Apple today released a brief teaser trailer for an upcoming "Behind the Mac" film featuring Skywalker Sound, the sound effects division of Lucasfilm known for the Star Wars franchise and many other high-profile movies.
Late last week, controversy erupted after Apple began notifying some developers that their apps that had not been updated in some time would be removed from the App Store as part of an "App Store Improvements" project to clean up "outdated" apps.
Many of the affected developers objected to Apple's policy, noting that their apps continued to function just fine despite a lack of updates, highlighting the amount of work that might be needed to submit even a minor update, and pointing out that many apps can exist as finished works without a need for continual updates.
Apple has now shared a new developer update clarifying its App Store Improvements policies and extending the amount of time it is giving developers to update their affected apps from 30 days to 90 days.
Apple says that apps that have not been updated within the past three years and which do not meet a minimum threshold for downloads ("not been downloaded at all or extremely few times during a rolling 12 month period") are subject to the policy, with developers receiving notices via email.
As part of the App Store Improvements process, developers of apps that have not been updated within the last three years and fail to meet a minimal download threshold — meaning the app has not been downloaded at all or extremely few times during a rolling 12 month period — receive an email notifying them that their app has been identified for possible removal from the App Store.
Developers can either appeal the pending removal or submit an update within 90 days in order to keep their apps live on the App Store. Apps that are removed will continue to function normally for users who previously downloaded them.
Mac apps often don't receive as much attention as apps designed for iPhones and iPads, so we have a regular video series that is designed to highlight some of the useful Mac apps that we've come across over the past few months. Our April picks feature apps for quickly accessing websites, adjusting external display settings from the menu bar, using a Windows-like "alt-tab" tool, and more.
Know of a great Mac app that we haven't highlighted yet? Let us know in the comments below and we might feature it in a future video. For more of our Mac app picks, check out our Mac apps archive.
Qualcomm's answer to Apple silicon will be available in devices by late 2023, the company's CEO said earlier this week (via Tom's Hardware).
In November last year, Qualcomm announced plans to build next-generation Arm-based System on Chips (SoCs), designed to rival Apple's M-series chips, for the PC market. The chips are "designed to set the performance benchmark for Windows PCs" and are being developed by the Nuvia team. Qualcomm said that it will directly compete with Apple's M-series chips, including the M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max, and hopes to lead the industry for "sustained performance and battery life."
During the company's latest earnings call earlier this week, Qualcomm President and CEO Christian Amon said that the Nuvia team was progressing toward its goal of developing a significant leap forward for Arm processors. Amon added that the first Nuvia-designed processor will be "going after the performance tier" and that Nuvia-powered Windows laptops are on track to be available to customers by late 2023.
The timing seems to indicate a slight delay compared to the original 2023 timeframe set out by Qualcomm last year. The company previously said that sample Nuvia chips would be available to device manufacturers by August 2022, but now that expectation has been broadened to the second half of 2022, with particular emphasis on the debut of the first consumer Nuvia devices in "late" 2023.
Qualcomm acquired Nuvia, a chip startup company founded by ex-Apple chip designers, for $1.4 billion in January 2021. The former Apple engineers wanted to create Arm-based SoCs specifically for servers and target the always-connected PC (ACPC) market with a chip that could compete with the M1, but now the team's aims seem to have been significantly broadened.
By late 2023, Apple is expected to be well into its M2 series of chips. The company may have even introduced the first M3 chips by the time the first Nuvia chips come to market.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of Apple introducing the eMac, designed specifically for educational use in classrooms and computer labs.
"Our education customers asked us to design a desktop computer specifically for them," said Steve Jobs, in April 2002. "The new eMac features a 17-inch flat CRT and a powerful G4 processor, while preserving the all-in-one compact enclosure that educators love."
Relay FM co-founder Stephen Hackett today shared a great video about the eMac's history:
Citing strong consumer demand, Apple made the eMac available to all customers in June 2002.
"Consumers have pounded on the table demanding to buy the eMac, and we agree," said Jobs. "The eMac's production ramp is ahead of schedule, so we'll have enough eMacs this quarter to satisfy both our education and non-education customers."
