major redesign year, the MacBook Pro has typically received smaller annual updates. For example, following 2016's MacBook Pro redesign, subsequent models introduced new processors, GPUs, tweaked keyboards, Bluetooth 5.0, the T2 chip, True Tone, and larger batteries.

At this early stage, there are at least four substantial upgrades on the cards for future MacBook Pro models.

Face ID

Although Apple executives recently claimed that Touch ID is more convenient on the MacBook Pro, the company is believed to have been working on Face ID for the Mac for some time. Apple purportedly originally planned to introduce Face ID for the Mac on 2021's 24-inch iMac, but the feature was apparently delayed for a later iteration of the machine.

‌Face ID‌ is believed to be coming to the Mac within "a couple of years." Now that the MacBook Pro has a notch, it seems that the groundwork is in place to add a TrueDepth camera array to enable ‌Face ID‌ in the future.

M2 Pro and M2 Max

"M2 Pro" and "‌M2‌ Max" will presumably succeed Apple's M1 Pro and M1 Max custom silicon chips. Just as the ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ are scaled-up versions of the M1 chip, the ‌M2‌ Pro and ‌M2‌ Max will likely be based on the "M2" chip.

The ‌M2‌ chip is expected to debut in the 2022 redesigned MacBook Air. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the chip will have the same 8-core CPU as the ‌‌M1‌‌. It is expected to have additional GPU cores, with 9 and 10-core GPU options, up from the 7 and 8-core GPU options in the original ‌‌M1‌‌ chip. There may also be speed and efficiency improvements due to the chip being built on a smaller node.

Following the way that the ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ built on the ‌M1‌ chip, the ‌M2‌ Pro and ‌M2‌ Max could feature the same number of CPU cores as their predecessors, but add GPU cores and benefit from overall speed and efficiency improvements.

A recent report from The Information laid out the alleged roadmap for Apple silicon in the coming years, and explained that Apple is working on successors to the ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ chip that feature more cores and are manufactured with an enhanced version of TSMC's 5nm process.

Further in the future, those second-generation chips will apparently be succeeded by MacBook Pro chips with up to 40 compute cores that are fabricated using TSMC's 3nm process by 2023.

OLED Displays

Apple is said to be developing two-stack OLED displays for multiple future devices, including MacBook Pro models, that are up to two-times brighter.

An OLED display could come to the 16.2-inch MacBook Pro first, potentially launching as soon as 2022 according to one report. The panels may be manufactured by Samsung.

The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models made the switch to mini-LED technology this year, so it would be unusual for Apple to change to another display technology within one iteration. Nevertheless, it seems that an OLED MacBook Pro is likely for the coming years, bringing higher brightness, improved contrast, and deeper blacks with no blooming effect.

5G Connectivity

Apple has apparently developed "underlying Mac support" for cellular connectivity, according to Gurman. While this rumor originated from a report about the next-generation MacBook Air, it seems inevitable that if the MacBook Air is set to get cellular connectivity, the feature will also come to the MacBook Pro.

Apple is in the process of rolling out 5G to its cellular-enabled devices, with the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPad Pro, and iPad mini now offering the next-generation connectivity. Apple currently relies on Qualcomm, but the company is believed to be working on its own custom modem that is set to appear in iPhones as soon as 2023. It is not unreasonable to speculate that this custom modem could also be the basis of 5G connectivity in the MacBook Pro within a similar timeframe.

Release Date

There is as yet no sign of when we could see an updated high-end MacBook Pro launch, but mid- to late 2022 or early to mid-2023 seem like reasonable guesses.

In previous years, Apple typically updated the MacBook Pro every year. Things have not been so clear-cut in recent times, however. The 16-inch MacBook Pro was announced in November 2019, and went without an update for a year and 11 months. The previous, 13-inch high-end MacBook Pro was updated in July 2019, May 2020, and then replaced by the 14-inch model last month.

