MacRumors

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a faster M2 chip launches this Friday. Ahead of time, early reviews of the notebook have been shared by some YouTube channels and media outlets, offering a hands-on look at the performance improvements.

The only notable change to the 13-inch MacBook Pro is the M2 chip, which features an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. Apple said the M2 chip has up to an 18% faster CPU, up to a 35% faster GPU, and up to a 40% faster Neural Engine compared to the M1 chip. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro features the same design as the previous model, including the Touch Bar and two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the left side of the machine.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro's headphone jack has also gained support for high-impedance headphones, in line with the 14-inch and 16-inch models.

With the M2 chip, the 13-inch MacBook Pro can be configured with up to 24GB of unified memory, whereas the M1 chip maxes out at 16GB of memory. In line with the previous model, the notebook also supports up to 2TB of SSD storage.

13-inch MacBook Pro pricing continues to start at $1,299 in the United States, with space gray and silver color options available.

Reviews

Many reviews agreed that it might be worth waiting for the redesigned MacBook Air with the M2 chip, which Apple says will be available in July. The new MacBook Air starts at a lower price of $1,199 and features newer design elements like MagSafe charging, a 1080p camera, thinner bezels around the display, physical function keys, and more.

However, one notable difference between the notebooks is that the MacBook Air features a fanless design, while the MacBook Pro has an active cooling system to ensure sustained performance for users with more demanding workflows.

WIRED's Brenda Stoylar:

If you just need a good, new laptop, wait for the upcoming MacBook Air. You get a slightly larger, more modern-looking screen, a better webcam, nicer speakers, and a fast-charging support, all in an overall lighter package (and fun colors!). This MacBook Pro remains an awkward middle child and doesn't bring nearly enough to the table to be worth your while.

Gizmodo's Phillip Tracy:

Viewed in a vacuum, the MacBook Pro 13 is a great laptop with outstanding performance and unbeatable battery life, characteristics that put it ahead of some of its PC rivals. Zoom out and it's hard to see where this model fits within Apple's portfolio. The most direct rival to this entry-level Pro isn't the more premium versions, but rather, the MacBook Air. Not only does the Air have a lower starting price, but it has a larger display, a better webcam, quad speakers, more interesting color options, a slimmer chassis, and the benefit of a traditional shortcut row.

The Verge's Monica Chin:

This would be the perfect device for someone like me — if it weren't for the new MacBook Air. This new MacBook Air, also powered by the M2, is coming very soon. It will be, as far as I can tell from Apple's website, the same price as the M2 MacBook Pro for the same specs in most cases (they level out at the $1,499 mark). But, unlike the MacBook Pro, the M2 MacBook Air did get a big redesign, and it includes all kinds of new features — including new colors, a larger display, a 1080p webcam, and, especially, MagSafe — that this device doesn't have.

Chin shared several benchmarks comparing the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the previous model powered by the M1 chip. Geekbench 5 results confirm the new 13-inch MacBook Pro has up to 18-20% faster multi-core performance than the previous model.

TheStreet's Jacob Krol said the new 13-inch MacBook Pro delivers even more impressive battery life compared to the previous model:

Notably, our battery test beat the promised 20 hours of video playback that Apple was promising. In our testing, the 13-inch MacBook Pro lasted for 23 hours and 15 minutes with a 4K playback test. I also set the brightness to 50% and turned off connectivity during the playback. It's quite impressive, and in day-to-day use, it's tough to make the MacBook Pro die.

I could easily have the 13-inch MacBook Pro last over a full day of use, coming in around 18 hours of full use, and the laptop can sit in standby mode for several days.

More Reviews

• TechCrunch's Brian Heater
• CNET's Dan Ackerman
• Pocket-lint's Stuart Miles
• iMore's Gerald Lynch
• Six Colors' Jason Snell
• TechRadar's Matt Hanson
• Forbes' David Phelan
• Macworld's Roman Loyola
• PCMag's Brian Westover
• CNN Underscored's Mike Andronico

Videos

Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess is skeptical that Apple is planning to sell a physical vehicle and believes that the company is focusing on cockpit software instead (via Reuters).

Diess made the comments at the hub.berlin technology conference in Berlin, where Apple is also in attendance represented by its vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, Lisa Jackson. "I'm not sure if Apple will actually bring cars to the market in the end. It would be a big effort," he said, adding that he believes Apple will focus on car cockpit software instead.

