MacRumors

Apps that copy concepts and features from other apps are nothing new in the ‌App Store‌, but scammy like-for-like clones of genuine apps remain a perennial problem that Apple still hasn't resolved, as indie developer Kevin Archer recently discovered.

Archer is responsible for 2Stable's Authenticator App, a feature-rich app that stores and generates secure two-factor authentication tokens for online accounts. Last week, Archer found another app in the ‌App Store‌ going by the same name that looks suspiciously similar: "Authenticator - App" by Russian company Byte Service.

Archer claims that the copycat app has not only lifted artwork and text from his app word-for-word, but it has also left in references to genuine features of his app that the clone app doesn't actually include, such as Apple Watch support.

In addition, counter to Apple's developer guidelines, the cloned app asks users for an App Store review during the onboarding stage. It also requires a $3.99 weekly subscription, which would amount to over $200 annually if a user forgot to cancel.

Archer later found another instance of the app in the ‌App Store‌, just with a different icon. Archer says the app was submitted via a different developer account, but it also contains the same cloned elements originating from his own genuine app.

Reacting to his findings on Twitter, Archer wrote: "I really don't understand how these apps pass the ‌App Store‌ review with features that don't work, with a copied design, forcing users to review their app before even seeing it, and of course with a weekly subscription."

Archer went on to say that indie developers regularly get their apps "rejected for silly things," while others "spam [the] ‌App Store‌ with imitations and weekly subscriptions."

The problem of scam iOS apps has dogged Apple's ‌‌App Store‌‌ for some years now. Back in 2012, Apple's Phil Schiller was absolutely furious when a fake app made it to the top of the ‌‌App Store‌‌ rankings, according to documents shared in the Epic v. Apple trial.

Recently there have been concerted efforts by some developers to highlight that the problem remains as big as ever in at least some app categories. Just last year, Apple was hit with a lawsuit from developer Kosta Eleftheriou over the problem of scam and copycat apps on the ‌App Store‌. Apple is facing a similar lawsuit with the makers behind the hit-game PUBG Mobile.

In the last few months, the issue of ‌App Store‌ scam apps has become a lightning rod for Apple, with some estimates suggesting scam apps on the platform have made millions in revenue. Most recently, the mainstream game Wordle became the latest victim of the App Store's problem. Wordle clones sprang up across the ‌App Store‌ as the game spread in popularity, and some copycat apps even offered in-app subscriptions, despite the fact that the original game is entirely free to play.

Apple recently restored the "Report a Problem" option on the ‌App Store‌ for developers to flag issues and combat scams. When selected, the option directs users to a website with a drop-down menu to report ‌‌App Store‌‌ violations, including a specific option to "Report a scam or fraud." However, developers generally remain frustrated that there's no way to get in touch directly with the ‌App Store‌ team to inform them of scammy apps that deceptively feed off their own inventions for financial gain. To improve the situation, Archer suggests Apple could make a special "contact us" form only for developers so they can can report such apps.

Update 2/22: Since this article was published, Apple has removed the copycat apps from the ‌App Store‌.

(Thanks, Craig!)

Apple has likely delayed its foldable iPhone until 2025 and the company is exploring all-screen foldable MacBooks, according to Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young.

In a new DSCC report on upcoming foldable and rollable devices, Young explained that Apple's long-rumored foldable ‌iPhone‌ has been delayed until 2025. This appears to be a significant delay compared to previous predictions that the device will launch in 2023 or 2024. News of the delay comes after discussions with supply chain sources, suggesting that Apple is not in a hurry to enter the foldable market.

Despite delaying its foldable ambitions for the ‌iPhone‌, Apple is allegedly exploring the possibility of offering all-screen foldable notebooks. The company is said to be discussing foldable notebooks with displays around 20-inches in size with its suppliers.

Young said that this device could form a new product category for Apple and result in a dual-use product, with it able to work as a notebook with a full-size on-screen keyboard when folded and as a monitor when unfolded and used with an external keyboard. The foldable could also allow for 4K resolutions or higher at the size Apple is investigating, Young added.

The launch timeframe for the foldable notebook is "likely later" than 2025, with 2026 or 2027 being floated as reasonable possibilities. The disclosure of Apple's interest in the foldable notebook segment is said to be "good news for the foldable space" generally.