Now that the MacBook Pro features Apple silicon, it is not clear if there will be a completely different launch timetable for the MacBook Pro. It is possible that since the 2021 MacBook Pro models appeared to have been delayed for several months, an updated model could be coming within less than a year. Apple is no longer reliant on Intel to update the processors in its machines, meaning that there could be a more regular update cycle akin to the ‌iPhone‌.

At the same time, the semiconductor shortage, backordered deliveries, and late-stage launch of the current model may push out the launch of a successor. The scale of the most recent redesign and the performance of the ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ may also make the company more willing to keep the current machine around for longer.

Today we're tracking new sales on numerous models of Apple's AirPods, starting with the AirPods with Wired Charging Case for $114.99, down from $159.00. This sale is also being matched at Walmart and at Target.

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

This beats last week's deal by about $5, and overall it's the second-best price we've tracked on this model of the AirPods. This model has begun to see low prices as Apple just launched the newest AirPods with the AirPods 3, but if you're okay not owning the latest version, the AirPods 2 are still a great purchase.

Secondly, you can get the AirPods 2 with Wireless Charging Case at Walmart, priced at $129.98, down from $199.00. This is a match of the all-time low price on this model of the AirPods 2, and right now only Walmart has the sale.

Next, Apple's new AirPods Pro with MagSafe Charging Case are available for $189.99 at Amazon, down from $249.00, which continues to be the best price we've seen on this model. It is being matched at Target as well.

The AirPods Max remain on sale for $479.00 in all colors on Amazon, down from $549.00. We tracked a sale to as low as $449.00 on the AirPods Max earlier in the year, but today's sale has been the most consistent deal over the past few months.

Lastly, if you want the newest AirPods, Amazon does have the AirPods 3 at a discounted price, although a very slight one. You can get the newest AirPods model for $174.98, down from $179.00.

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.

The Information's Wayne Ma today shared alleged details about future Apple silicon chips that will succeed the first-generation M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max chips, which are manufactured based on Apple chipmaking partner TSMC's 5nm process.

The report claims that Apple and TSMC plan to manufacture second-generation Apple silicon chips using an enhanced version of TSMC's 5nm process, and the chips will apparently contain two dies, which can allow for more cores. These chips will likely be used in the next MacBook Pro models and other Mac desktops, the report says.

Apple is planning a "much bigger leap" with its third-generation chips, some of which will be manufactured with TSMC's 3nm process and have up to four dies, which the report says could translate into the chips having up to 40 compute cores. For comparison, the M1 chip has an 8-core CPU and the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips have 10-core CPUs, while Apple's high-end Mac Pro tower can be configured with up to a 28-core Intel Xeon W processor.

The report cites sources who expect TSMC to be able to reliably manufacture 3nm chips by 2023 for use in both Macs and iPhones. The third-generation chips are codenamed Ibiza, Lobos, and Palma, according to the report, and it's likely they will debut in higher-end Macs first, such as future 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. A less powerful third-generation chip is also said to be planned for a future MacBook Air.

Meanwhile, the report says the next Mac Pro will use a variant of the M1 Max chip with at least two dies, as part of the first generation of Apple silicon chips.

Facebook, now rebranded to Meta, is looking to open physical retail stores where customers will be able to experience the wide range of products it has to offer, such as Oculus headsets, in a "welcoming" and "judgment-free" experience, according to a new report from The New York Times.

The report says that Facebook executives began floating the idea of a physical retail store last year, but following the company's rebrand to "Meta," the project is now gaining a little more steam. Early designs of the store showcase a minimal and modern design, according to The New York Times, with Meta wanting customers to feel curious and close. The company has considered a few names for its chain of stores, with "Facebook Store" being a top preference.

The aim of the stores is to make the world "more open and connected," according to the company documents viewed by The Times. They are also intended to spark emotions like "curiosity, closeness," as well as a sense of feeling "welcomed" while experimenting with headsets in a "judgment-free journey," according to the documents.

Early designs for Meta's stores appeared modern, with a flat, minimalist aesthetic to the building exteriors and subtle placement of the Facebook brand, according to the documents. The company considered naming its stores Facebook Hub, Facebook Commons, Facebook Innovations, Facebook Reality Store and From Facebook, before eventually settling on the Facebook Store as a leading candidate, the documents said.