The remarks come weeks after Apple unveiled a next-generation CarPlay experience at WWDC 2022, featuring support for multiple large displays, speedometers, fuel levels, climate controls, and more. Users will be able to personalize their in-car experience by choosing different gauge cluster designs and widgets, with the new version of CarPlay effectively offering a wholly Apple-designed experience for all of a car's displays and functions. While the new ‌CarPlay‌ experience is designed so that users never need to exit the system, Apple said that automakers will be able to retain a sense of brand identity with the new system.

Apple said the first vehicles to support the new ‌CarPlay‌ experience will be announced in late 2023. While Volkswagen is not among the automakers that have committed to implement it in new cars, two of the goliath automaker's sub-brands, Audi and Porsche, were included in Apple's list of initial supporters.

Apple has been rumored to be working on a self-driving electric vehicle for around eight years, but a series of development challenges have led to questions about when the project will be officially revealed, if ever. Earlier this year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo warned that Apple's car team had "been dissolved for some time," and needed to be reorganized soon in order for mass production to begin by 2025.

Triggered by ongoing supply chain issues, Apple will now let customers take their devices back home in the event their repair will take longer than expected due to a missing part that's backlogged. Once the part has arrived at the location, customers can return the device to complete the repair.

In the case a customer takes their device back home, they'll be informed when the part needed for their repair arrives. From that day, customers will have five days to return the device back to the service center before the repair is canceled.

The new policy is available in select locations, and it's up to the service center whether or not a customer is eligible to take their device back home as they await repair parts. Logically, this only applies to customers with devices that are functioning and in a usable state.

Apple has been dealing with ongoing supply chain challenges that have impacted the iPhone and the Mac in the last several months. According to sources speaking to MacRumors, repair parts for the MacBook Pro, such as the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ display, are currently taking up to two months to arrive in certain regions.

Other parts, such as the top case for select models of the ‌MacBook Pro‌ and MacBook Air, which includes the battery, keyboard, and internal chassis, could take several weeks.

Apple is not among the founding members of a new "metaverse" standards body that includes Meta, Microsoft, Sony, Epic Games, Nvidia, Adobe, and others (via Reuters).

Announced in a press release, "the Metaverse Standards Forum brings together companies and standards organizations to foster alignment on requirements and priorities for metaverse interoperability standards, and accelerate their development and deployment through pragmatic, action-based projects." The organization seeks to enable communication between a wide range of organizations and companies to give the metaverse "real-world interoperability" and help different visions of the metaverse work with each other.

Over 35 founding members include 0xSenses, Academy Software Foundation, Adobe, Alibaba, Autodesk, Avataar, Blackshark.ai, CalConnect, Cesium, Daly Realism, Disguise, the Enosema Foundation, ‌Epic Games‌, the Express Language Foundation, Huawei, IKEA, John Peddie Research, Khronos, Lamina1, Maxon, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA, OpenAR Cloud, the Open Geospatial Consortium, Otoy, Perey Research and Consulting, Qualcomm Technologies, Ribose, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Spatial Web Foundation, Unity, VerseMaker, Wayfair, the Web3D Consortium, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and the XR Association.

Apple is noticeably missing from the list of members, despite its heavy investment and ongoing work on multiple devices in the augmented-reality and virtual-reality space. Apple has been heavily involved in creating standards in the past, such as HTML5 for the web. It created Thunderbolt with Intel and the "USDZ" file format for three-dimensional content with Pixar and Adobe. Most recently, Apple touted its involvement in developing Matter at WWDC 2022, a new open standard for smart home accessories.

Gaming companies Roblox and Niantic, and crypto-based metaverse platforms like The Sandbox and Decentraland, are also absent from the Metaverse Standards Forum. The forum is open to any organization at no cost, so Apple and others could join in the future.

T-Mobile is the "best" carrier in the United States when factoring in connection speed and reliability, according to PCMag's annual mobile network comparison, the results of which were released today.

PCMag drove over 10,000 miles through 30 cities to test AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon connection speeds. In the past, this study focused on the fastest connections, but this year, PCMag looked for the best overall network. T-Mobile ended up winning in 18 out of 30 cities, while Verizon won in eight and AT&T won in four.

