Apple today released an iTunes 12.12.4 update for Windows, with the new software adding several security fixes to address vulnerabilities.
According to Apple's security support document for the new Windows version of iTunes, it includes fixes for AppleGraphicsControl, ImageIO, Mobile Device Service, WebKit, and more.
Apple did not mention that the exploits were found in the wild, but iTunes for Windows users should still update to the latest version when possible. There are no other outward-facing changes, with iTunes 12.12.4 focusing on under-the-hood improvements.
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new update coming two days after the release of macOS Monterey 12.4.
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and after the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.
There's no word yet on what new features or changes might be included in macOS Monterey 12.5, but if we find anything new after installing the software, we'll update this article.
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming two days after the launch of iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5.
Developers can download iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6 through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.
We don't yet know what might be introduced in iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6, as Apple has now implemented all of the features that were announced as coming in the iOS and iPadOS 15 updates, and work on iOS 15 is likely winding down with iOS 16 approaching.
iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6 could be some of the last updates to iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 as Apple is now working on iOS 16. We'll get our first glimpse at iOS 16 on June 6, the first day of the Worldwide Developers Conference.
Apple has also seeded initial betas of tvOS 15.6 and watchOS 8.7.
Alongside iOS 15.6, iPadOS 15.6, and macOS Monterey 12.5, Apple has also seeded new betas of tvOS 15.6, watchOS 8.7, and HomePod 15.6 to developers for testing purposes.
tvOS 15.6 can be installed by downloading a profile onto the Apple TV using Xcode, while watchOS 8.7 can be downloaded over the air after installing the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. As for the HomePod, the beta software is limited to a select number of testers and it is not widely available to all developers.
At the current time, we do not know of any new features available in the betas, but we will update this article should anything notable be found.
In collaboration with the Metal engineering team at Apple, PyTorch today announced that its open source machine learning framework will soon support GPU-accelerated model training on Apple silicon Macs powered by M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, or M1 Ultra chips.
Until now, PyTorch training on the Mac only leveraged the CPU, but an upcoming version will allow developers and researchers to take advantage of the integrated GPU in Apple silicon chips for "significantly faster" model training.
A preview build of PyTorch version 1.12 with GPU-accelerated training is available for Apple silicon Macs running macOS 12.3 or later with a native version of Python. Performance comparisons and additional details are available on PyTorch's website.
Apple's stock opened at $146.85 today and continues to trend downwards, with shares currently trading below the $143 mark in today's session. Apple's stock price has declined approximately 20% since closing at $178.44 on April 4.
The stock market has experienced broader losses since the start of April, with the S&P 500 down around 13% and the Dow Jones down around 8.5% over that period. Many other tech companies are in a similar boat, with Google parent company Alphabet's and Microsoft's stocks also down around 20% since early April as two larger examples.
Apple has been financially successful during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the company recently setting a new March quarter revenue record of $97.3 billion. However, on an earnings call last month, Apple said supply constraints caused by COVID-related disruptions and industrywide silicon shortages were impacting the company's ability to meet customer demand, resulting in lengthy shipping estimates for devices like the MacBook Pro.
Apple today shared a new ad highlighting iPhone privacy features like App Tracking Transparency and Mail Privacy Protection that are designed to give users more transparency and control when it comes to their personal data being collected.
The ad revolves around a young woman named Ellie who discovers that her personal data is being sold at an auction house, with bids being placed on her iPhone's emails, purchase history, location data, contacts, browsing history, and more. Upon realizing that her data is being sold, Ellie makes use of App Tracking Transparency and Mail Privacy Protection, at which point the auctioneer and bidders suddenly begin to vanish into thin air.
In a white paper last year, Apple said that the average mobile app has six embedded trackers from third-party companies for the "sole purpose of collecting and tracking people and their personal information," fueling an industry valued at $227 billion per year. Apple's message behind its new ad is that the iPhone allows users to limit this tracking.
App Tracking Transparency, for example, allows users to choose whether an app can track their activity across other companies' apps and websites for the purposes of advertising or sharing information with data brokers. On devices running iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, tvOS 14.5, or later, apps that wish to track a user based on their device's unique advertising identifier can only do so if the user allows it when prompted.
In the Mail app, Mail Privacy Protection prevents email senders from learning information about a user's email activity. When the feature is enabled, it hides the user's IP address and prevents senders from seeing if the user opened their emails. The feature was introduced as part of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, and watchOS 8.