Apple went on to release additional eMac configurations with upgraded specs and a SuperDrive. In October 2005, the eMac became limited to educational institutions only again, and the eMac was replaced by a low-end 17-inch iMac in July 2006.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has launched an investigation into competition in mobile app ecosystems.
On behalf of the United States Department of Commerce, the NTIA is now requesting comments about competition in mobile app ecosystems. The investigation was triggered by an executive order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy from July last year, with the aim of making recommendations for improving competition, reducing barriers to entry, and maximizing user benefit. President Biden's executive order explained:
The American information technology sector has long been an engine of innovation and growth, but today a small number of dominant Internet platforms use their power to exclude market entrants, to extract monopoly profits, and to gather intimate personal information that they can exploit for their own advantage. Too many small businesses across the economy depend on those platforms and a few online marketplaces for their survival...
The formal request for comment lists in detail how iOS is likely to come under scrutiny as part of the investigation, with questions related to benefits of developing a standalone app for a platform compared to cross-platform web apps, how web apps should operate on mobile platforms, the availability of other methods of app distribution, and app sideloading. Particular attention is given to iOS's "unique barriers" that prevent users and developers from taking advantage of web apps, apps from alternative app stores, or sideloaded apps.
"The app economy is becoming a fundamental way that Americans interact with their environment," the request for comment explains, "Thus, it is critical that this market be robust, open, innovative, and secure—and without barriers to entry and growth."
The Federal Register is now open to comments from the public about competition in mobile app ecosystems. The information gathered as part of the investigation will be used to inform President Biden's competition agenda later this year.
Apple's ecosystem is increasingly coming under intense scrutiny by governments around the world, including in the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, the European Union, and more, with a clear appetite from global regulators to explore requirements around app sideloading and interoperability.
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 was the only top smartphone maker that saw a year-over-year increase in shipments in the last quarter, while Samsung, Oppo, Xiaomi, and others saw steep declines in their respective mobile smartphones.
Apple yesterday announced record earnings for the March quarter, with more than $97 billion in revenue, beating expectations. Following the results, Strategy Analytics, Canalys, and IDC have shared their reports of smartphone shipments for the last quarter. They all differ in exact numbers and estimates, but across all three reports, Apple was the only maker to have experienced growth in the last quarter.
Per information by Canalys, Apple saw growth of 8% compared to the same quarter last year, now taking up 18% of the total market share. Apple still lags behind Samsung in its overall market share, but Samsung saw a decline of 4% in the last quarter. Strategy Analytics reports that other Android smartphone makers, such as Oppo and Vivo, saw 29% and 30% drops in their market share.
Apple in the last quarter said the iPhone grew over 5% year-over-year, accounting for $50.6 billion despite ongoing supply constraints. Apple CEO Tim Cook says that demand for the iPhone 13 lineup remains strong and expects demand to continue. Apple has been dealing with ongoing supply chain issues, caused by new COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns in mainland China. Apple is expecting the supply chain issues to continue into the next quarter.
Earlier this week, Apple began rolling out a firmware update for AirTags, and while it wasn't clear at the time what changes were included in the update, Apple has now revealed in a new support document that it tweaks the sound made by unknown AirTags found to be traveling with you.
AirTag Firmware Update 1.0.301
Tuning the unwanted tracking sound to more easily locate an unknown AirTag.
Apple has made several changes to the way AirTags function since their release in order to address concerns about the trackers being used for stalking purposes. Apple in February announced a suite of changes it would be making with regard to stalking concerns, with some of the changes rolling out in March with iOS 15.4 and others coming later.
One of those changes coming later involved using more of the loudest tones in the tone sequence played by an unknown AirTag to help locate it more easily, and that appears to be what this week's firmware update includes.
Tuning AirTag’s sound: Currently, iOS users receiving an unwanted tracking alert can play a sound to help them find the unknown AirTag. We will be adjusting the tone sequence to use more of the loudest tones to make an unknown AirTag more easily findable.
