MacRumors

As announced at Apple's "Peek Performance" media event on March 8, the public release of iOS 15.4, iPadOS 15.4, and macOS 12.3 is set to take place this week. Keep reading to learn when they are likely to become available to download in your time zone.

Many users have been eagerly awaiting iOS 15.4, which adds several new features, such as an option to use Face ID while wearing a mask (iPhone 12 and later), 37 new emoji characters, and support for the new "Tap to Pay on ‌iPhone‌" feature that allows NFC-compatible iPhones to accept payments through Apple Pay.

Meanwhile, iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3 are set to make Universal Control available to the general public for the first time, allowing multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled with the same mouse/trackpad and keyboard. Also set to be made available to the general public for the first time are watchOS 8.5 and tvOS 15.4.

Apple has said the updates will arrive sometime between March 14 and March 18, and while we don't know the specific day when these updates will drop, Apple typically releases major new versions of its operating systems between Monday and Wednesday.

Regardless of the day they arrive, Apple's OS updates tend to come out around 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are no guarantees Apple will stick to its usual release timing, but that seems to be a pretty reasonable guess, so we've put together this list of corresponding times around the world:

• Honolulu, Hawaii — 7:00 a.m. HST
• Anchorage, Alaska — 9:00 a.m. AKDT
• Cupertino, California — 10:00 a.m. PDT
• Phoenix, Arizona — 10:00 a.m. MST
• Vancouver, Canada — 10:00 a.m. PDT
• Denver, Colorado — 11:00 a.m. MDT
• Dallas, Texas — 12:00 noon CDT
• New York, New York — 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Toronto, Canada — 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Halifax, Canada — 2:00 p.m. ADT
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — 2:00 p.m. BRT
• London, United Kingdom — 5:00 p.m. GMT
• Berlin, Germany — 6:00 p.m. CET
• Paris, France — 6:00 p.m. CET
• Cape Town, South Africa — 7:00 p.m. SAST
• Helsinki, Finland — 7:00 p.m. EET
• Istanbul, Turkey — 8:00 p.m. TRT
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates — 9:00 p.m. GST
• Delhi, India — 10:30 p.m. IST
• Jakarta, Indonesia — 12:00 a.m. WIB next day
• Shanghai, China — 1:00 a.m. CST next day
• Singapore — 1:00 a.m. SGT next day
• Perth, Australia — 1:00 a.m. AWST next day
• Hong Kong — 1:00 a.m. HKT next day
• Seoul, South Korea — 2:00 a.m. KST next day
• Tokyo, Japan — 2:00 a.m. JST next day
• Adelaide, Australia — 3:30 a.m. ACDT next day
• Sydney, Australia — 4:00 a.m. AEDT next day
• Auckland, New Zealand — 6:00 a.m. NZDT next day

For more on ‌macOS Monterey‌, make sure to check out our dedicated roundup and separate guide to Universal Control. For a complete overview of all of the features that are available in iOS 15, we also have a dedicated iOS 15 roundup.

A new report has highlighted how three top prominent executives initially found themselves at odds in early deliberations about Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework.

According to the report from The Information, the executives who disagreed over how far Apple should go in protecting user privacy in digital advertising included Apple's Craig Federighi, who oversees software engineering, Phil Schiller, who manages the App Store, and Eddy Cue, Apple's head of services.

In 2020, Apple rolled out App Tracking Transparency, a feature that lets users decide whether a specific app can track them across other apps and websites.

From a technical standpoint, ATT hides a user's identifier for advertisers, also known as IDFA, from apps that a user has not approved. Eric Neuenschwander, the birther of the identifier, began to raise concerns over IDFA and how it was being used by apps to unethically track users, according to the report.

Eventually, the ad industry began to use the IDFA in ways the privacy engineering team hadn't intended, building an entire tracking ecosystem around it. Unscrupulous developers started using it to gather location data on users and sell that information to data brokers for additional revenue.

Around this time, Neuenschwander privately began telling colleagues he regretted creating the IDFA, in part because others like Google followed with a similar identifier a year later, according to people who have worked with him.

Even before ATT, Apple gave users the ability to enable "Limit ad tracking" in iPhone settings. The toggle, however, was buried deep in the Settings app and often untouched by users.

Neuenschwander's team, around 2016, started to find new ways to enforce a user's choice if they enabled "Limit ad tracking," including out-right hiding the identifier from apps if a user had indicated they did not want to be tracked.

As those efforts did not curtail the improper use of IDFA, Apple's head of software engineering stepped in to move forward with what would later become known as ATT.

According to the report, the idea of ATT first came around in 2019, when Federighi told Eric Neuenschwander "to do something about IDFA." Federighi had agreed to allocate some resources of the software engineering department to those efforts, calling it a "tentpole" idea, implying it could be showcased on-stage during an event.

As those efforts were underway, Apple's executives found themselves in disagreement, according to sources cited in the report familiar with internal meetings at Apple.

Before Apple could make any such public announcement, three Apple senior vice presidents—Federighi, Cue and Schiller—had to come to a consensus about how far the feature would go in crimping tracking and how Apple could soften the expected impact the changes would have on developers.

Schiller, who runs the ‌App Store‌, was concerned over how a framework like ATT could impact the ‌App Store‌ ecosystem and mobile ads that run within apps.

Schiller and his aides warned that "if new restrictions on the IDFA resulted in users seeing fewer ads, they might download fewer apps," leading to fewer app downloads and potentially fewer in-app purchases, which Apple takes a cut of.