Young has revealed a litany of accurate insights into Apple's plans, such as the iPhone 13 Pro's ProMotion display, the display size and bezels of the sixth-generation iPad mini, the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro's mini-LED displays with ProMotion, and more. Most recently, Young spearheaded rumors of the iPhone 14 Pro's pill-shaped and hole-punch TrueDepth camera design to replace the notch and the mini-LED iMac Pro's June release date.

Apple has completed key production tests for its long-rumored augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) headset, according to DigiTimes.

Citing information from the headset's component suppliers, the device has reportedly completed second-phase engineering validation tests (EVT 2) to ensure that prototype units meet Apple's design goals and specifications. ‌DigiTimes‌ added that the headset is expected to debut by the end of 2022.

The preliminary information was shared in ‌DigiTimes‌' paywalled "Before Going to Press" section, so there are no further details yet. The full report should be published by tomorrow, potentially with more information.

While Apple's headset was widely believed to be scheduled to launch this year, a recent report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman cast doubt on the chances of the device emerging this year due to development problems.

Nevertheless, Apple's headset project is said to be "approaching liftoff," with the device mirroring the development timeline of the Apple Watch in the period before its launch. Apple's work on the headset's operating system, realityOS, has been rumored since 2017, but the existence of the operating system was recently confirmed when references to it were found in App Store upload logs and Apple open source code. ‌DigiTimes‌' latest report is yet another sign that Apple's headset is ebbing closer to mass production, even if the timeframe for the device's announcement now seems to be vaguely situated somewhere in 2022 or 2023.

The headset is rumored to feature a lightweight design, two 4K micro-OLED displays, 15 optical modules, two main processors, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, eye tracking, a see-through AR mode, object tracking, hand gesture controls, and more. The device's exact price point is as yet unclear, but some reports indicate that it could cost customers around $3,000. For more detailed information, see our comprehensive roundup.

The seventh-generation iPod touch is 1,000 days old as of today, with no apparent sign of a new model on the way.

In May 2019, Apple unveiled the seventh-generation iPod touch. With 32 months having now passed since the seventh-generation iPod touch's launch, it is now the oldest device in Apple's lineup. Apple's next-oldest device still on sale is the AirPods Pro, which were released in October 2019 and hit 847 days old today.

The iPod touch is Apple's least expensive iOS device, starting at $199. With a 4-inch Retina display, it is also the smallest iOS device and the only remaining iOS device with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The iPod touch is most popular as an entry-level device in the Apple ecosystem, particularly for children, and is also a common choice in retail settings due to its pricing and form factor.

It is notable that the seventh-generation iPod touch was a very minor update, featuring the A10 Fusion chip from the iPhone 7 and a 256GB storage option for the first time. Every other aspect of the device, including the camera specifications and color options, were the same as the previous, sixth-generation iPod touch. In terms of major updates, the iPod touch was last redesigned almost 10 years ago in 2012 at the same time as the ‌iPhone‌ 5. Since then, it has had two minor refreshes in 2015 and 2019.

Looking at the Apple devices that the company sold for the longest time, the seventh-generation iPod touch is still some way off the 2013 "trashcan" Mac Pro, which went 2,182 days without an update before the launch of the modular 2019 ‌Mac Pro‌.

The iPod touch is the only iPod product that Apple still sells following the discontinuation of the iPod nano and iPod shuffle in July 2017. Despite the hopes of some iPod enthusiasts and excitement around the potential nostalgia of reviving the classic iPod design with the click wheel, there have been no rumors of an eighth-generation iPod touch, or of any new iPod models at all, meaning that the future of the entire iPod brand and product line stands in question.

Popular Mac drag-and-drop app Yoink received a substantial update on Monday that brings back a much-improved Yoink clipboard history widget with several highly configurable features.

For those unfamiliar with the app, Yoink aims to simplify the action of dragging and dropping files and app-content on the macOS desktop by providing a temporary place for files to be dragged to. Yoink's shelf fades in when you start a drag - either with files from Finder or app-content, like an image from a website - offering you a temporary place for your dragged files.