While not mentioned in the release notes, Apple is rolling this firmware out on a staggered basis, and there is no way to force your AirTags to update. The update was capped at being delivered to 1% of AirTag users as of Tuesday when it started rolling out, which will rise to 10% on May 3 and 25% on May 9, and it will go fully live to everyone on May 13.
Apple is expecting ongoing supply issues to continue to impact product sales in the third quarter of 2022. In the second quarter, Apple had some difficulty meeting demand for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac due to supply constraints, and that is going to get worse in Q3 2022.
Apple CFO Luca Maestri said that Covid disruptions in China and silicon shortages are making it difficult to make enough product to satisfy customer demand.
The supply constraints will cost Apple $4 to $8 billion depending on how long it takes suppliers in China to get back up and running. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the supply issues are all centered on the Shanghai corridor, and while almost all factories are now reopened, it will take some time for them to ramp back up to standard output levels.
As of now, the supply issues have primarily affected iPads and the higher-end MacBook Pro models. Cook says that going forward, most product categories will be impacted, and this will ultimately affect Apple's June quarter revenue.
Since the launch of the first Apple silicon Macs in November 2020, Apple has continued to see strong growth in Mac sales. Apple's Mac revenue hit $10.4 billion in Q2 2022, up from $9.1 billion in the year-ago quarter.
During today's earnings call covering the second fiscal quarter of 2022, Apple CFO Luca Maestri said that the company has been growing its install base. There was a March quarter record for upgraders, and half of all Mac buyers during the quarter were new to the product.
Apple saw strong Mac growth despite supply chain constraints. Apple has had trouble delivering some of its high-end MacBook Pro models in a timely manner, and some users have seen significant delays in shipping estimates.
Most recently, Apple introduced the Mac Studio with M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips. The M1 Ultra is Apple's most powerful Apple silicon chip to date, and it is twice as powerful as the M1 Max.
Apple today announced its earnings results for the second quarter of its 2022 fiscal year, including revenue of $97.3 billion, a new March quarter record. Apple saw growth across its iPhone, Mac, Wearables, and Services product categories, but iPad revenue experienced around a 2% decline compared to the year-ago quarter.
"We are very pleased with our record business results for the March quarter, as we set an all-time revenue record for Services and March quarter revenue records for iPhone, Mac, and Wearables, Home and Accessories," said Apple's CFO Luca Maestri.
Apple's CEO Tim Cook told CNBC that its iPad line continued to face "very significant supply constraints" during the March quarter.
The breakdown of Apple's earnings results for the March quarter:
Wearables, Home, and Accessories includes the Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod mini, iPod touch, AirPods, Beats headphones, accessories like iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands, and more. Services includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, Apple Fitness+, iCloud, Apple Pay, AppleCare plans, and more.
Apple today announced financial results for its second fiscal quarter of 2022, which corresponds to the first calendar quarter of the year.
For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $97.3 billion and net quarterly profit of $25.0 billion, or $1.52 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $89.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $23.6 billion, or $1.40 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.
As expected, Apple's revenue and earnings set all-time records for the March quarter.
Gross margin for the quarter was 43.7 percent, compared to 42.5 percent in the year-ago quarter. Apple also declared an increased dividend payment of $0.23 per share, up from $0.22 per share. The dividend is payable May 12 to shareholders of record as of May 9.
Apple has also authorized an increase of $90 billion for its stock buyback program.
“This quarter’s record results are a testament to Apple’s relentless focus on innovation and our ability to create the best products and services in the world,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are delighted to see the strong customer response to our new products, as well as the progress we’re making to become carbon neutral across our supply chain and our products by 2030. We are committed, as ever, to being a force for good in the world — both in what we create and what we leave behind.”
As has been the case for two years now, Apple is once again not issuing guidance for the current quarter ending in June.
Apple will provide live streaming of its fiscal Q2 2022 financial results conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific, and MacRumors will update this story with coverage of the conference call highlights.
Conference call recap ahead...
➜ Click here to read rest of article...