In terms of pure speed, T-Mobile won in 19 cities, Verizon in nine, and AT&T and two, with Verizon hitting the highest download speeds at 3891Mb/s. T-Mobile had the best average download speed across all tests at 264.4Mb/s, beating out Verizon's average speed of 156.8Mb/s and AT&T's average speed of 79Mb/s. T-Mobile also had average upload speeds that beat out Verizon and AT&T.

T-Mobile has improved its service in rural areas, though it still had more data dead zones outside of the rural Northeast than Verizon and AT&T. T-Mobile had the best 5G coverage because of its Sprint acquisition, which came with mid-band spectrum, but AT&T and Verizon may catch up at some point in the future.

PCMag was testing 5G speeds, so the fastest connections will require a 5G smartphone. The testing indicates that on T-Mobile and Verizon, there is a growing gulf between 4G speeds and 5G speeds. Verizon and T-Mobile have "dramatically increased nationwide speeds" thanks to the expansion of mid-band 5G networks, but AT&T's speed has dropped.

All tests were done with the Samsung Galaxy S22+, a device that had the "best network performance" in PCMag's test. Scores were weighted with speed accounting for 60 percent of the score and reliability accounting for 40 percent. Call success, data success, download speeds, upload speeds, and latency were all taken into account.

PCMag's full results can be read over at its website for those interested in a deeper breakdown of the scores achieved by AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. The site also has detailed information by region and for each city that was visited.

Apple today updated its iWork suite of apps, introducing new features for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on both iOS devices and Mac. These are minor version 12.1 updates, and each app has received a few new features, as outlined below.

Keynote

The Keynote apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad include an option to add subtle movement and visual interest to presentations with dynamic backgrounds that move as you transition from slide to slide.

There are new animated themes that feature dynamic backgrounds, and there is an option to skip or unskip all slides in a collapsed group.

Numbers

Numbers for ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and Mac got the fewest updates, with Apple improving performance when inserting rows and columns in large tables.

Pages

Pages for ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and Mac gains a new feature that allows mail merge to be used to create personalized letters, cards, and envelopes for multiple recipients, and it offers new templates for event invitations and certificates. Pages documents can also now be exported as TXT files.

The iWork apps for iOS and Mac are available for free from the App Store and Mac App Store.

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed the ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is built on the Safari 16 update and it includes features coming in macOS Ventura. It adds support for Live Text in videos and images, new web technologies, web push Passkeys, improved Safari Web Extensions, and more, with Apple's notes below.

Many of the new Safari 16 features are now available in Safari Technology Preview 147:

• Live Text. Select and interact with text in videos or translate text in images on the web in macOS Ventura betas on Apple Silicon-based Macs.
• Web technologies. Experience and test the HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other web technologies that are available in Safari 16 Beta and included in previous Safari Technology Preview releases.
• Web Push. Send notifications to people who opt-in on your website or web app with Safari Technology Preview on macOS Ventura betas.
• Passkeys. Preview the new type of phishing-resistant credential that makes signing in to websites safer and easier. Available through Safari's WebAuthn platform authenticator. To learn more about passkeys, see Meet passkeys.
• Improved Safari Web Extensions. Test out API improvements including the ability to open a Safari Web Extension popover programmatically.
• Web Inspector Extensions. Build custom tooling or convert existing developer tools extensions to use in Web Inspector.
• Flexbox Inspector. Use the new visualization overlay in Web Inspector to help you more quickly and easily understand the layout of elements with Flexbox. It marks both the free space and gaps between flex items to reveal how they affect the result.

Shared Tab Groups, syncing for Tab Groups, Website Settings, and Web Extensions are not enabled in this release.

The new build of ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is compatible with machines running macOS 13 Ventura, unlike prior versions of ‌Safari Technology Preview‌. Updates to ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ are no longer available for macOS Big Sur, according to Apple.

The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple's aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

Philips Hue manufacturer Signify today announced the launch of several new HomeKit-enabled lights and a new smart switch. Some of the new lights are available starting today, while others will launch later this summer.

The new Philips Hue Go portable table lamp is battery powered and can be used either indoors or outdoors. The lamp, which is an upgrade to the existing Hue Go, features a silicone grip, so it's simple to carry it where you need light, and the battery lasts for up to 48 hours before it needs to be recharged with the included charging base. There are built-in preset scenes that you can cycle through without using the app.