The ad comes as Apple has been advocating against regulations like the European Union's proposed Digital Markets Act, which would require Apple to allow sideloading of apps on the iPhone outside of the App Store. In recent months, Apple's CEO Tim Cook and software engineering chief Craig Federighi have both argued that sideloading would expose iPhone users to privacy and security risks.
Alongside the ad, Apple said it will be launching a billboard campaign in select U.S. cities with the slogan "Privacy. That's iPhone."
Apple today announced new training courses and certifications to help IT professionals learn how to support and manage Apple devices in the workplace.
From today, updated professional training and certifications for IT support and management are available from Apple in a redesigned, online, and self-paced format. Users are now able to demonstrate their abilities with two new courses and exams to earn certification from Apple in Apple Device Support, and Apple Deployment and Management.
The Apple Device Support course teaches the tools, services, and best practices used by help desk professionals, technical coordinators, or service providers for an organization's Apple devices using around 14 hours worth of articles and guided exercises. The Apple Deployment and Management course takes these skills further, covering how to configure, manage, and secure Apple devices using mobile device management (MDM), teaching users how to develop a deployment strategy and use Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager.
The new courses are sequential and build on a user's skills as they progress, with new certification exams available to demonstrate competence at each level with corresponding digital badges. Each exam costs $149, with vouchers available from the Mac Admins Foundation for applicants in financial need. The Apple Professional Training courses are now available at training.apple.com.
While Apple's early M1-based Macs can only officially support a single external display, there are ways around the limitation. Anker is launching a new 10-in-1 USB-C docking station today which delivers just that.
The Anker 563 USB-C dock includes two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort port, and it leverages DisplayLink to carry multiple video signals over a single connection. Given that this hub operates over a single USB-C cable, there are bandwidth limitations that limit the quality of displays you can attach.
If you want to add a single 4K display, you can do that from one of the HDMI ports, but it will only run at 30Hz. A second HDMI display and/or a DisplayPort display will be then limited to 2K resolution each at either 50Hz or 60Hz depending on configuration, so while this dock may be a solid solution for productivity setups where you don't necessarily need high resolutions and refresh rates, users should be aware of the limitations.
Beyond the display support, the Anker 563 dock includes a wealth of other ports, including a USB-C Power Delivery port that provides up to 100 watts to the host computer, and a pair of 5 Gbps downstream USB ports: one USB-C at up to 30 watts and one USB-A at up to 7.5 watts. Two additional USB-A 2.0 ports are good for peripherals like mice and keyboards, while a Gigabit Ethernet port and an AUX in/out port round out the setup.
The Anker 563 measures in at a little under 7 inches by a little over 3 inches and just about an inch thick, although it's powered by a 180-watt external brick. It's priced at $249.99 and is available now from Anker and Amazon.
In other Anker news, several of the company's recently announced products are now available to ship, including the massive 757 Portable Power Station ($1399 at Anker and Amazon) and the Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K Projector ($2199 at Nebula and Amazon).
The highly anticipated Anker 736 100-watt GaN charger that immediately sold out when it launched in black last month is also now available in white for $79.99 at Amazon. And finally, the AnkerMake M5 3D printer is in its final days on Kickstarter, where it has seen over 11,000 backers and is looking to hit its final stretch goal at $9 million in pledges.
Update May 20: This article was updated to note that the dock uses DisplayLink rather than Multi-Stream Transport to support multiple displays.
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Apple supplier Quanta Computer is considering the feasibility of relocating its MacBook Pro production to its factory in Chongqing, China, as output at its Shanghai plant remains constrained by lockdown restrictions, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes.
The move could gradually boost the availability of MacBook Pro models and shorten the extended delivery times that Apple customers have been experiencing in recent weeks, but staffing and logistical issues could hinder progress.
In a tweet last month, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Quanta is the sole supplier of high-end MacBook Pro models, which are facing significant supply constraints. In the United States, for instance, all 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations are currently estimated for delivery in mid-July to early August on Apple's online store.
On an earnings call last month, Apple said supply constraints caused by COVID-related disruptions and industrywide silicon shortages were impacting the company's ability to meet customer demand for its products. Apple said it expected the constraints to have a $4 billion to $8 billion impact on the company's June quarter revenue.