Snap today announced the launch of its latest hardware product, the Pixy drone that is designed to be used with the Snapchat social network. Pixy joins the Snap Spectacles, Snap's other hardware device.
Priced at $230, Snap's Pixy drone is essentially a pocket-sized flying camera. It has a top button that can activate one of four preset flight paths, and it can float, orbit, and follow the user without a controller.
There are two cameras on the Pixy drone, one that's used for navigation and landing (it's able to land on your hand at the end of a flight), and a second that's for recording 2.7K video. Videos captured by Pixy are transferred and saved to Snapchat Memories, and can be used with Snapchat's editing tools, Lenses, and Sounds before the content is shared on the social network.
Snap's information on the Pixy is a bit limited, but reviews have suggested that the battery lasts for about four flights before needing to be recharged. Snap is selling extra batteries for the device.
Snap has been working on this drone for some time now, and there were first rumors about a drone product back in 2017.
Snap's Pixy is available starting today in the United States and France and can be ordered from the Pixy website.
The camera-equipped Wristcam accessory for the Apple Watch is being updated with FaceTime-like video calling, the company announced today.
With the new video calling feature, Wristcam owners will be able to make calls to friends and family right from their wrists. On its own, the Apple Watch supports voice calls and audio FaceTime calls, but as it has no built-in camera, there is no native video calling functionality.
Using the Wristcam app, Wristcam offers watch-to-watch calling with other Wristcam users, or Watch-to-iPhone calling. Note that this is not FaceTime or another native video calling feature -- both parties must have the Wristcam app.
Video calling is available as of today, but Wristcam's website says that users must request "early access" to use the feature. Wristcam is also gaining a new WristcamOS SDK, which will open up the device's camera capabilities to App Store developers.
We went hands-on with Wristcam last year, and found that it's quite bulky for an Apple Watch band, but it can come in handy if you need a hands-free camera option. Wristcam can be purchased from the Wristcam website for $299.
Some Mac Studio owners have noticed that their machines are making a high-pitched "whining" sound that appears to be coming from the fan. There are pages of complaints on the MacRumors forums about the issue, and it seems to be affecting a number of users.
Most of the complaints are coming from Mac Studio owners who opted for the M1 Max Mac Studio rather than the Ultra version, which is not a surprise as the two machines have different thermal setups.
Users who are experiencing issues have described the noise as a high-frequency sound that is difficult to ignore, and it is in addition to the standard fan noise. From MacRumors reader sunsetblvd:
Hi, I've been following this thread and wanted to share my experience with the Mac Studio. I ordered the M1 Max version with 32 Core GPU and 64 GB Ram. After a week or two I started noticing a high pitched whining sound. The ordinary fan noise was audible but not disturbingly so. The high pitched sound was sth I couldn't ignore. I have a relatively quite working space and the sound kept being distractive. I decided to take my studio to the apple store after contacting apple support and trying a bunch of software fixes like reinstalling the os. After a day of inspection the tech guy at the apple store claimed it was just normal fan noise within the expected range of noises and said they couldn't do anything about it. Disappointed I called apple support again and they agreed to send me a replacement, which I am currently waiting for.
There are a wide range of complaints, but all of them seem to describe the same general noise. From MacRumors reader h43m:
Just unboxed my Mac Studio with M1max (64GB RAM, 32 Cores GPU, 1TB SSD). There is definitely an annoying noise at exactly 2120hz (I compared it using a sinus wave generator). I am pretty sure this comes from the fan and is not a coil whine, since the frequency changes when the fan speed changes. Definitely not acceptable for a product with this price tag...
The M1 Max and M1 Ultra have different heatsinks, which explains why one machine is experiencing issues while the other is not. The M1 Ultra is equipped with a much larger copper heatsink, that likely prevents the fan from kicking on as often, and there also appears to be a problem with the M1 Max setup that causes the whine.
It is worth noting that not all M1 Max Mac Studio models appear to be experiencing this problem, as some people have said that they do not hear an unusual sound beyond the standard quiet fan noise. There are also some complaints just about the level of the fan noise alone without the whine, but many of the people who are unhappy with their machines seem to be experiencing the high-pitched sound rather than the typical fan noise.