Cue, who was in charge of Apple's iAd network, was concerned that ATT would go too far in eliminating tracking. "Cue's team was especially sensitive to the consequences of kneecapping the IDFA," the report notes.

Federighi, on the other hand, was all-for a framework such as ATT. Federighi "oversaw a team of privacy-minded engineers who wanted to curtail the powers of an Apple tool that unscrupulous advertising companies, mobile developers and data brokers were exploiting to track the behavior of ‌iPhone‌ users," The Information reports.

The varying opinions of Apple's top executives eventually led to the final version of ATT, which offers a simple prompt to users when they first open an app on whether they wanted to be tracked or not.

According to the report, Apple's initial idea for ATT was to let users disable tracking across all apps, but part of the concession reached by the executives was to offer a toggle for each app.

The trio eventually settled on a plan: iPhone users would have a choice of whether to opt into app tracking, which Apple executives felt was more defensible if developers and the online advertising industry pushed back, people familiar with the discussions said. They would also be able to do this on a per-app basis, which Apple executives also felt would benefit advertisers, a person familiar with the matter said. This was a big change from Apple's earlier IDFA controls, which enabled tracking across all apps by default.

In the fall of 2019, Federighi tasked members of his software engineering department to begin developing ATT and have it ready by June 2020, when Apple would officially showcase it on-stage during its Worldwide Developers Conference.

In the nine months leading up to the conference, members of Federighi's team consulted with Apple's lawyers to "tread carefully around decisions that could raise regulators' eyebrows." Federighi's team was rigorous in their planning of ATT, even debating whether "tracking" was the right choice of word and carefully designing the prompt users would see when they first open an app.

In response to the report, an Apple spokesperson told The Information that Apple's teams work collaboratively across the company "putting the same effort into privacy innovation as we put into all of our product designs, and the result is greater choice and superior products for our customers."

The Information's full report is an interesting read that details the industry response to ATT and the creation of IDFA.

Amazon today is offering deals on a few models of Apple's 2021 MacBook Pro lineup, with as much as $200 off the newest Apple notebooks. All of these models are in stock and sold directly by Amazon, and no coupon codes are required this time.

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

Starting with the 14-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 8-core CPU, 512GB), you can get this model for $1,799.00, down from $1,999.00. Both Space Gray and Silver color options are available, and this is an all-time low price for this model.

If you're looking for more storage, Amazon also has the 14-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 10-core CPU, 1TB) for $2,299.00, down from $2,499.00. Compared to previous sales, this one is a second-best price.

Moving to the larger display, you can get the 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 10-core CPU, 512GB) for $2,299.00, down from $2,499.00. This is another record low price that's available in both Silver and Space Gray colors.

Lastly, Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 10-core CPU, 1TB) is on sale for $2,499.00, down from $2,699.00. Like the other model, the 1TB notebook is on sale in both colors and it's the best price we've ever tracked.

You can find the best monthly deals on all MacBook Pro and MacBook Air notebooks in our Best Deals guide. Be sure to visit the guide and bookmark it if you're on the hunt for a new Apple notebook; we'll be updating it weekly as we discover new MacBook offers across the web.

First impressions of the third-generation iPhone SE have now been shared by select media outlets and YouTubers, providing a closer look at Apple's latest entry-level iPhone. Reviewers praised the device's improved specifications, but were disappointed with its aging design and lack of Night mode.

The new model added the A15 Bionic chip from the ‌iPhone‌ 13, 5G connectivity, an upgraded rear camera with more advanced computational photography capabilities, improved battery life, and stronger glass. The third-generation ‌iPhone SE‌ will begin arriving to customers and be available in stores starting this Friday, while delivery times are now slipping into late March.

Design, Display, and Durability

The Verge's Allison Johnson criticized the new ‌iPhone SE‌'s design and display, commenting that "It's a tired design straight out of 2017 that makes an already-small screen feel even smaller than it could be."

Unfortunately, that cutting edge performance is hampered by the small screen. It’s not a bad display – it’s a 4.7-inch 750 x 1334 pixel LCD that gets plenty bright for outdoor use. But you don’t get a faster refresh rate, which would make scrolling look a little smoother, you don’t get the same pop and punchiness of OLED, and it’s definitely one of the smallest screens sold on a new smartphone today. Text looks small at the default setting, and you can enlarge it, but that means doing more scrolling.

[...]

But phone design has moved on in the last two years, and the SE has stayed firmly in the past. Given just how many times per day most of us look at our phone screens and interact with them, I think it’s fair to demand a little more from your mobile device’s screen than the SE is offering.

Engadget's Cherlynn Low praised the device's more durable front and back glass, as well as the familiarity and reliability of the Touch ID fingerprint scanner:

More importantly, Apple says the iPhone SE is covered in the same hardy glass used on the iPhone 13. While I have yet to drop my review unit, knowing that this will be more scratch resistant offers some peace of mind. I don't use a case with the iPhone 13, and it's still pristine, despite having been tossed into bags with keys and other sharp objects. It does pick up fingerprints and smudges very easily, though. It's also nice that the iPhone SE is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance — something the Galaxy A52 5G and the Pixel 5a also offer.

[...]

Unlocking the phone was a breeze, too, and if you're familiar with the last iPhone SE’s sensor you'll be used to this, especially since the hardware is exactly the same. In fact, if you’ve never known life without the button below the screen and don’t want to give it up, this is the only modern phone around with it.