With files temporarily docked in the Yoink shelf and the cursor free, users can more easily navigate to the intended destination of files, which is handy when moving and copying files between different windows, Spaces, fullscreen apps, or devices via Handoff.

Today's v3.6.5 update brings back the defunct Objective-C based Yoink widget, only now written in Swift, offering previously unavailable functions. The widget comes in medium and large sizes, and provides quick access to Yoink's clipboard history, allowing users to select up to six previous copies of items in the medium widget and up to 12 in the larger one. Clicking an item in the widget copies it to the clipboard, ready for pasting elsewhere.

Yoink supports the use of up to three widgets simultaneously that can be configured to show the most recent copies, older copies, and oldest copies. So for example it's possible to have one large and one medium widget to show the last 18 copied items, or three large widgets to show the last 36 copied items.

Individual widgets can also be configured to show specific data types (images, text, links, or files), and each widget has a Pin feature that allows items to be pinned to the top so that it doesn't go away when other items populate the clipboard.

In addition, Yoink v3.6.5 comes with a clipboard history browser, where users can organize copied items with actions like pin, unpin, delete, send to Yoink, copy, and clear history.

In other changes, rather than a TIFF file, a PNG file is now created when pasting image data into Yoink. Yoink also transparently provides PNG and JPEG data when dragging out images of the types HEIC, HEIF or TIFF to broaden compatibility with other apps.

Yoink runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, although note that this version of Yoink increases the minimum system requirements from macOS 10.10 Yosemite to macOS 10.12 Sierra. Yoink v3.6.5 is available on the Mac App Store as a $8.99 one-time purchase and updates are free to existing customers. Yoink is also available for iPad and iPhone.

Apple's largest supplier, Foxconn, has begun trial production of the iPhone 14 Pro, suggesting that Apple has finalized its design as it moves into the early stages of device manufacturing, according to a report from the Taiwan Economic Times.

According to the report, Foxconn will manufacture the higher-end models of the ‌iPhone 14‌, while Luxshare, another Apple supplier, will take on the two lower-end models. The report notes that Foxconn will begin OEM trial production of the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro to ensure it can produce the device to Apple's standards in preparing for mass production later on in the year. From the report (machine translated):

Apple's iPhone 14 has recently entered into trial production, and it is rumored Luxshare has not yet obtained the new product trial production into mass production service orders (NPI), and will not be able to OEM the best-selling, high-unit price, higher profit high-end iPhone 14, and may only get the basic iPhone 14 orders this year, becoming the second supplier.

After starting the trial production, the foundry has to collect data, correct abnormalities, evaluate the production process and the items that need to be improved, and assess whether the trial production is acceptable.

The ‌iPhone 14‌ and ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro could feature some design tweaks, invoking nostalgic design choices with the iPhone 4 and ‌iPhone‌ 5. ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max renders shared by Apple leaker Jon Prosser suggest a thicker overall chassis and no camera bump. Those same renders suggest circular volume buttons and a redesigned speaker grille.

One of the most noticeable changes rumored to be coming to the ‌iPhone 14‌ is the removal of the notch in favor of a pill-shaped cutout design. Multiple rumors have suggested that Apple will debut a single punch-hole and pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display to house the front-facing camera and TrueDepth camera system for Face ID.

The ‌iPhone 14‌ lineup is expected to include four variants, including two 6.1-inch and two 6.7-inch models. The updated ‌iPhone‌ lineup will mean the end of the 5.4-inch ‌iPhone‌ "mini," first launched with the ‌iPhone‌ 12. Alongside an updated design, the ‌iPhone 14‌ is expected to include a slew of camera upgrades, such as a 48MP Wide camera, 8K video recording, and an improved Ultra Wide lens.

In addition to camera upgrades and a new design, the ‌iPhone 14‌ will have improved performance and could feature 8GB of RAM on the highest-end models, the most ever in an ‌iPhone‌. Other rumors have stated the ‌iPhone 14‌ will not feature a SIM card slot as Apple pushes to increase adoption of eSIM technology, and it could come with as much as 2TB of storage.