Facebook's rebrand to Meta comes as part of Mark Zuckerberg's vision of transforming Facebook into not only a social media company, but also a metaverse company. Zuckerberg said the rename had laid the groundwork for the next chapter of his company's history. While now renamed to Meta, Facebook's app will continue to be called Facebook, as will the service itself. Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger will also remain unchanged.

If Meta moves forward with opening a physical retail store, which the report says would be in Burlingame, California, it would be the first physical manifestation of Meta, which boasts more than 3.5 billion digital users around the world. The "Facebook Store" will let people try a range of Oculus products, which will be renamed to Meta as part of the rebrand. Products such as the Oculus Quest will be renamed the Meta Quest.

Earlier this week, possibly in an attempt to sway public opinion and scrutiny, Facebook said it would stop facial recognition on 1 billion users, and delete all of the current data it has. A few days later, Meta clarified that it itself, as the "metaverse" company, will not be doing the same. Instead, Meta is already "exploring ways to incorporate biometrics into its emerging metaverse business."

Peloton has become the latest company to blame Apple's ad-related privacy changes in iOS for negatively impacting its business, according to a new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Best known for its at-home exercise equipment and online fitness classes, Peloton blamed the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) rules Apple introduced in iOS 14.5 for making it more difficult to add new subscriptions to its services by targeting online shoppers based on their interests.

The company made the claim this week in its latest earnings call, in which it cited slower than expected post-pandemic economic re-openings, before cutting its annual revenue forecast by as much as $1 billion, while lowering its projections for subscribers and profit margins.

Peloton said it now expects sales of $4.4 billion to $4.8 billion in the fiscal year ending June 2022, down from the $5.4 billion it predicted less than three months ago.

On devices running iOS 14.5 and later, Apple requires that apps ask for users' permission to track them across other apps and websites. Under its ATT framework, users are able to choose whether they wish to be tracked for ads or other marketing purposes.

"Some apps have trackers embedded in them that are taking more data than they need," Apple explains in a promotional video. "Sharing it with third parties, like advertisers and data brokers... This has been happening without your knowledge or permission. Your information is for sale. You have become the product."

Apple was on the receiving end of similar complaints last month from Mark Zuckerberg, who blamed Apple's privacy changes for lower-than-expected quarterly growth during an earnings call for Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook. The Meta CEO claimed the changes "not only [negatively affect] our business, but millions of small businesses in what is already a difficult time for them in the economy."

According to one report, Apple has cost social media companies including Meta, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube, nearly $10 billion in revenue in the second half of 2021. But Peloton has more to be concerned about when it comes to Apple, which this week expanded Fitness+, its own home fitness service offering, to 15 additional countries.

Peloton shares have dropped nearly 20% since Apple showcased new Apple Fitness+ features at its September event. In a clear sign of investor unease at Apple's creep into the fitness market, reports earlier in the week linked a dip in Peloton shares to a patent approval for Apple's Fitness+ app, which features HIIT, Yoga, Core, and other workouts taught by trainers, similar to Peloton classes.

Twitter on iOS is now rolling out the ability for users to more easily search for tweets from a specific account, using a new search field that appears on an account's page.

The feature, which was first spotted on Twitter, offers users a much easier way to search for tweets from a specific user. While the ability was previously possible using the standard Twitter search field, the new search field is more straightforward and logical.

Twitter is testing several new features for users, including a new change that would see the Twitter timeline go edge-to-edge for photos and videos on iOS. That change is being tested with a small group of users, and it's currently unknown if it will be released to all Twitter users on iOS.

DJI today announced the launch of the Mavic 3, a followup to the company's Mavic 2 drone. DJI says that the Mavic 3 represents the "most comprehensive improvement" to the Mavic lineup in three years, with performance boosts for every function.