Signify is releasing the Philips Hue Signe lamp in a new oak option, and there are new generations of the Hue White and Color Ambiance downlight (supports multiple colors) and the White Ambiance downlight (white only). The White and Color downlight has a lumen output up to 1100, while the White downlight offers up to 850 lumens. There are also now two sizes of smart recessed lights, and they are available in multipacks for the first time.

The Hue app has been updated with a new Sunrise wake-up style, which is able to mimic the sun appearing over the horizon, transitioning from blue to soft orange light. New Hue users can download the app and choose the Demo mode in the app to explore how to best take advantage of Hue lights.

To complement the Hue lights, the Philips Hue line is gaining a new Tap dial switch that is equipped with four buttons. Each button can be set to control smart lights in up to three separate rooms or zones around the home, and users can tap a button to choose or adjust any light scene. The dial includes built-in dimming control, and it can be purchased in black or white.

The Philips Hue Go is set to be available at the end of summer for $160, while the Hue Signe lamp in oak will be available in mid-July for $350. The Hue White and Color ambiance downlight is priced at $60, and the White ambiance downlight is available for $50, starting today. The Hue tap dial switch is also available today for $50.

Alongside the new M2 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models, Apple unveiled and launched a pair of 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapters, which are unique among Apple's power adapter offerings because they feature two USB-C ports instead of one.

ChargerLAB, known for taking apart Apple devices and accessories, today shared a teardown of the 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter, giving us a look at the components inside.

The power adapter has a unique design that makes it easy to replace the prongs inside to make it available in different regions, plus it comes with two identical power supply circuits. ChargerLAB says that the components on the front and back of the power adapter are symmetrical.

Apple has two versions of the Power Adapter, both priced at $59. The 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter looks similar to a standard MacBook charger, while the 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter is more like an iPad charger with two ports at the bottom rather than at the side. ChargerLAB has torn apart the Compact version, so we don't yet know what the internal components of the non-compact model look like.

The 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter supports up to 35W total output, and it supports Power Delivery 3.0. It works with four fixed power delivery options including 5V3A, 9V3A, 15V2.33A, and 20V1.75A. Apple has said that if a Mac and an iPhone or ‌iPad‌ are connected, each device receives up to 17.5W. The same goes for an ‌iPhone‌ or an ‌iPad‌. If a Mac notebook or ‌iPhone‌ and an Apple Watch or AirPods are connected, the Mac/‌iPhone‌ receives up to 27.5W and the Apple Watch or AirPods receive up to 7.5W. If a single device is plugged in, it can receive the full 35W.

Apple recommends both of the new 35W chargers for the ‌MacBook Air‌ that's set to be released in July. Apple has not yet provided a launch date for the ‌MacBook Air‌, but both power adapters are available for purchase today and will ship out immediately.

Apple concept graphic designer Ian Zelbo joins us on The MacRumors Show podcast this week to discuss what to expect from the design of the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple Watch Series 8, and Apple's long-rumored mixed-reality headset.

Ian works closely with leaker Jon Prosser and is behind many of the detailed, photo-realistic Apple renders that have captivated the rumor community in recent years. He is responsible for using leaked information to create accurate renders of the sixth-generation iPad mini, the Mac Studio and Apple Studio Display, green ‌iPhone‌ 13, purple fifth-generation iPad Air, and much more ahead of Apple's official announcements.

In this episode, we take a look at the creative process behind Ian's renders before taking a deeper dive into the design of the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro, Apple Watch Series 8, and Apple's long-rumored mixed-reality headset – three upcoming devices that Ian has painstakingly depicted. See some of Ian's renders below:

Listen to The MacRumors Show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, Google Podcasts, or subscribe by copying our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. You can also watch a video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel. If you haven't already listened to the last episode of The MacRumors Show, be sure to catch up for an in-depth discussion about macOS Ventura and the M2 MacBook Air.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for more episodes, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by exciting guests like Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Andru Edwards, Rene Ritchie, and Jon Rettinger. Remember to rate and review the show, and let us know what subjects you would like the podcast to cover going forward.

Experts anticipate a "brutal battle" between Apple and global regulators amid concerns about how the company may "exaggerate" its privacy and security claims for commercial gain and curtail interoperability to keep users locked into a "walled garden."