Apple's latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models launched in October 2021, with key new features including M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, the return of several built-in ports, and a ProMotion display with up to a 120Hz refresh rate.
On Twitter, ShrimpApplePro cited sources claiming that "there is a flat front glass display" for the Apple Watch. There is said to be a "high chance that this is the front glass for the Apple Watch Series 8," and while there is as yet no clear information about what the overall design could look like or which Apple Watch model the flat display could be destined for, it seems plausible that the information relates to the flat-edged Apple Watch design shared by Prosser last year.
In May last year, Prosser spearheaded a rumor claiming that Apple was working on an Apple Watch design with flat, squared-off edges, which was subsequently supported by alleged CAD renders and other sources. At the time, Prosser suggested that the design could be for the Apple Watch Series 7, but cautioned that it could also be for another future Apple Watch model such as the Series 8.
The Apple Watch Series 7 debuted in September last year featuring an even more rounded design, but ShrimpApplePro's latest information suggests that the rumored flat Apple Watch design may actually have been destined for a new model this year instead. ShrimpApplePro added that the flat display is believed to soon be ready for mass production, likely alongside the front glass for the iPhone 14 models, and that there will be more to share next month.
This year, Apple is rumored to be preparing to launch three new Apple Watch models, including the Apple Watch Series 8, second-generation Apple Watch SE, and a new Apple Watch "Explorer Edition" with enhanced durability. Prosser has suggested that the flat-edged design could be destined for any of these new models.
ShrimpApplePro has a growing reputation in the Apple rumor community, providing the first look at the iPhone 14 Pro's "pill and hole-punch" True Depth camera array, thinner bezels, and exact dimensions. It is worth noting that ShrimpApplePro correctly said that the Apple Watch Series 7 would feature a rounded design like the Apple Watch Series 6, but with thinner display bezels, and is only now corroborating Prosser's initial rumor.
Following the new information, Prosser shared renders by Ian Zelbo showing what a flat-edged design could look like on the Apple Watch Series 8. The Apple Watch Series 8 is rumored to feature body temperature monitoring, improved activity tracking, and more.
Apple's AirPods 3 have been knocked down to $149.99 on Amazon today, from an original price of $179.00. This model is shipped and sold directly by Amazon, and delivery is available for May 20 - 23 for most residences in the United States.
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This sale is about $10 off from the all-time low price that we tracked on this pair of AirPods over the 2021 holiday season, and it's one of the best deals that we've seen so far in 2022. Amazon's sale is also beating rival retailers' discounts by about $20, so this is the best deal you'll find online for the AirPods 3 this week.
The AirPods 3 were introduced in October 2021 and feature a more compact stem similar to the AirPods Pro, and a redesigned contoured fit. There's a force sensor built into the stem for physical control over media and Siri, and they come with a MagSafe Charging Case.
We track sales for every model of the AirPods in our Best AirPods Deals guide, so be sure to bookmark that page while you shop around for the wireless headphones.
Chinese mobile maker Vivo has announced that its latest flagship X80 Pro smartphone is coming to international markets, and the device boasts some standout features that Apple is rumored to have explored for future iPhones at one point or another.
The most notable of these features is a much larger in-display fingerprint sensor than seen on other Android phones. Vivo was one of the first phone companies to demonstrate an under-display fingerprint solution back in 2017, and with the help of Qualcomm it has since honed the technology to make unlocking the phone more convenient and secure.
The active area on the display is now a lot bigger, meaning users no longer have to align the tip of their thumb with a sensor to unlock the device. Apart from being larger though, the fingerprint sensor can now register a fingertip with a single press, rather than the way Touch ID users have to lift and press multiple times on a button for their fingerprint to be fully mapped.
As The Verge notes, the finger registration process works even if the display or your hands are wet, and the larger active area means users can also set the phone to require two fingerprints simultaneously for an extra layer of security – something that is not supported by Touch ID.
Apple's intention to launch an iPhone model with an under-screen fingerprint scanner has been a long-standing rumor that seems to have petered out this year. In a September 2021 research note, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said such an iPhone would be launched in the second half of 2023. However, Kuo in March poured cold water on that idea, suggesting it won't happen for several years, if ever, because Apple is so focused on improving Face ID.
Apple did test an under-screen fingerprint scanner for at least some iPhone 13 models, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, but Apple apparently decided not to move forward with the idea.