Apple is preparing to launch at least one new Mac next month during an event rumored to be held on Tuesday, March 8, and that announcement will be followed by another round of new Macs around May or June, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said, "Apple is already gearing up for another round of Mac releases around May or June," following its Mac announcement next month. Apple has several new Apple silicon Macs in the pipeline set to be released this year, and while it's not entirely clear which new Mac will be unveiled next month, Gurman speculates it's likely to be a high-end Mac mini and a refreshed low-end 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Given that two of the oldest Apple Silicon Macs in the lineup today are the entry-level MacBook Pro and Mac mini, I'd guess that those models will be next to be upgraded.

Apple has a redesigned MacBook Air and a new 24-inch iMac in the works set to be released this year that will both feature the M2 Apple silicon chip, alongside the new high-end Mac mini and updated 13-inch MacBook Pro. Another new ‌Mac mini‌ and a replacement to the currently Intel-based 27-inch ‌iMac‌ is also in the works and will feature M1 Pro and M1 Max chip options, according to Gurman.

The timeline set forth by Gurman suggesting Apple could announce new Macs around May or June, implying a release around its Worldwide Developers Conference, lines up with a report from reliable display analyst Ross Young who last week said Apple's mini-LED iMac Pro could launch during the summer.

Regarding Apple's highest-end Mac, the Mac Pro, Gurman reiterated that it'd come with versions of the ‌M1 Max‌ chip, with the first iteration featuring 20 CPU cores and 64 GPU cores, followed by the second chip with 40 CPU cores and 128 GPU cores. Learn more about Apple's ‌Mac Pro‌ plan using our detailed roundup.

Apple is widely expected to unveil a new Mac next month, but with the high-end Mac mini, the 27-inch iMac, and the Mac Pro all still featuring Intel chips and Apple's M1 machines from 2020 now reaching almost 15 months in age, it is not immediately clear which new model the company is planning to announce next.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who often reveals accurate insights into Apple's plans, reported early last month that Apple was planning to host a special event on or around Tuesday, March 8. Despite no sign of event invites being sent out, the launch of new devices is still expected to occur very soon.

• With No Sign of Invites, When Could the Spring Apple Event Be?

The spring Apple event is expected to at least include the announcement of the third-generation iPhone SE and the fifth-generation iPad Air, and a recent report from Gurman claimed that the event will include the announcement at least one new Mac powered by Apple silicon chips. Overall, Apple is expected to launch five new Macs this year:

Gurman suggested that the Mac unveiled at the spring Apple event may be either the new mini-LED iMac or the Mac mini, with the other three models apparently being unlikely to emerge before the fall.

There have been no indications that the redesigned ‌MacBook Air‌ or ‌Mac Pro‌ will be arriving next month, and it currently looks like the announcement of the ‌Mac mini‌ is the most likely eventuality. Not only was the ‌Mac mini‌ rumored to launch at Apple's October event last year alongside the 14- and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ Models, but the ‌Mac mini‌ release date rumor comes by cross-referencing credible recent reports from display analyst Ross Young and Gurman.

In December 2021, Young said that a new ‌iMac‌ Pro model with a mini-LED display was going to launch in the spring, and Gurman also floated the possibility of this machine being announced at a spring event, likely in March or April. Now, Young says that he no longer expects the new iMac Pro to launch in the spring, with a "summer" launch seeming more likely for the high-end all-in-one device. Panel shipments for the ‌iMac‌ Pro are expected to begin in June, and a release could follow in August or September.

Apple has been rumored to be working on a Mac mini to replace the Intel-based models that are still in the product lineup for some time. Apple 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. It is this high-end model that is expected to be replaced this year with an Apple silicon model that features the first redesign since 2010.

The new device is expected to feature the ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ chips from the ‌MacBook Pro‌, up to 64GB of memory, four Thunderbolt ports, a design with a "plexiglass-like" top, and more. For more information about what to expect from the high-end ‌Mac mini‌, see our detailed guide.

Taking all of the available evidence into account, this means that the high-end ‌Mac mini‌ is likely the new Mac that will announce at Apple's spring event, but it is possible that the company could unveil more than one Apple silicon Mac at the event.