Global experts and leaders of competition policy convened at the Data, Technology, and Analytics Conference 2022 last week, hosted by the UK's Competition and Market Authority (CMA). The CMA's event came just weeks after it published its year-long study into Apple and Google's mobile ecosystems, which found that Apple and Google have an "effective duopoly" on mobile ecosystems that allows them to "exercise a stranglehold over these markets," including on operating systems, app stores, and web browsers.

"Without interventions," the press release claims, "both companies are likely to maintain, and even strengthen, their grip over the sector, further restricting competition and limiting incentives for innovators." The regulator subsequently sought to launch a wide-reaching "market investigation reference" into restrictions on mobile browser engines and cloud gaming on Apple's platforms.

Apple was represented at the conference by Chief Privacy Officer Jane Horvath, who discussed the importance of privacy in the context of competition and how privacy is a "cross-functional pursuit" at the company. She discussed examples of how privacy was a vital consideration when developing the Health app and the Apple Watch years before they debuted, as well as the journey toward App Tracking Transparency. Horvath also responded to the argument that Apple's privacy efforts may conveniently protect the position of a powerful incumbent.

Competition law Professor Dr. Damien Geradin of Tilburg University and Geradin Partners talked about the balance and understandings required when enforcing competition rules. With reference to the CMA's recently published Market Study, he said Apple often uses privacy and security "to justify the status quo and resist regulatory intervention, even when needed."

He explained that it is right for companies to protect the quality of their platforms, but that this can overstep the mark where there are conflicts of interest. Geradin concluded that it is vital regulators "distinguish between legitimate privacy and security claims and those that are pretextual or simply exaggerated."

Geradin went on to outline his expectations for how disputes between companies and regulators will pan out in the coming years as regulators around the world prepare to enforce unprecedented new rules for big tech companies. He was highly skeptical that there will be amicable collaboration between regulators and companies:

It will not go smoothly... I've seen studies commissioned by gatekeepers that were truly mindboggling... I think also that the DMA will trigger litigation, designation will trigger litigation, the DMU regime – tonnes of litigation. So I like the idea of [collaboration]... but in practice this will be a brutal battle. I'm betting on it. And if things can be done in a nice and smooth manner, I love it, but my prediction... is that this will be very, very challenging if you look at the rules in the DMA about the App Store – each and every of them will be challenged. There will be resistance to implement.

And I think it's legitimate in a way, if you disagree with a regulation, to challenge it and to push your view point, at the same time, I think there comes a moment where you need to implement and we're not there yet.

Writer and activist Cory Doctorow discussed how companies like Apple become both "durable and very big" with regards to competition. He used the example of how in the early 2000s Apple was forced to use interoperability to innovate and break Microsoft's dominance, when Steve Jobs ensured that Apple reverse-engineered Microsoft file formats to create the iWork Suite and allow Macs to proliferate in Microsoft-dominated networks.

What had been a walled garden had now become a feed-lot where Apple could go and gorge itself on Microsoft's formerly pent-up customers and that was a turning point for the Mac... and once you've got off the ladder you pull it up behind you and so... it's now very important that Apple stop anyone from doing unto Apple as Apple did unto Microsoft because Apple is the good kind of trillion-dollar cuddly company and Microsoft was the bad kind of trillion-dollar cuddly company. And it's true, it's often the case that Apple has your interests at heart, but sometimes they don't and one of the ways to make sure that they do is to have the option to leave.

Doctorow said that upholding interoperability is therefore vital to encourage companies to act in the interests of users and prevent abuses of market power.

Apple's ecosystem is increasingly coming under intense scrutiny by governments around the world, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, the European Union, and more, with a clear appetite from global regulators to explore requirements around issues like app store policies, app sideloading, and interoperability amid concerns about competition.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple plans to launch its annual Back to School promotion in the United States on Friday, coinciding with the launch of the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a tweet, Gurman said Apple may offer a gift card with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad, rather than free AirPods like last year.

UPDATE: Apple has launched its 2022 Back to School promotion, offering students up to a $150 gift card with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad.

Each year, Apple's Back to School promotion offers college/university students and educators a free gift with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad. Last year, the U.S. promotion began on June 17 and offered free second-generation AirPods with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad model, in addition to 20% off AppleCare+ plans for devices.

Last year, eligible devices included the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, iPad Pro, and iPad Air, while the eighth-generation iPad and fifth-generation iPad mini were excluded from the offer. Refurbished devices are also typically ineligible.