A15 Bionic and 5G Connectivity

Johnson lauded the performance of the ‌iPhone SE‌'s A15 Bionic chip, the same exact same chip from the ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup:

The iPhone 8 chassis that the SE uses may be vintage, but underneath lies Apple’s very latest mobile processor, the A15 Bionic. It's the same one you'll find in the top-of-the-line 13 Pro Max. Again, the SE costs less than $500, and the 13 Pro Max costs more than twice that. That's just plain cool. And in day-to-day use, the SE behaves like a phone with a top-tier processor. Apps open quickly, and even the graphics-intensive Genshin Impact runs smoothly. There’s not a lot that the SE can’t do that a $1000-plus phone can.

Likewise, ZDNet's Jason Cipriani noted the similarity of the ‌iPhone SE‌'s responsiveness to the high-end ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max:

My personal experience confirms that the iPhone SE is just as fast as the iPhone 13 Pro Max (which is my main phone). It's not only noticeable in how fast apps open or when multitasking, but also while changing between camera modes, for example.

With regards to 5G connectivity, Johnson said that support for it was "a good future-proofing feature, even if it's not tremendously useful yet.

Battery Life

Johnson said that the ‌iPhone SE‌ benefits from a noticeable battery life improvement, especially compared to the previous-generation model:

The 2020's SE weakest point was its sub-par battery life, so one feature that did get a boost this year is stamina. The 2022 SE includes a bigger battery, and power management is improved with the A15 chip. That results in an extra two hours of charge for most users, according to Apple, which checks out with my experience. I got through a day and a half of moderate use, and one full day of heavy use with some video recording, gaming, and a lot of screen on time with brightness boosted.

Rear Camera

Cipriani highlighted that most of the ‌iPhone SE‌'s camera improvements are computational and subtle as a result:

The lone 12-megapixel camera is no slouch. While Apple didn't upgrade the hardware itself, the camera benefits from the A15 Bionic processor and its image signal processor. The end result is a camera that takes clear and crisp photos without any tinkering with settings.

Johnson emphasized the benefits of Deep Fusion on the ‌iPhone SE‌, but criticized the device's low-light performance and lack of Night mode:

The new processor offers some software-based improvements for this generation, adding Apple's Deep Fusion technology to boost details in medium and dim lighting. It's a feature that engages automatically under certain conditions, and there's no way to tell in image metadata when it's being used, but I can say that photos of static subjects in crappy indoor lighting look plenty detailed.

However, in very low light, the SE doesn't do as well. That's because there’s no night mode, a feature available on many other midrange phones sold in 2022 like the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G, and of course, the Google Pixel 5A. As a result, images in low light are very dark, and colors look muddled. Night mode on any smartphone has its limitations, and usually isn't very useful for moving subjects. But it's a nice tool to have when conditions are dark and flash isn’t an option, and it's a shame that it’s not included here.

[...]

The A15 chip also enables some improved processing for low light video, which does a good job of removing noise, although clips look fairly soft as a result. Still, mobile video is a strength for Apple, and overall video quality on the SE is excellent considering the price bracket it's in.

Low noted the similarity of photos taken with the ‌iPhone SE‌ to photos taken with the ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini, but said that the lack of Night mode was still a disappointment:

I was surprised by how similar the iPhone SE's pictures were to the iPhone 13 mini's. From landscapes to portraits of my coworkers, there were barely any differences in the shots taken by the two phones.

[...]

Our main complaint about the last iPhone SE's camera was that there was no Night mode. This year's model still doesn't offer one, and though some of the pictures I took of buildings surrounded by mist one night came out muddy, others came out bright and sharp.

More Reviews

• The New York Times
• TechCrunch
• Pocket-lint
• Tom's Guide
• Mashable
• CNET
• Input

Videos

Apple on Friday opened pre-orders for the new third-generation iPhone SE with 5G connectivity through its website and the Apple Store app, and estimated delivery times have since slipped into late March for select configurations in the United States.

Pre-orders for all configurations of ‌iPhone SE‌ opened with an estimated delivery date of March 18, but customers in the United States ordering any version of the ‌iPhone SE‌ are now facing an estimated delivery window of March 29, or March 28 if additional shipping costs are paid. All configurations of the ‌iPhone SE‌ will be available for launch day in-store pickup on March 18, but inventory could run out quite quickly for some configurations.

Apple on Friday also started accepting orders for the new iPad Air, which remains available for launch day delivery on March 18 at the time of writing this.

Apple's leading supplier, Foxconn, has been forced to suspend operations in Shenzhen, China, following a city-wide lockdown that sees nonessential businesses close, public transportation halted, and residents advised not to leave their home unless for essential activities only.

As Nikkei Asia reports:

Shenzhen is home to major tech companies such as Huawei, Oppo and TCL, and is also one of the biggest manufacturing hubs for Taiwan's Foxconn, supplying clients from Apple to Google to Amazon. The semi-lockdown comes as the global supply chain is still struggling with an ongoing chip shortage, as well as disruptions from the war in Ukraine.

Foxconn, the world's biggest contract electronics manufacturer, said in a statement on Monday that it would suspend production at its Longhua and Guanlan factories in Shenzhen until further notice from the local government. It has activated plans to use facilities in other cities to support production.

It is not entirely clear what devices Foxconn produces for Apple at its two Shenzhen plants, but Foxconn is the largest maker of the iPhone. The new lockdown adds strain to an already crippled global supply chain that's impacting Apple's business.

Apple said the chip shortage cost it $6 billion in the last quarter of 2021, with bullish views on the impact the shortage will have in the coming quarters. Apple is planning a slew of new product launches around the world next week, including the all-new Mac Studio, Studio Display, new iPhone SE, iPad Air, and new colors of the ‌iPhone‌ 13 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro.

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.