A foldable drone like its predecessor, the Mavic 3 features a dual-camera system with a 28x hybrid zoom lens and a 24mm Hasselblad lens with a 4/3 sensor. The Hasselblad lens can capture 20-megapixel still images and 5.1K video at 50 frames per second, or 4K video at 120 frames per second for slow motion footage.

The improved image sensor offers higher video resolution and cuts down on noise in low-light environments, and it has an adjustable aperture of f/2.8 to f/11. The secondary camera has a 162mm telephoto lens with an f/4.4 aperture for zoomed in shots. The Mavic 3 Cine, a version of the Mavic 3 with Apple ProRes 422 HQ encoding, is designed to meet post-production needs and it comes equipped with a 1TB SSD.

There are omnidirectional obstacle sensors with a 200-meter range available on the Mavic 3 that include six fish-eye sensors and two wide-angle sensors to avoid objects even in complicated environments.

There's an upgraded ActiveTrack 5.0 feature for improved tracking, and the Mavic 3 uses a positioning algorithm that incorporates signals from GPS, GLONASS, and BeiDou satellites. An integrated AirSense system warns drone pilots about nearby planes and helicopters, and there are geofencing alerts when near sensitive locations.

Redesigned batteries offer up to 46 minutes of flight time in ideal conditions before a recharge is required thanks to more efficient motors and propellers. The Mavic 3 also produces 35 percent less drag than prior models for faster top speeds. Other new features include a more advanced Return to Home system and an upgraded transmission system for clearer video transmission even in challenging conditions.

There are several new accessories coming out alongside the Mavic 3, including a new smart controller with an extended transmission distance, a 65W portable fast charger, a Convertible Carrying Bag, a Wide-Angle lens with a 108 degree field of view, and more.

DJI selling the Mavic 3 on its website starting today. The standard version is priced at $2,199, while a Fly More Combo with extra accessories and batteries is priced at $2,999. The Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo with 1TB SSD and Apple ProRes 422 HQ video recording is priced at $4,999.

Apple today sent out an email to Apple Card owners, encouraging them to sign up a family member using the Apple Card Family feature.

New users who join an ‌Apple Card‌ holder's account by November 30, 2021 can receive $10 in Daily Cash after making their first purchase with ‌Apple Card‌ within 30 days of signing up.

Introduced earlier this year, ‌Apple Card‌ Family is designed to allow up to five family members to be added to an ‌Apple Card‌ user's account. ‌Apple Card‌ Family permits one co-owner, who is considered a joint card holder. The co-owner and the main ‌Apple Card‌ user can build credit together, manage the ‌Apple Card‌ account together, and share a combined credit limit.

Children and young adults over the age of 13 can also be added to ‌Apple Card‌ as participants, allowing them to use the ‌Apple Card‌ holder's credit to make purchases. ‌Apple Card‌ owners can set a spending limit for participants, allowing kids to learn about credit without overspending.

More about ‌Apple Card‌ Family is available on the Apple Card website, and new participants can be added on the iPhone by the account holder.

If you're the proud owner of a new MacBook Pro, all things considered, gaming probably wasn't at the top of your priority list when you made the expensive purchase. Even so, when you're not doing resource-hungry work on your new high-end Mac, you can still have some fun with all that power under the hood. Granted, Macs aren't revered for their triple-A games catalog, but there are some popular titles worth firing up on your new machine, and you might just be surprised at how well they play.

The following titles offer a taster of the gaming performance that Apple's latest M1 Pro and M1 Max chips can achieve, in some cases running code that isn't even optimized for Apple silicon. And with a little bit of luck, these impressive results might excite games developers and publishers enough for them to see the potential power of Apple's processors, and for us to see more triple-A titles ported to the Mac platform in future.

1. Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is one of the most high-performing games on Apple's custom chip architecture, despite not being an optimized Mac port that takes advantage of the macOS Metal graphics API. To play the game on Apple silicon, you need to run it through Apple's Rosetta translation layer.

Even so, the ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ chips make light work of processing the complex outdoor environments and large draw distances of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, even when using the "High" graphics preset at 1080p, with the game averaging 50-60 frames per second on a 14-inch MacBook Pro with an ‌M1 Pro‌ chip.