Returning to the X80 Pro, Vivo is keener to tout camera specs than fingerprint authentication, since it's the camera that really defines this device, as it looks as if the phone has essentially been designed around the four Zeiss rear lenses. The large camera housing on the back features a 50MP Wide camera with optical image stabilization and a 48MP Ultra Wide camera.
There are also a pair of periscope telephoto lenses, one featuring a 2x optical zoom and the other boasting a native 5x zoom. In a periscope system, light entering the telephoto lens is reflected by an angled mirror towards the camera's image sensor. The change in direction in which the light travels allows for a longer "folded" telephoto setup inside phones, enabling users to zoom in further without any blurriness.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the 2022 Pro iPhone models will feature a 48-megapixel Wide camera, which would be a major improvement over the current 12-megapixel camera. Meanwhile, rumors about the iPhone getting a periscope lens have been circulating since early 2020. Kuo initially said that a periscope lens would be an iPhone 14 Pro feature, but now says he expects the lens type to arrive with the iPhone 15 Pro, a prediction that analyst Jeff Pu has also made.
In another impressive feat, Vivo's X80 Pro supports 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, although the latter requires a separate compatible wireless charger to achieve that wattage. According to independent tests, the maximum supported wattage on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max when connected to a 30W or higher USB-C power adapter is 23W and 27W, respectively. Meanwhile wireless charging is only 15W across the lineup except for the iPhone 13 mini, which is limited to 12W of peak power via a MagSafe charger.
Apple's longtime goal has been an iPhone with no external ports or buttons for a clean, streamlined device, but until it can improve the maximum 15W charging speed of MagSafe or come up with another wireless alternative, that's unlikely to happen.
Other X80 Pro specs include 12GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, a 6.78-inch 1440p OLED panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz, and 256GB of Storage. Vivo has yet to reveal pricing or release dates for different regions, but in the past the company has eventually expanded device availability to Europe, India, and areas in East Asia beyond China's borders.
If you couldn't see your latest Apple Card transactions in the Wallet app on your iPhone over the last 24 hours, try checking them again, because Apple says it has now fixed the issue.
Several users took to Reddit on Tuesday and overnight to voice their concerns, with many reporting that their Apple Card balance was up-to-date yet nothing new was appearing in the Latest Transactions column.
Usually, the last 10 transactions processed by Apple Card or any card added to the Wallet app for use with Apple Pay are displayed below the card. Users can tap an individual transaction for further details such as the time, date, and location for the purchase.
For whatever reason, some Apple Card users were not seeing this transaction history. Some speculated that Apple's recent iOS 15.5 software update was behind the bug, but other users who have not updated their iPhone were also experiencing the same problem.
However, according to Apple's System Status Page, Apple has resolved an issue where "some users may have experienced delays in receiving transaction notifications." If you're still not seeing your transactions, try force quitting the Wallet app and then re-launch it on your iPhone.
Earlier this month, former Apple director of machine learning Ian Goodfellow made headlines when he resigned from his position due to Apple's refusal to allow employees to continue to work remotely full time. Goodfellow has now found another company to work for, taking a position with DeepMind, a subsidiary of Alphabet, reports Bloomberg.
DeepMind is a machine learning company Google purchased in 2014, and the company this week announced the launch of a multi-modal multi-task AI system called Gato. It is not yet clear what Goodfellow's role will be at DeepMind, but prior to Apple, he worked as a Google research scientist. Goodfellow is known as one of the foremost machine learning researchers, according to Bloomberg, so this could be a notable loss for Apple.
In an emailed letter to fellow Apple employees, Goodfellow explained that he was leaving the company because of Apple's plan to return to in person work. "I believe strongly that more flexibility would have been the best policy for my team," he wrote.
Apple in April began requiring corporate employees to work in the office one day a week, and that increased to two days a week in May. Apple was aiming to have employees work in the office three days a week starting on May 23, but that plan has been pushed back due to a rising number of COVID infections across the United States. Still, at the current time, employees are required to work at Apple's campuses and office locations at least two days per week.
A number of Apple employees in addition to Goodfellow have been vocally against returning to in-person work, despite the fact that Apple plans to allow them to stay at home two days per week when work schedules are able to get back to normal. In May, a group of employees calling themselves "Apple Together" penned a letter to Apple's executive team to argue that the hybrid work plan "does not recognize flexible work and is only driven by fear."