Only the iPhone 14 Pro models will have the "A16" chip, while the standard ‌iPhone 14‌ models will retain the A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13, according to insightful Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a tweet, Kuo said that the 6.1-inch "‌iPhone 14‌ Pro" and the 6.7-inch "‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max" will get the A16 chip, while the 6.1-inch "‌iPhone 14‌" and the 6.7-inch "‌iPhone 14‌ Max" will retain the same A15 chip from the ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup.

The two more affordable ‌iPhone‌ models retaining the same chip as the previous year could be a major new point of differentiation between the standard and "Pro" ‌iPhone‌ models. Going forward, it seems plausible that Apple could only offer a new chip with the "Pro" models, before it subsequently trickles down to the two cheaper ‌iPhone‌ models the following year.

Kuo added that all four of the ‌iPhone 14‌ models are likely to come with 6GB of memory, with the standard ‌iPhone 14‌ models having LPDDR 4X memory and the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro models having LPDDR 5 memory.

Currently, the ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini and ‌iPhone‌ 13 feature 4GB of memory, while the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max feature 6GB of memory. These amounts are unchanged from the iPhone 12 lineup. For the ‌iPhone 14‌ lineup, Kuo suggests that all models will feature 6GB of RAM, but the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max's LPDDR 5 memory will be up to one and a half times faster and up to 30 percent more power efficient.

Kuo's claim stands in contrast to a rumor from Haitong International Securities' Jeff Pu, which suggested suggested the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro models will feature 8GB of RAM, the same amount as the Samsung Galaxy S22 models. That being said, Pu has a mixed track record with Apple rumors. For example, he accurately claimed that 16-inch MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models with mini-LED displays would launch in 2021, but he was incorrect about HomePods with 3D sensing cameras launching in 2019. This may bring the 8GB RAM rumor into question now that Kuo, a more established analyst in the Apple space with a better track record, is claiming otherwise.

A group of UK network operators have formally urged the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to regulate iCloud Private Relay, claiming that Apple's privacy service is anti-competitive, potentially bad for users, and a threat to national security.

In its response to the CMA's Interim Report on mobile ecosystems, Mobile UK, a trade association of British mobile network operators, including EE, Virgin Media O2, Three and Vodafone, has raised concerns that ‌iCloud‌ Private Relay can have a negative impact on user experience, internet safety, and competition.

‌‌iCloud‌‌ Private Relay was new service introduced with iOS 15 that ensures all traffic leaving an ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, or Mac is encrypted using two separate internet relays, so that companies cannot use personal information like IP address, location, and browsing activity to create a detailed profile about users.

Following a formal complaint about Private Relay from Microsoft, Mobile UK claims that the privacy service can have undesired side-effects for users: "Private Relay affects Apple users in many ways, beyond simply what level of privacy a user wants." For example, "Apple users have suffered a worse browsing experience when using Private Relay." This is alleged to have the potential to push users to "migrate" away from "the Safari browser to apps downloaded from the App Store where Apple can earn a commission."

Private Relay prevents network providers from seeing the network traffic from Safari and unencrypted applications. In preventing network operators from seeing this traffic, Mobile UK says that Private Relay prevents service providers from understanding "demand patterns across mobile networks," inhibiting their ability to effectively diagnose customer issues.

Moreover, Private Relay is alleged to compromise "content filtering, malware, anti-scamming and phishing protection provided by network providers." Mobile UK also claims that Private Relay is a threat to national security, since it "impairs the insights available under the Government's investigatory powers, with implication for law enforcement" with regards to "terrorism, serious organized crime, child sexual abuse, and exploitation."

Private Relay purportedly allows Apple "to leverage its considerable market power into many areas of the market and thus being able to further entrench its position." Mobile UK says that due to Private Relay, "providers will be unable to use the traffic data to develop their own competing mobile browsers in the future," as well as other services that directly compete with Apple:

Network providers would no longer be able to use web traffic data over Safari to develop their own digital products and services that complete directly with Apple. For example, a network provider may no longer have access to information about a user's content viewing habits to develop their own content that competes with Apple TV. Similarly, a network provider may no longer be able to share consumer insight with third parties that provide digital advertizing services in competition with Apple Search Ads...

Mobile UK asserts that the ability of UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) "to differentiate and compete in the market on fair terms" is actively undermined by Private Relay since Apple is effectively becoming an ISP itself:

Apple unilaterally terminates the role of the mobile and fixed connectivity provider in resolving the internet connection, with Apple itself taking over the role of the ISP. The mobile and fixed connectivity provider's role is reduced to providing conveyance from the handset/home to the Apple iCloud platform.

Mobile UK is concerned that "Apple could thus leverage its position in the device and operating system to grow its ‌iCloud‌+ user based to develop its position as an ISP."

Moreover, the trade association said that Private Relay directs users to more Apple services, "accessing the internet in a manner curated by Apple." Private Relay enables Apple "to favor its own proprietary applications and service, at the expense of other providers."

Mobile UK also said that Private Relay "affects competition in mobile browsers," highlighting that "rival browsers cannot differentiate themselves easily" as a result of Apple's WebKit browser engine restriction. The organization complains that users cannot "switch to an alternative browser" to skirt Private Relay since "the ability of rival browser to differentiate themselves from Safari will still be limited by the terms of Apple's browser engine."

In conclusion, the trade association says that Private Relay must be regulated beyond its superficial existence as a privacy service:

Mobile UK is very concerned that consumers are not fully informed about how Private Relay works or that they understand the full implications of invoking the services...

[...]

The impact of Private Relay is therefore multi-dimensional and cannot be assessed solely through a privacy lens.