In December, Gurman was first to report that Apple was planning to launch an updated entry-level MacBook Pro with the ‌M2‌ chip and no Touch Bar this year. While this machine was generally been assumed to be arriving later in the year, a recent report from DigiTimes claimed that this model is set to arrive as soon as March. Lining up with this, the reputable leaker behind the correct rumors about the 14- and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models last year also recently claimed that the new 13-inch MacBook Pro will debut in March.

A March unveiling for the updated entry-level ‌MacBook Pro‌ seems questionable since this would be the debut of the ‌M2‌ chip, which may make more sense to appear in a redesigned Mac such as the ‌MacBook Air‌ first, but it remains a possibility given recent rumors. It would perhaps be more understandable if the ‌M2‌ also appeared in a new ‌Mac mini‌ model at the event.

Rumors indicate that the high-end ‌Mac mini‌ will mirror the 14- and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌'s chip options, but this does not disqualify Apple from also upgrading the entry-level ‌Mac mini‌ from the ‌M1‌ chip to the ‌M2‌, even though there have been no reports to suggest this.

Regardless, there are other significant questions around how the new entry-level ‌MacBook Pro‌ will take the middle ground between the the current high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ and the ‌‌M2‌‌ ‌‌MacBook Air‌‌ that is expected to arrive later this year.

In terms of the March event's Mac unveilings, it is important to note that Apple filed three new Mac models in the Eurasian Economic Database earlier this month with the model numbers A2615, A2686, and A2681, which suggests that the launch of new machines is imminent. A2681 is said to be a laptop, while the other two Macs are desktop machines. It seems plausible that this relates to two ‌Mac mini‌ models and one 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ model.

Reports in the immediate run-up to Apple events often reveal critical details about new products, as was the case with the last-minute revelation of the MacBook Pro's notch last year, so more information about new Macs could still come to light in the coming weeks before the spring event.

We're more than halfway through February, and rumors are continuing to fly about what might be coming at Apple's rumored March event and beyond. The latest teaser comes from a regulatory database where several new Mac models have popped up.

Rumors about the next 27-inch "iMac Pro" and the iPhone 14 Pro continue circulate, and we're also expecting some new Apple displays at some point, so read on for all of the details on these stories and more!

Apple Files New Macs in Regulatory Database Ahead of Rumored Spring Event

Apple is rumored to be planning a virtual event for Tuesday, March 8, and ahead of time, the company has filed three unreleased Mac model numbers in a Eurasian regulatory database, as legally required.

Apple is expected to launch several new Macs with M1 Pro/Max and M2 chips this year, but it's unclear if any will be announced at the March event. One of the new Macs listed in the database is described as a "portable" computer, suggesting that it will be a MacBook of some kind.

Other products rumored to be announced at the event include new iPhone SE and iPad Air models, both with an A15 chip and 5G. In the latest episode of The MacRumors Show, we chatted with Andru Edwards about expectations and possibilities for the event.

2022 Mini-LED iMac Pro Could Launch in June

Apple is widely rumored to be planning a new version of the 27-inch iMac powered by M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, and while the computer was originally expected to be released in the first quarter of this year, it might end up launching a few months later.

According to oft-accurate display industry consultant Ross Young, a redesigned "iMac Pro" with a mini-LED ProMotion display could launch in June.

iPhone 14 Pro Rumored to Feature 8GB RAM, Matching Samsung's Galaxy S22

iPhone 14 Pro models will feature 8GB of RAM, the most memory ever offered in an iPhone, according to a rumor that surfaced out of Korea this week.

8GB of RAM would match the amount of RAM in Samsung's new Galaxy S22 models, and it would be an increase over the 6GB of RAM in iPhone 13 Pro models.

It's unclear how much RAM the standard iPhone 14 models will have, but it will likely be less than the Pro models.

Apple is Finally Making a Cheaper Display: What We Know

Apple has not offered an affordable Apple-branded display since the 27-inch Thunderbolt Display was discontinued in 2016, but that is expected to change at some point in the foreseeable future.

Rumors suggest that Apple is planning new lower-priced standalone displays that would be sold alongside the high-end Pro Display XDR. We've put together a guide covering everything that we know about these displays.

Hands On: Testing Fortnite on iOS Using GeForce NOW

Fortnite has been unavailable to play on the iPhone and iPad since Apple banned it from the App Store in 2020 amid an ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, but the battle royale game is coming back to iOS devices thanks to Nvidia's GeForce NOW gaming service.