As demonstrated by YouTuber MrMacRight, on a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an ‌M1 Max‌ chip, frame rates almost double at the same settings, while at 1140p resolution it's possible to achieve a sustained 50-60fps on the more powerful MacBook Pro chip if you switch the graphics to medium.

2. Metro Exodus

One of the more recent triple-A game ports to macOS, Metro Exodus is one of the most impressive looking first-person shooters currently available on the Mac, and also one of the best performing on Apple silicon.

Even though the game requires Apple's Rosetta translation layer to run, the integrated graphics cores in the ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ chips are well-equipped to deal with the effects-laden game engine, which makes extensive use of light and dark environments to deliver its blend of deadly combat, stealthy exploration, and survival horror. Frame rates average 40-50fps in native 1440p resolution on both chips, and run just shy of 100fps at 1080p.

3. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Another macOS port that is still x86-only and therefore requires Arm translation via Rosetta, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is one of the more demanding games to come over to macOS, and Macs powered by Apple's first-generation M1 chip still struggle to run it at decent graphical settings.

However, with an ‌M1 Max‌ chip, the game can achieve an average of 70-80fps at 1080p resolution on High graphical settings, with an ‌M1 Pro‌ machine hitting around 50-60fps at the same settings. Switch to 1440p resolution and Deus Ex still manages a respectable (and highly playable) 45-55fps on ‌M1 Max‌.

4. A Total War Saga: Troy

Another Feral-developed title, A Total War Saga: Troy is the latest in the Total War RTS series and these games are traditionally considered CPU-intensive because of the sprawling land battles that need to be computed in real time.

Fortunately, Troy runs natively on Apple silicon, and the ‌M1 Max‌ clearly leverages the optimized code and achieves some blistering frame rates. At 1080p on high settings, the game consistently exceeds 100fps, while the ‌M1 Pro‌ manages 60-70fps at the same resolution.

5. Baldur's Gate 3

Role-playing game Baldur's Gate 3 may not be officially released, but an early access version is available, which makes its performance on the latest MacBook Pro models all the more impressive given that the game isn't even finished yet.

Happily, the triple-A title runs natively on Apple silicon, and in 1080p resolution on Ultra settings, both the 14-inch ‌M1 Pro‌ and 16-inch ‌M1 Max‌ consistently hit 90-100fps.

At 1440p resolution, the action still regularly exceeds 100fps on an ‌M1 Max‌ machine where the ‌M1 Pro‌ sometimes flounders, fluctuating between 20-45fps. Even at 4K resolution on the "Ultra" graphics preset, the game stays in the buttery smooth 50-60fps zone on an ‌M1 Max‌ 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Other Titles Worth Considering

These are just some of the Mac games that enjoy increased performance on the new MacBook Pros. Other titles worth checking out include CounterStrike: GO, Hitman, Borderlands 3, and Fortnite.

If you're conversant with CrossOver, the compatibility layer that converts Windows graphics API calls into macOS compatible API calls, we've also heard titles like Witcher 3 and Grand Theft Auto V benefit from the extra graphics cores found in Apple's latest ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ chips.

Have you found a game, new or old, that plays exceptionally well on the new MacBook Pros? Let us know in the comments.

AT&T and Verizon are delaying the rollout of a new 5G band in order to address concerns about interference with aircraft safety systems, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The two companies were set to launch C-Band spectrum on December 5. The C-band covers radio frequencies between 3.7GHz and 4.2GHz, and it is key for the expansion of 5G networks. AT&T and Verizon are now working with the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure there will be no interference, delaying the 5G deployment until January 5.

On Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning [PDF] about potential 5G interference with radar altimeters, technology used measure a plane's distance from the ground. In the document, the FAA confirms that there have not been "proven reports" about equipment interference in countries where the spectrum is already available, but the agency still has concerns.