The promotion is typically available to students attending or accepted to a higher-education institution, faculty and staff of higher-education institutions, parents purchasing on behalf of an eligible student, employees of a K-12 institution, and select others.

The promotion will likely launch in Canada at the same time as in the U.S., followed by European and Asian countries a few weeks later.

Since the release of iOS 14.2 in 2020, the iPhone has included a built-in Music Recognition feature in Control Center powered by Shazam. And with iOS 16, and also the iOS 15.6 beta, the feature has received a small but useful upgrade.

As noted by Twitter user @someone_andrew, songs identified with Music Recognition in Control Center finally sync with the Shazam app.

It also remains possible to view a list of previously identified songs by long pressing the Music Recognition control in Control Center, but syncing with the Shazam app is a useful addition for those who rely more on the app, which is free on the App Store.

Apple acquired Shazam in 2018 for a reported $400 million and has been steadily improving the service since by removing ads from the app and more. In September 2021, Apple announced that the Music Recognition feature in Control Center had surpassed one billion cumulative recognitions across the iPhone and iPad since launching.

Music Recognition can be added to Control Center in the Settings app under the Control Center menu. From there, scroll down and tap the "+" button next to the "Music Recognition" option, which is shown with a Shazam logo.

Twelve South today announced the "HiRise 3" stand charger for iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, priced at $99.99. The stand supports MagSafe-compatible charging and holds an iPhone 12 or later vertically, and also includes a charging puck for Apple Watch and a Qi charging mat on the base that supports AirPods or any Qi-compatible smartphone.

The HiRise 3 is available in black and white color options and requires a 20W USB-C power adapter, which is not included. Twelve South noted that the HiRise 3 has a minimal footprint and was designed to declutter bedside tables and desks, while propping up your iPhone to easily read incoming notifications.

In regards to charging, the HiRise 3 does not include an official MFi MagSafe charging puck or 15W wireless charging. Instead, it has a magnetic Qi stand with 7.5W wireless charging, as well as 3W for the Apple Watch charger and 5W for the charger on the base.

The HiRise 3 can be purchased today from Twelve South's website and from Amazon for $99.99.

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

Amazon today has the 64GB Apple TV 4K for $149.99, down from $199.00. This price drop disappeared over the past few days after first emerging last week, but it's now back in stock on Amazon. Only the 64GB model is on sale this time.

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.

At $49 off, this remains the best discount we've ever tracked for the 2021 64GB Apple TV 4K, and at this time no other retailer is matching the sale. As of writing, the Apple TV 4K is estimated to arrive between June 23-26 for most locations in the United States.

This is the version of the Apple TV 4K that Apple updated in 2021 with the A12 Bionic processor and an all-new Siri Remote. Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

While the summer months following WWDC are often a relatively quiet time of the year for Apple, there are still some notable items on the agenda through July. Below, we've rounded up six things to expect from Apple over the next six weeks or so.

Public Betas of iOS 16 and More

As part of WWDC 2022, Apple announced that public betas of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, watchOS 9, tvOS 16, and HomePod software version 16 will be released at some point in July, allowing members of Apple's free Beta Software Program to test out the software updates before they are released to all users later this year.

The first betas of each update are already available to developers enrolled in the Apple Developer Program, which costs $99 per year.

New MacBook Air Launch

Apple said the new MacBook Air with the M2 chip will be available in July, but the company has yet to announce exactly when orders will begin. Pricing will start at $1,199 in the United States, and the MacBook Air with the M1 chip remains available for $999.

The new MacBook Air has been redesigned with a larger 13.6-inch display, a notch, flatter edges, and new Starlight and Midnight color options alongside Space Gray and Silver. The notebook also features MagSafe charging, an upgraded 1080p camera, and more.

Apple says the M2 chip has an 18% faster CPU, a 35% faster GPU, and a 40% faster Neural Engine compared to the M1 chip. With the M2 chip, the MacBook Air can now be configured with up to 24GB of unified memory, compared to a max of 16GB with the M1 chip. Like the previous model, the new MacBook Air can be configured with up to a 2TB SSD.

Back to School Promotion

Apple's annual Back to School promotion typically launches in June or July in the United States, Canada, and select other countries. Last year, the U.S. promotion began on June 17 and offered qualifying students and educators free second-generation AirPods with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad model, as well as 20% off AppleCare+ plans.