GeForce NOW is a browser-based gaming service that will allow ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ users to play Fortnite using Safari, and we tried out a beta version in a recent video.

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Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Kanye West, now known officially as "Ye," does not plan to release his next album, "Donda 2," on streaming services that include Apple Music and Spotify, opting instead for a proprietary platform.

Ye said today on Instagram that "Donda 2" will be available only on the Stem Player, a $200 device that was released with the initial "Donda" album pre-installed. The Stem Player is designed to allow users to "customize any song" with controls for vocals, drums, bass, effects, and more.

As an explanation for why the album will not be coming to major streaming platforms, Ye said that artists "get just 12% of the money the industry makes," and that it's "time to free music from this oppressive system."

The Stem Player was developed in partnership with Kano Computing, and Ye is ramping up production to meet demand. Ye said that there are 67,000 units available, and 3,000 units are being manufactured each day.

Ye has in the past claimed that an album will be exclusive only to release it on streaming services later. Back in 2016, he said that his album "The Life of Pablo" would "never never never" come to ‌Apple Music‌, only to release it on Apple Music a month later.

"Donda 2" is expected to launch next week, on February 22, and the Stem Player can be purchased online.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Woolnut to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Coated Folio or a Coated Sleeve designed to carry and protect Apple's iPads.

Available for the 11-inch iPad Pro, 10.9-inch iPad Air, and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, Woolnut's Sleeves and Folios are made from a sustainable matte PU leather alternative that replaces traditional leather while offering the same benefits.

With this particular collection, Woolnut is aiming for future-oriented tech-friendly materials that are environmentally friendly. In addition to using a matte PU material, the Folios and Sleeves are lined with 100 percent recycled PET felt that's derived from plastic bottles.

The soft felt material is designed to keep iPads free from scratches, and it offers padding for carrying your iPad when traveling, either in hand or in a bag. Woolnut makes slip-in Coated Sleeves that are priced starting at $56, and Coated Folios that are priced starting at $75.

The Sleeves have an open-top design that makes it easy to pop an ‌iPad‌ inside and get it out when needed, while the Folios are a bit more secure and have a zipper closure mechanism. The Folios include an Apple Pencil holder and are sized to support a Magic Keyboard, while the Sleeves are slimmer, making them ideal for those looking for a thin and fitted ‌iPad‌ protection solution.

Woolnut's Coated Folios and Sleeves come in black, blue, and green, all dark, attractive shades that will limit the amount of wear shown, and each one is equipped with a matching gray felt interior.

We have six Coated Sleeves and Folios to give away, with each winner to choose their favorite design, color, and size. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, 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 (February 18) at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on February 25. The winners will be chosen randomly on February 25 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

The Washington Post today reports that employees at some Apple retail stores in the U.S. are quietly working to unionize.

The report claims that groups of employees working for at least two stores are preparing to file paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board in the near future, and at least a half dozen more locations are said to be in earlier stages of the unionization process. Apple did not immediately provide a comment on the report.

A key concern among Apple retail employees looking to unionize is that wages have not kept up with the rate of inflation. The report claims that Apple recently gave raises to some of its retail employees, but due to rising inflation, some of the employees said they are effectively making less money than when they were first hired.

Apple retail employees can earn anywhere from $17 to more than $30 per hour depending on their position, according to the report, but some employees believe that Apple should pay more as one of the world's most valuable companies.

Apple has reportedly offered improved benefits in an effort to attract and retain retail employees in the current labor market.

Amazon today has Apple's 14-inch M1 MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16-core GPU, 1TB SSD) for $2,249.99 with on-page coupon, down from $2,499.00. This sale is available in both Silver and Space Gray, and you won't see the sale price until you reach the checkout screen due to the automatic on-page coupon.

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.

With the coupon, this deal takes a total of $249 off the original price of this 14-inch M1 MacBook Pro. To date this is the best discount that we've ever tracked on this model, and only Amazon is reaching this low of a price at this time.

You can find even more discounts on other MacBooks by visiting our Best Deals guide for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. In this guide we track the steepest discounts for the newest MacBook models every week, so be sure to bookmark it and check back often if you're shopping for a new Apple notebook.