The FAA is asking radio altimeter manufacturers to submit equipment details on devices that are used in airplanes, and it has suggested that companies who produce radio altimeters do detailed testing to determine if the hardware is susceptible to interference from C-band spectrum. Aircraft manufacturers have been asked to submit data on the radio altimeters that are in use and to do their own interference testing.

The CTIA, a trade group representing the wireless industry, has said that C-band spectrum can be safely used without causing interference to aviation equipment, but aviation groups have said that the 5G expansion could result in "major disruptions to passenger air travel, commercial transport, and critical helicopter operations."

AT&T spokesperson Margeret Boles said in a statement that AT&T plans to work with the FCC and FAA to understand the interference concerns. "It is critical that these discussions be informed by the science and the data," she said. "That is the only path to enabling experts and engineers to assess whether any legitimate coexistence issues exist."

An inability to replace the iPhone 13's display without breaking Face ID could have a major impact on companies that offer iPhone repairs, iFixit said today in an article advocating for Right to Repair laws.

iFixit first pointed out this repair issue in its ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro teardown, and has confirmed it with multiple tests. Replacing the display of the ‌iPhone 13‌ renders ‌Face ID‌ non-functional, so at-home repairs are not an option. Swapping an ‌iPhone 13‌'s display with a display from a new ‌iPhone 13‌ results in an error message that says "Unable to activate ‌Face ID‌ on this ‌iPhone‌."

An ‌iPhone‌ display repair, which could previously be done with hand-held tools, now requires a microscope and microsoldering tools or access to Apple's Independent Repair Provider Program, which repair shops have criticized for its "draconian" contracts and requirements.

At issue is a small microcontroller that pairs the ‌iPhone 13‌ to its display. Apple does not have a tool that allows ‌iPhone‌ owners or repair shops not affiliated with Apple to pair a new screen to an ‌iPhone 13‌. Authorized technicians who do work with Apple need to use Apple Services Toolkit 2 to log a repair to Apple's cloud services, thereby syncing the serial numbers of the ‌iPhone‌ and the display.

Some repair shops have found a workaround, but it is difficult and work intensive. A soldered chip must be moved from the original screen to the replacement, which iFixit says is "completely unprecedented" as screen repair is "incredibly common" and accounts for a good amount of the revenue that independent repair shops bring in.

iFixit says that Apple's decision to disable ‌Face ID‌ with a screen repair could cause small repair outlets to shut down, spend thousands on new equipment, or lose out on Apple repairs. The site also does not believe that the ‌Face ID‌ repair issue is an accident, as Apple has previously introduced similar repair restrictions for Touch ID, True Tone functionality with display repairs, and ‌iPhone‌ 12 cameras.

Technically, yes: Face ID failure could be a very specific hardware bug for one of the most commonly replaced components, one that somehow made it through testing, didn't get fixed in a major software update, and just happens to lock out the kind of independent repair from which the company doesn't profit.

More likely, though, is that this is a strategy, not an oversight. This situation makes AppleCare all but required for newer iPhones, unless you happen to know that your local repair shop is ready for the challenge. Or you simply plan to never drop your phone.

Other independent repair shops that iFixit spoke to believe that Apple has implemented this change in an effort to "thwart a customer's ability to repair," directing ‌iPhone‌ owners to Apple retail locations or Apple Authorized Service Providers for help with their displays.

With the ‌iPhone‌ 12, camera repairs initially required Apple's proprietary system configuration tool to function properly, and cameras that were replaced were non-functional. Apple addressed this issue with an update that notifies customers that the camera in their device might not be genuine, but doesn't disable it entirely. Apple could do something similar for ‌Face ID‌ in a future update, but it's not clear yet if that will happen.

Customers with an ‌iPhone 13‌ would be best served by visiting an Apple Authorized Service Provider or an Apple Store for any kind of repair due to the difficulty of display replacements and the potential for ‌Face ID‌ failure. Without AppleCare+, display repairs are expensive, priced between $229 to $329 for Apple's ‌iPhone 13‌ models.