Other technology companies such as Meta and Google have implemented more flexible working options that could lure Apple employees who are uninterested in in-office working policies. Google, for example, has asked employees to return to the office, but it is approving exemptions for many who still want to work at home.
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.
If you live in a family household, there's a good chance that at some stage you've been disturbed by someone else's alarm going off on their iPhone. If their phone is out of your reach and no one else is bothering to turn off the alarm, the disturbance can quickly become irritating, but if your own iPhone or iPad is nearby, there's a handy trick you can use to silence that alarm without you having to get up.
The next time you hear an alarm going off on a family member's iPhone and your own iPhone or iPad is within earshot, simply say "Hey Siri, turn off the alarm on Anna's iPhone" (or the name of whoever's iPhone it's likely to be).
Siri will ask you to confirm that you want to stop the alarm that's going off on the person's iPhone, to which you can respond with "Yes" or "No," or you can tap the same two onscreen options. All things being well, the alarm will be silenced forthwith.
Tip: You can make the same request using a nearby HomePod with Siri enabled.
Note that this feature only works if the noisy iPhone in question is owned by a person included in your Family Sharing group, and that person identifies in Family Sharing with the name that you use in the Siri request. Lastly, both devices must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
The child, identified as B.G. in the filing, was watching a movie on Netflix on his iPhone in 2020 while wearing AirPods Pro. The AirPods Pro were allegedly set at a low volume, but an Amber Alert sounded without warning and the high-pitched noise damaged B.G.'s eardrums.
The lawsuit claims that the Amber Alert "tore apart" B.G.'s eardrum, damaged his cochlea, and caused injuries to his hearing. He has since suffered from bouts of dizziness, vertigo, tinnitus, and nausea, and there is permanent hearing loss in his right ear, requiring him to wear a hearing aid.
Apple is accused of producing "defective" AirPods that do not automatically reduce the volume of alerts or equalize notification and alert volumes. The lawsuit faults Apple for failing to include warnings about the potential issue, and claims that Apple was aware of the alleged design defects.
As a direct and proximate result of each and all Defendants' negligence in designing, manufacturing, and marketing the defective AirPods, B.G. has suffered significant temporary and permanent, continuous injuries, pain and suffering, disability, and impairment. B.G. has suffered mental anguish, emotional trauma, physical harm, injuries, disability, and impairment in the past and that will continue into the future. B.G. has lost his ability to live a normal life, and he will continue to live a diminished life into the future, including a diminished earning capacity. Furthermore, B.G. has medical bills both past and future related to care arising from and relating to the injuries suffered as a result of the defective AirPods.
The lawsuit is seeking damages for B.G. and his parents, who are suffering from serious emotional stress caused by the AirPods incident. It asks for "punitive damages in amounts that would punish Defendants for their conduct and which would deter other technology companies from engaging in such misconduct in the future."
There have been other social media complaints about the noise of Amber Alerts when wearing AirPods. Amber Alerts are designed to catch the attention of iPhone owners, causing devices to play a loud sound and vibrate. Reports on the internet suggest that the Amber Alert sound is indeed very loud when played through AirPods, even when those AirPods are set at a reasonable volume.
Amber Alerts can be turned off in the Settings app by opening up the Notifications section, scrolling to the bottom, and tapping on the toggle to deactivate the alert. There are also options for turning off Emergency Alerts and Public Safety Alerts, though it is worth noting that alerts cannot be disabled in all countries.
The full AirPods complaint can be read on Scribd for those interested.
Apple retail employees at around 100 stores will need to go back to wearing a mask while working, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is mandating masks for employees again due to a rising number of COVID cases across the United States.
Customers who visit an Apple Store are not required to wear a mask at this time, but Apple is continuing to recommend masks for all Apple Store visitors.
Apple has been shifting its operating policies throughout the pandemic to keep in line with local regulations and to mitigate risk for employees and customers in areas where COVID is spiking. Apple stopped requiring masks in March when COVID levels were lower, and masks still aren't required for employees in all locations.
Apple is also reinstating its mask mandate at about 100 US retail stores today — for employees. https://t.co/2Y3SYHDHfz
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) May 17, 2022
In addition to requiring masks for retail employees at some locations, Apple today told corporate employees that they must go back to wearing masks when in common areas. Apple is also maintaining its two day in-office work week for corporate employees for the time being, and will delay going to a three-day work week.
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.
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