Apple has been lauded as "ungodly well-managed" by billionaire investor Charlie Munger, Yahoo Finance reports.

In an exclusive interview, the Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman told Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer:

I think Apple is one of the strong companies and will stay a strong company. I think it's ungodly well-managed.

Apple is now Berkshire Hathaway's largest stock holding, and the stake is a significant proportion of the value of the conglomerate holding company itself. In recent years, Berkshire Hathaway has sought to bolster its stake of Apple and other big tech companies such as Amazon. Munger emphasized that he is most impressed by Apple:

I judge the strength of the company based on how much the customers love it. And I've got zillions of friends who they'd almost part with their right arm before they'd part with their iPhone. That's a hugely powerful position to be in.

Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett often praises Apple's success and, as of September 2021, the company owned 5.5 percent of Apple with 907.6 million shares.

Last month, Apple became the world's first company worth three trillion dollars. At its last earnings report, Apple reported quarterly revenue of $123.9 billion, an all-time quarterly record for the company. On a category-by-category basis, the company also set all-time quarterly revenue records for the iPhone, Mac, Wearables, and Services.

Alternative iPhone camera app Obscura 3 has launched with several new camera features and an overhauled design that aims to make its various photography tools easier to access.

In the newly designed interface, the control wheel of the previous version has been replaced by an entirely gesture-based control system with haptic feedback, which the developer says improves single-thumb control and gives users the closest feeling yet to using a real DSLR on a smartphone.

As in previous versions, Obscura 3 allows users to shoot in a range of formats such as RAW, HEIC, JPEG, Live Photo, and Portrait-style modes, amongst others, but the way the modes are controlled has changed.

The new app builds upon Apple's latest camera hardware, with Pro, Pro Photo, Depth, Live Photo, and Video modes. The default Pro Photo Mode uses only a single camera at a time, enabling manual control of focus, white balance, shutter speed, and ISO.

Pro Mode uses the dual or triple-camera system of the ‌iPhone‌, with fast zooming between lenses at the expense of the more manual controls. All of the modes offer various shooting options via a gear icon that when pressed reveals horizontally scrolling settings below the viewfinder.

The Obscura camera features also provide flash control, grids, shutter time, and spirit level, while an improved dedicated library browser includes pre-built albums like flagged and starred, and it allows users to apply filters and easily edit, share, copy, favorite, hide, delete, and trash their pictures.

The app also includes three themes, several app icon choices, light and dark modes, and a companion Apple Watch app that can trigger your ‌iPhone‌'s shutter remotely.

Obscura 3 is available to download on the App Store for a one-time purchase price of $9.99.

Apple today shared a short movie called "Life is But a Dream," which was created by South Korean film director Park Chan-wook, who is known for "Oldboy," "The Handmaiden," "Lady Vengeance," and more.

The 21 minute film was commissioned by Apple, and it tells the story of an undertaker who needs wood to build a coffin for the savior of his village. He digs up an abandoned grave, awakening the ghost of an ancient swordsman.

Apple has also uploaded a separate "making of" video that explains how Park and his film crew used the iPhone 13 Pro's features to create the short.

"Shot on ‌iPhone‌" is a long running Apple ad campaign, and Apple has previously commissioned other short films. Most recently, Apple shared a short film from Chinese director Zhang Meng to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Apple supplier BOE is having issues producing the OLED panels that are used in iPhones due to the ongoing global chip shortage, reports The Elec. The shortage will impact production "this month and next month," according to the site's sources.

BOE gets its display driver ICs for Apple's iPhone display panels from LX Semicon, but LX Semicon's production is falling short of the target goal. Because of a lack of production capacity from foundries, LX Semicon is apparently supplying display driver ICs to LG Display before BOE.

As a result, BOE is expected to drop its OLED panel production volume from three million units to two million units next month. Apple has reportedly ordered up to 10 million OLED panel units from BOE for the first half of 2022, and it is unclear if the shortage will impact ‌iPhone‌ supplies.

The ‌iPhone‌ 13 and 13 Pro models were in short supply following their launch last September, but as of now, both devices are in stock and available for next-day delivery in most places.