Mobile UK urged the CMA to implement "a remedy that limits the use of Private Relay," or "at the very least" prevent "Apple from making Private Relay a default-on service." The complaint noted that "Private relay is currently default-off but it is already being used by a significant portion of Apple customers in the UK, despite being in beta mode."

Private Relay should not be presented as a set up option or installed as an on-default service. It should be made available as an app with others can compete with similar services such as VPNs. Apple should notify relevant third parties in advance of introducing Private Relay services, so that third parties can inform their customers of how their service may change were Private Relay to be used. For example, advance warning of the introduction of Private Relay would have allowed network providers to inform customers how their security solutions may change and also inform Government how it changes their investigatory powers insight from network traffic data.

For more information, see Mobile UK's full submission to the CMA. ‌iCloud‌ Private Relay has come under similar skepticism in the European Union, where major mobile operators sought the banning of Private Relay for infringing upon EU "digital sovereignty."

Earlier this week, Apple aggressively defended its ecosystem in its detailed response to the CMA. It said that the regulator had set the benefits of Apple's ecosystem aside "without reasoned basis, either ignoring them entirely or dismissing them on the basis of nothing more than speculation." Apple alleged that the CMA's Interim Report was based on "unsubstantiated allegations and hypothetical concerns raised primarily by self-serving complaints" from a handful of multi-billion dollar companies, "all seeking to make deep changes to the ‌iPhone‌ for their own commercial gain, without independent verification."

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's next-generation Mac mini will likely feature the same design as the current model, according to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a brief tweet, Kuo said that the refreshed ‌Mac mini‌ is likely to retain the same form factor as the current model, which is an aluminum unibody design that Apple has used for every new ‌Mac mini‌ since 2010. Earlier this week, Kuo said that the new ‌Mac mini‌ will not launch until 2023.

Kuo's claim runs contrary to a rumor from leaker Jon Prosser, who last year said that Apple was working on a complete redesign for the small desktop computer, moving to a smaller chassis with a "plexiglass-like" top.

Apple has been believed to be working on a new Mac mini for some time. It updated the entry-level ‌Mac mini‌ with the M1 chip in November 2020, but the high-end offering is still the Space Gray model with an Intel processor from 2018. The potential of replacing this older high-end model with an Apple silicon machine was previously at the center of rumors related to new Mac minis, but now it looks like both the entry-level and the high-end model may be refreshed simultaneously.

9to5Mac recently said that Apple originally "had plans" to introduce high-end versions of the ‌Mac mini‌ with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, but these plans were "probably scrapped" in favor of the Mac Studio. Now, Apple is believed to be working on two new ‌Mac mini‌ models, including one with the M2 chip and a higher-end model with the ‌M2‌ Pro chip.

It had been almost five months since Apple last held an event, so this week's "Peek Performance" event was a breath of fresh air that delivered not only some long-expected updates in the form of new iPhone SE and iPad Air models, but also a brand-new Mac Studio and Studio Display pairing.

There are plenty more product introductions coming from Apple throughout 2022, but read on below for our summary of this first round of updates!

Everything Announced at Apple's Event in Just Over Seven Minutes

Apple held its "Peek Performance" event this week and introduced several new products, including the Mac Studio desktop computer powered by Apple's latest M1 Ultra chip, a 27-inch Studio Display, a third-generation iPhone SE, and a fifth-generation iPad Air.

Apple also released new color options for iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands, made black and silver Magic accessories available to purchase separately, discontinued the 27-inch iMac, and more.

We've put together a video that recaps everything that Apple announced at its event in just over seven minutes.

Apple Announces Powerful 'Mac Studio' With M1 Ultra Chip

At its event, Apple announced a new high-end M1 Ultra chip with a 20-core CPU, up to a 64-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine. The M1 Ultra chip is essentially two interconnected M1 Max chips.

The first Mac to use the M1 Ultra is the new Mac Studio desktop computer, which looks like a taller version of the Mac mini. The computer can be configured with up to 8TB of SSD storage and up to 128GB of unified memory and has a wide range of ports on both the back and front sides.

Mac Studio pricing starts at $1,999 when configured with the M1 Max chip and at $3,999 with the M1 Ultra chip.

Apple Unveils 27-Inch 5K 'Studio Display' Priced at $1,599

Nearly six years after discontinuing the Thunderbolt Display, Apple has finally re-entered the consumer-grade external display market.

The new 27-inch Studio Display features a slim all-aluminum enclosure with a built-in stand, 5K resolution, up to 600 nits of brightness, an A13 Bionic chip that powers advanced camera and audio features, a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage, and more.

Studio Display pricing starts at $1,599, with a height-adjustable stand and nano-texture glass upgrade options available.

Apple Announces New iPhone SE With A15 Bionic and 5G Connectivity

After months of rumors, the third-generation iPhone SE has finally been announced. As expected, key new features include the A15 Bionic chip and 5G support, as well as an increased 4GB of RAM.

The new iPhone SE starts at $429, up from $399 for the 2020 model, and the device is available with 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB of storage. Keep in mind that the new iPhone SE doesn't support the fastest mmWave 5G bands.

Apple Unveils New iPad Air With M1 Chip, Optional 5G, and Faster USB-C Port

The fifth-generation iPad Air is now official, with key new features including the same M1 chip in the iPad Pro, 5G support for cellular models, an upgraded 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, up to a 2x faster USB-C port compared to the previous-generation iPad Air, and more.

iPad Air pricing continues to start at $599 and there is a new purple color option to choose from.