Apple will no longer require customers to wear a mask to enter many of its retail stores in the United States, reports Bloomberg. Mask mandates will disappear at several stores starting on Friday due to positive trends in vaccinations and declining COVID-19 cases.

More than 100 stores will drop the mask mandate starting Friday, with the policy then expanding to additional stores based on local COVID-19 data. Apple has 270 stores in the United States. Apple shared the new policy with employees in a memo that was obtained by Bloomberg.

After careful review, the Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) team, along with leadership, have determined it's safe to update our guidance on masks for customers in your store. The positive trends in vaccinations, testing, and case counts for your area have made this change possible.

Customers will be able to enter Apple retail locations vaccinated or unvaccinated, and Apple will not require proof of vaccination. In areas like Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area where mask wearing is still mandated, masks will still need to be worn in Apple Stores.

Though Apple is dropping mask mandates for customers in some areas, Apple employees will need to continue to wear masks at this time.

Apple says that it plans to continue to monitor local guidance and COVID data throughout the holiday season, making adjustments as required.

Twelve South today announced the launch of the ActionBand, a new Apple Watch band option created for fitness enthusiasts. The ActionBand is designed for workouts, and it encompasses the Apple Watch in a soft, terry cotton material.

The cotton of the ActionBand is meant to keep the Apple Watch tight on the wrist for heart rate measurements, and it also is sweat absorbent. It is made with lycra, and Twelve South says that it can be worn at the wrist or the forearm.

Twelve South ships the ActionBand with one cuff that's designed for the Apple Watch and one plain cuff for the other wrist for a matching fit. The ActionBand is available as of today and it's priced at $29.99.

Apple has redesigned its Apple ID website, introducing an entirely new look that's much more modern and clean than the prior design that was used.

The Apple ID landing page has been updated with a new dot and Apple logo design, along with information on what the ‌Apple ID‌ website can be used for. The prior design was graphics heavy, featuring a large banner with people using various Apple devices.

Logging in to the ‌Apple ID‌ website presents all of the available ‌Apple ID‌ management options in a card-style view, plus there are navigation options on the left.

The card view offers information at a glance, like your ‌Apple ID‌, your notification email, whether you have two-factor authentication enabled, and the last time that your password was updated. Clicking through the navigation options brings up more info like your name, birthday, reachable email addresses, device list, payment options, and more.

The entire website is simple, responsive, and easy to navigate, and it's quicker than the prior website. The new look is a definite improvement over the previous design for those who need to manage their Apple IDs on the web. The new website design can be found at https://appleid.apple.com/.

The South Korean government recently passed a law that bans Apple and Google from requiring developers to use their in-app purchase systems in the App Store and Google Play respectively, and Google has now announced changes to comply with the law.

In a blog post, Google said it will be giving developers the option to add an alternative in-app billing system alongside the Play Store's billing system for Android smartphone and tablet users in South Korea. Google said the users will be able to choose which billing system to use at checkout, as seen in the example image above, and the company plans to provide developers with more details "in the coming weeks and months."

Google still plans to charge a service fee on in-app purchases completed through an alternative billing system, but it will reduce the fee by four percentage points. For the "vast majority" of developers, this means the fee will drop from 15% for transactions through Google Play's billing system to 11% for transactions through an alternate billing system.

"Like any business, we need to have a sustainable model to continue to improve our products while maintaining important user protections," said Google, in explaining why it charges a service fee on the Google Play store. "Just as it costs developers money to build an app, it costs us money to build and maintain an operating system and app store that makes those apps easily and safely accessible by consumers."

Google also warned that alternative billing systems may not offer the same security and privacy protections as Google Play's billing system.

Apple meanwhile has yet to make any changes to App Store billing in South Korea. The company previously said the law "will put users who purchase digital goods from other sources at risk of fraud, undermine their privacy protections, [and] make it difficult to manage their purchases," while making parental controls less effective.

In October, Apple told the South Korean government that it was "already in compliance with the new law and did not need to change its app store policy," according to Reuters. We've reached out to Apple for comment and we'll update this story if we hear back.