For 2022, it appears likely that Apple will once again offer free second-generation AirPods with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad model.

Apple's Third Quarter Earnings Call

Apple has yet to announce a date for its third quarter earnings results, but they are typically released in late July each year. As usual, the earnings report will be followed by a conference call where Apple's CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri will discuss the financial results, and there's always a chance they reveal some interesting tidbits of information.

WWDC 2022 "Behind the Design" Interviews

Starting June 27, Apple will be sharing a series of interviews with the creators of apps that won 2022 Apple Design Awards. "Go behind the design and learn about our winners' creative process, challenges, and how they brought their bold and distinctive ideas to life," says Apple. A full schedule of interviews is available on Apple's website.

Apple Camp

Apple Camp is returning to Apple Store locations around the world this summer, with sessions taking place each week from June 20 through August 31. The free program, designed for kids ages 8 to 12 and their guardians, will consist of two-hour sessions in stores and outdoors in which kids use products like the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to create their own digital comic book about protecting and celebrating the planet.

Parents and guardians can register for Apple Camp on Apple's website.

U.S. President Joe Biden this morning said that he was "proud" of Apple employees in Maryland who voted to unionize over the weekend, reports Reuters. Though other Apple retail locations have been discussing unionization, the Maryland employees are the first Apple retail workers to unionize in the United States.

"Workers have a right to determine under what condition they are going to work or not work," Biden told reporters. He went on to say that "everyone is better off, including the final product is better off," in reference to the unionization.

Over 100 employees at the Apple Store in Towson, Maryland participated in a unionization vote, which took place from last Wednesday to last Saturday. 65 employees voted to join the Machinists Union, while 33 voted against joining. The National Labor Relations Board will need to verify the votes, a process that might take around a week, and then Apple will begin negotiations with the union.

The Maryland ‌Apple Store‌ employees are aiming for improved pay and working conditions. "The decision to form a union is about us as workers gaining access to rights that we do not currently have," Towson organizers said in a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Apple has opposed unionization efforts, but the Maryland store's unionization vote could encourage other stores that have been discussing unionization to proceed. Back in May, Apple's head of retail Deirdre O'Brien aimed to thwart employee unionization efforts through a video that was sent out to retail stores.

O'Brien said that a union would make it more difficult for Apple to implement "immediate, widespread changes," and it could "make it harder for [Apple] to act swiftly to address things" that employees bring up.

Amid the unionization efforts, Apple said that it would improve working conditions for retail employees. Apple plans to make sure that there are at least 12 hours between each shift an employee must take on, up from the current 10 hour minimum. Employees will not have to work past 8:00 p.m. for more than three days a week unless they choose to work late shifts, and they will no longer be scheduled to work more than five days in a row except during holidays and major product launches.

Apple in February also bumped up the number of available paid sick days, began offering more vacation days, and upped parental leave time. Apple retail locations in Washington State, New York, and Atlanta have also taken steps toward unionization, with employees asking for higher pay, better retirement options, and more vacation time.

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Tapping on images of traffic lights or deciphering squiggly text to prove you are human will soon be a much less common nuisance for iPhone users, as iOS 16 introduces support for bypassing CAPTCHAs in supported apps and websites.

The handy new feature can be found in the Settings app under Apple ID > Password & Security > Automatic Verification. When enabled, Apple says iCloud will automatically and privately verify your device and Apple ID account in the background, eliminating the need for apps and websites to present you with a CAPTCHA verification prompt.

Apple recently shared a video with technical details about how the feature works, but simply put, Apple's system verifies that the device and Apple ID account are in good standing and presents what is called a Private Access Token to the app or website. This new system will offer a better user experience for tasks such as signing into or creating an account, with improved user privacy and accessibility compared to CAPTCHAs.

"Private Access Tokens are a powerful alternative that help you identify HTTP requests from legitimate devices and people without compromising their identity or personal information," said Apple, in the description of a WWDC 2022 video related to the topic.

Cloudflare and Fastly have already announced support for Private Access Tokens, meaning that the ability to bypass CAPTCHAs could be coming to millions of apps and websites powered by those platforms, and the feature will roll out more widely over time.

In the first betas of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Automatic Verification is enabled by default. Apple said the feature is also supported on macOS Ventura. All of the software updates are currently in beta and will be released later this year.