Apple Unveils New iPhone 13 'Green' and iPhone 13 Pro 'Alpine Green' Colors

For the second consecutive year, Apple has introduced a new iPhone color at its spring event.

This year, there are actually two new colors, with a Green finish now available for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini and an Alpine Green finish added for the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

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Apple has removed the 27-inch LG UltraFine 5K display that was previously a Mac user's go-to option for external monitors from its online store following the launch of the Studio Display.

LG and Apple had worked on the display together, promising tight integration with macOS. The UltraFine 5K display featured a 5K display, P3 wide color with 500 nits of brightness, and one Thunderbolt 3 port capable of charging a Mac.

Following the announcement of the Studio Display this week, Apple has removed the UltraFine 5K display from its online store, now only listing the 23.7-inch UltraFine 4K display starting at $699. LG's own website also lists the UltraFine 5K display as sold out, and it's not entirely clear if the display will be restocked anytime soon.

The UltraFine 5K display retailed for $1,299, compared to the $1,599 starting price of Apple's Studio Display. The Studio Display was made available for pre-order this week and will be available on March 18. Learn more about Apple's newest display with our roundup.

Apple has no plans to release a larger-screened iMac, according to a new report from 9to5Mac. Citing unspecified sources with knowledge of Apple's product pipeline, the site says that Apple will not be introducing a bigger ‌iMac‌ "in the near future."

With the launch of the Mac Studio, Apple discontinued the Intel-based 27-inch ‌iMac‌, creating some confusion about the future of the iMac line. Apple confirmed to Ars Technica that the 27-inch ‌iMac‌ "has reached end of life," indicating the company has no intention of releasing a refreshed 27-inch model to go along with the 24-inch ‌iMac‌.

Despite the discontinuation of the 27-inch ‌iMac‌, there have been rumors of a larger-screened ‌iMac‌ Pro that could be in development, but at least some of those rumors may have been mixed up with the Studio Display. Display analyst Ross Young this week said that what his sources thought might be an ‌iMac‌ Pro was actually a "Studio Display Pro" that's coming later in the year, perhaps alongside the Mac Pro.

Young no longer believes that an ‌iMac‌ Pro is coming this summer, and 9to5Mac's information seems to agree with that take. The site says that Apple "currently has no plans to release new high-end versions of its all-in-one desktop for now," though there is a 24-inch M2 version of the ‌iMac‌ that's set to come out in 2023.

Other sources continue to suggest that we might see an ‌iMac‌ Pro at some point. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said last Sunday that an ‌iMac‌ Pro would come out in 2023, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims that Apple is still developing an ‌iMac‌ Pro.

It is not clear how an ‌iMac‌ Pro would fit into the Mac lineup now that the more powerful Mac Studio exists, and it's looking more and more like we might not be seeing a new larger-screened ‌iMac‌ in 2022. For now, Apple suggests that customers who want a powerful desktop machine invest in the ‌Mac Studio‌, which is priced stating at $1,999, while those who want an all-in-one machine can opt for the 24-inch ‌iMac‌.

At CES earlier this year, Anker introduced the 535 Portable Power Station, the latest entrant in its PowerHouse lineup of large portable batteries for supporting electronic devices while camping, during power outages, and in other situations where you're off the grid.

I've had a bit of time to test out the $500 Anker 535, and it delivers a handy set of connectivity options for charging up a variety of devices, and a decent charging capacity that can keep things going for quite a while.

The Anker 535 includes a 512 watt-hour battery, and it weighs in at a hefty 16.5 pounds (7.5 kg), so while it's not something you're going to want to carry with you on a hike, it's compact enough to be stored out of the way in your home or easily transported in a car.

While I haven't an opportunity to use the Anker 535 out on the road yet, I have been able to test it out around the house and it was comforting to know it was available during a couple of ice storms in my area over the winter, even though we ultimately experienced nothing more than a few power blips here and there.

So while I haven't needed the power station in a true off-the-grid scenario, I've used it quite a bit around the house for powering and charging up various devices, and it's worked very well.

There's a host of ports and outlets including four AC outlets supporting devices up to 500 watts, one USB-C port that supports fast charging at up to 60 watts, three USB-A ports, and one 12V vehicle-style outlet. An integrated light bar on the front of the unit helps to illuminate your surroundings while also making it easy to manage all of the devices you might be connecting to its ports.

The power station comes with a 120-watt AC adapter, and it can also be recharged at 60 watts via its USB-C port. For even faster recharging (0 to 80% in about two and a half hours), you can connect via both methods simultaneously. It can also be recharged via a vehicle power port (though that will take significantly longer at just 12 watts), or via any 12V–28V solar panel charger equipped with an 8mm DC power connector.

On the front of the unit, there's an informative LED display that shows the current battery level in both percentage and a rougher pictorial display, and it reports real-time input and output wattages, as well as the estimated time to fully recharge or to power connected devices. A series of icons across the top of the display can illuminate to let you know what types of devices are currently connected and provide high- and low-temperature warnings.

I really like the amount of detail shown on the display, letting you know exactly which ports are currently active and giving you up-to-the-second data on input or output so you can tell how much battery life you have left or how long the station will take to recharge, or even just to have an understanding of how much power an individual device draws while charging.

A switch near the AC outlets let you turn a power-saving mode on and off. When turned on, the power station will automatically turn off once all connected devices are fully charged, saving battery. Turning it off will provide continuous, stable power for devices like CPAP machines that are running constantly while connected to the power station.

Anker says the 535 power station can fully charge a MacBook Air more than eight times or run a 40-watt CPAP machine for more than a full night's sleep, and while I didn't test those claims specifically, I did find it to offer plenty of power for the tasks I did test.

For example, fully recharging an iPad Air from the station's USB-C port took about an hour and a half and used approximately 6% of the power station's total capacity. I tested a variety of other devices from powering a room fan to recharging a cordless razor to running a HomePod and a lamp, all at the same time, and the Anker 535 had no problems keeping up.

Keep in mind that the 500-watt limit for the station means it won't be able to power some high-load devices like hot plates, toasters, hairdryers, and many larger household appliances.

The Anker 535 Portable Power Station is priced at $499.99, but the company has several other options available at a range of price points. The 521 model at 256 watt-hours has half the capacity of the 535, but it also comes at half the price, checking in at $249.99. It does also sacrifice some ports, checking in with two AC outlets instead of four, and two USB-A ports instead of three.

There's also an even smaller 511 model at 97-watt hours, normally priced at $219.99 and featuring a single 100-watt AC outlet, a 45-watt USB-C port, and two USB-A ports.

Finally, there's a pair of older models, the 389 watt-hour 533 model priced at $459.99 and the highest-capacity 545 model with 778 watt-hours of energy and priced at $699.99.

Note: Anker provided MacRumors with the 535 Portable Power Station for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

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 matching BluShark Apple Watch band to go along with it.

BluShark has a wide array 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 $10 to $42, and there are designs for both smaller 38/40/41mm models and the larger 42/44/45mm models. Each band comes with customizable Apple Watch lugs in silver, space gray, or black.

Leather bands from BluShark are available in several 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 an vintage gray, shade, and it features a 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 strong and lightweight Cordura fabric, which is wear resistant and will hold up over time. The bands are 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 typically associated with canvas watch bands. The bands are 1.9mm thick and designed to be soft and pliable.

The Knit Weave Bands are available in eye-catching 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 $10, 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, 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, UK 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. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. 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 (March 11) at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time on March 18. The winner will be chosen randomly on March 17 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 aggressively defended its ecosystem in a newly-published response to the UK's competition watchdog.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today published Apple's response to its Interim Report on mobile ecosystems, as well responses from dozens of other companies, including Google, Microsoft, and Epic Games.

The detailed 47-page response from Apple aggressively dismissed the conclusions of the Interim Report, saying that the CMA has set the benefits of Apple's ecosystem aside "without reasoned basis, either ignoring them entirely or dismissing them on the basis of nothing more than speculation." Apple alleged that the CMA's report is based on "unsubstantiated allegations and hypothetical concerns" from Apple's rivals that would commercially gain from "deep" changes to the iPhone:

... the IR reaches conclusions about technologies, product design, and competitive impact derived from the unsubstantiated allegations and hypothetical concerns raised primarily by self-serving complaints from a handful of multi-billion dollar developers such as Microsoft, Facebook, Match, Spotify, and Epic, all seeking to make deep changes to the iPhone for their own commercial gain, without independent verification.

Apple expressed intense concerns about potentially having to "redesign the ‌iPhone‌" to benefit this small, powerful group:

Apple is deeply concerned that the IR is proposing solutions to hypothetical problems that will result in real-world market interventions that could force it to redesign the iPhone to benefit a handful of powerful developers. The IR appears to assume that its proposed changes would be relatively simple. Yet many would require a complete re-architecting of a product that has existed for 15 years, has been constantly improved by Apple’s investment in IP and is valued and trusted by millions of consumers.

The CMA's proposition to allow alternative app stores on the ‌iPhone‌ or sideloading was shot down for "downplaying the security risks" and failing to account for "the fact that users highly value that security, and that many choose Apple over Android on that basis."

Remedies that jeopardize Apple's holistic approach to security would effectively remove the competitive differentiation between Apple and Android, taking this valued element of choice away from users.

Apple addressed specific issues raised by the Interim Report, such as the company's WebKit restriction on iOS and iPadOS, which bans any rival browser engines on the platform. It claimed that WebKit is innovative and responds to demand for features, such as adding "new functionality to enable greater features and functionality for web apps."

Open Web Advocacy, a group of web developers who are in talks with the CMA and have raised the profile of Apple's WebKit restriction, disagree and say that "Apple's ban of third party browsers on iOS is deeply anti-competitive... All artificial barriers placed by gatekeepers must be removed. Web Apps if allowed can offer equivalent functionality with greater privacy and security for demanding use-cases."

• Should Apple Continue to Ban Rival Browser Engines on iOS?

Apple highlighted the ‌iPhone‌'s high level of customer satisfaction, ease of use, and performance, as well as the company's commitment to innovation and privacy. Apple dismissed the findings of the Interim Report and ruled out the potential for discussion of changes to the company's ecosystem.

...the findings in the IR are, in effect, nothing more than hypotheses about how Apple's ecosystem "may" have the "potential" to harm competition, being as they are untested and based on one-sided evidence. Such hypotheses are insufficient to warrant, never mind support, discussion of potentially radical remedies at this stage...

Apple urged the CMA to "undertake a more fulsome analysis of the benefits that Apple's ecosystem brings to both consumers and developers, and to consider objectively the ramifications of any proposed interventions on consumers and competition in the markets that would be impacted." For more information, see Apple's full response to the CMA.

Today, pre-orders started for Apple's new iPhone SE, iPad Air, and the new green color options of the iPhone 13. For anyone shopping for the cellular models of the latest Apple devices, we've gathered the best offers in this article.

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

All pre-orders for the new iPhone SE and iPad Air will begin shipping to customers on their March 18 release date. Shoppers should remember that shipping estimates from carriers may vary, so be sure to pay attention to that when ordering from these companies.

iPhone 13

You can now get the iPhone 13 in Green, with pre-orders up today at Apple and various cellular carriers. AT&T has one of the best offers, providing the 128GB iPhone 13 for $0/month with eligible trade-in and installment plan.

• AT&T - Get up to $800 off
• Verizon - Save $439.99 when adding a new line
• T-Mobile - Get up to $800 off

iPhone 13 Pro

Secondly, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are now available for pre-order in Alpine Green. Note that some carriers have multiple offers, so be sure to read more about each device's offers by following the links below.

iPhone 13 Pro

• AT&T - Get up to $1,000 off
• Verizon - Get up to $1,000 off / BOGO up to $1,000 off
• T-Mobile - Get up to $800 off

iPhone 13 Pro Max

• AT&T - Get up to $1,000 off
• Verizon - Get up to $1,000 off / BOGO up to $1,000 off
• T-Mobile - Get up to $800 off

iPhone SE

Also up for pre-order today is the new version of the iPhone SE, which now features the A15 Bionic chip, 5G connectivity, and up to 256GB of storage. T-Mobile is one of the only carriers offering a discount on the new iPhone SE, where you can get up to $400 off the smartphone with an eligible trade-in.

• AT&T - Starting at $11.95/month for 64GB
• Verizon - Starting at $11.94/month for 64GB
• T-Mobile - Get up to $400 off

iPad Air

The new iPad Air features the M1 chip and up to 256GB of storage. It comes in six colors: Space Gray, Pink, Purple, Blue, and Starlight.

If you plan on buying an iPhone at the same time as the new iPad Air, Verizon is offering a solid deal that provides $200 in promo credits when purchasing an eligible iPad and iPhone.

• AT&T - Starting at $20.84/month for 64GB
• Verizon - Get $180 when trading in old device / Save when purchasing with iPhone
• T-Mobile - Starting $30.00/month for 64GB

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

The first reviews of Apple's newly-introduced Green and Alpine Green color options for the iPhone 13 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro have now been shared by various media outlets and YouTubers, and the general consensus is that the new shades are very saturated compared to similar colors from other smartphone makers, but still make for a subtle color option overall.

The new green color options for the ‌iPhone‌ 13 and the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro follow the introduction of the Purple iPhone 12 last year. Green for the ‌iPhone‌ 13‌ and ‌‌iPhone‌ 13‌ mini is a dark, forest-like green, while the Alpine Green for the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max is lighter. ZDNet's Jason Cipriani commented:

The iPhone 13's green color is glossy, like the rest of the color options, and looks more like a camouflage green to my eyes. It's as dark as the photos on Apple's website look, but perhaps slightly more vibrant.

[...]

As with the rest of the color options for the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max, Alpine Green has a matte finish to it. It's a lighter version of camouflage green. I can't decide which color I like more, Sierra Blue or Alpine Green.

The Verge's Allison Johnson said that the new green shades are both better than the green color offered with the Samsung Galaxy S22:

The regular green on the standard iPhone is a little more saturated, more Kelly green than I was expecting. It also makes the Apple logo stand out more than I like. Alpine green is a bit softer and more muted. And sitting side by side by side, they both make the green S22 look much less green than I thought it was and more of a deep blue-green.

[...]

In any case, a green phone just looks different, but not in an attention-hungry kind of way. It's a subtle statement, something that makes you wonder about the person carrying it...

[...]

Anyway, the iPhone 13 Pro is the current best green phone, followed by the standard iPhone 13, and the Galaxy S22 ranks third.

Similarly, Engadget's Cherlynn Low compared the new green iPhones to the Sage Pixel 5 and the "Mostly Black" Pixel 5a, but ultimately concluded that the Midnight Green of the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro was better than Apple's new offerings.

• iPhone 13 Colors: Deciding on the Right Color

Apple continues to sell the ‌iPhone‌ 13 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro in all of its other colors, including Black, White, Blue, Green, and (PRODUCT)RED. Pricing starts at $699 for the ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini and $999 for the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro in the United States. Pre-orders of the ‌iPhone‌ 13 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro in Green and Alpine Green opened earlier today.

Videos

At Tuesday's "Peek Performance" event, Apple introduced refreshed versions of the iPhone SE and iPad Air. Both devices are available for pre-order from today, along with Apple's new Green and Alpine Green color options for the iPhone 13 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro.

The new ‌iPhone SE‌, which replaces the second-generation version, starts at $429, up from $399 on the 2020 model. It features the same A15 Bionic chip as the one used in the ‌iPhone‌ 13, 5G connectivity, up to 256GB of storage.

Compared to previous models, it includes a higher-perfomance 12MP Wide camera system that offers a range of improvements and computational photography features including Deep Fusion, Photographic Styles, Portrait Mode, and Smart HDR 4.

The new ‌iPad Air‌, which replaces the fourth-generation version, starts from $599, and features Apple's powerful M1 chip that has previously only been seen in Apple's tablet lineup in the iPad Pro, as well as up to 256GB of storage.

Like the ‌iPad Pro‌, the ‌iPad Air‌ supports the $129 second-generation Apple Pencil and it works with the $299 Magic Keyboard with trackpad that Apple offers.

Available in a new array of colors, the ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ features Apple's Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage for a more natural video conferencing experience, a USB-C port with up to 2x faster transfer speeds, and 5G on the cellular models.

Both the new ‌iPhone SE‌ and ‌iPad Air‌ will be delivered to customers starting on Friday, March 18.