Mac Studio buyers who are within their two week return period can get a replacement from Apple, but there are reports that replacement machines have seen the same issue. It is not clear if this is something that can be addressed in a software update or if it's a hardware issue that Apple is dealing with.
Have you noticed a high-pitched whine from your Mac Studio? Let us know in the comments.
Apple's upcoming iPhone 14 Pro models are widely rumored to feature new displays with a pill-shaped cutout and a hole for the Face ID sensors and front camera, respectively, and now a real-world look at this design has seemingly surfaced.
Front glass panels for all four iPhone 14 models have allegedly surfaced on Chinese social media website Weibo, as shared on Twitter by @SaranByte and reported by 9to5Mac. The panels reveal not only the rumored pill-and-hole design for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, but also slightly thinner bezels and a taller aspect ratio for those models.
As expected, the image also shows that the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max models will retain the same notch as iPhone 13 models.
While it is unclear if the image is legitimate, the front glass panels line up with all rumors that we have heard about iPhone 14 models so far, and similar leaks have occurred in the past. Last year, for example, MacRumors exclusively shared an image of front glass panels for all iPhone 13 models that proved to be accurate.
The pill-and-hole design for iPhone 14 Pro models has been reported by sources including display industry consultant Ross Young and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Other rumored iPhone 14 Pro features include a 48-megapixel rear camera, an upgraded front camera with autofocus, and more, with full details available in our iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro roundups.
iPhone 14 front panels have leaked on Weibo - here are the changes to note:
1) thinner bezels on the Pro models, as reported by other sources
2) aspect ratio is also slightly different on the Pros (19.5:9 to 20:9); this corroborates with 9to5Mac’s report regarding taller displays pic.twitter.com/UtqNcBB9aP — Saran (@SaranByte) April 28, 2022
Nvidia today announced that its cloud gaming service GeForce NOW is gaining native support for Macs with Apple silicon chips.
The updated GeForce NOW app for macOS will feature improved performance and lower power consumption on Macs powered by the M1 family of chips, including the latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, 24-inch iMac, Mac Studio, and Mac mini models.
Native support for Apple silicon Macs will require version 2.0.40 of GeForce NOW, which should be rolling out soon. The update will also make it easier to discover new games to play in the app with an added "Genre" row at the bottom of the "Games" menu, and adds server-side rendering frame rates to the Streaming Statistics Overlay.
On the Mac, GeForce NOW is available on the web and as an app. The cross-platform, subscription-based service allows users to stream hundreds of games across multiple devices, including Fortnite. Pricing is set at $9.99 per month in the United States.
Apple is set to report financial results for the second quarter of the 2022 fiscal year later today, and Wall Street is expecting record-breaking figures.
On average, analysts forecast that Apple will set a new March quarter record for the company with revenue of $93.9 billion, according to Yahoo Finance. This revenue growth is expected to come from the iPhone, Mac, Services, and Wearables, while iPad revenue is expected to be relatively flat, according to estimates compiled by Philip Elmer-DeWitt.
Apple's revenue over the last five March quarters:
Apple's second quarter ran from December 26 through March 26, according to the company's fiscal calendar. During this period, Apple launched its all-new Mac Studio desktop computer and Studio Display, the third-generation iPhone SE, the fifth-generation iPad Air, and new green color options for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro.
Apple will report its earnings results at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time today. Apple's CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri will discuss the results on a conference call at 2 p.m. Pacific Time today, and MacRumors will have live coverage of the remarks.
New visual intelligence features for iPhone 16 models, tweaks for notification summaries, and more.
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12 hours ago by Tim Hardwick
12 hours ago by Tim Hardwick
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2 days ago by Joe Rossignol
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New visual intelligence features for iPhone 16 models, tweaks for notification summaries, and more.
Apple Intelligence is what Apple is calling its artificial intelligence feature set, previewed at WWDC in June 2024. Here's everything we know.
Image Playground is Apple's dedicated image creation app that can build cartoon-like pictures based on text descriptions.
If you're experiencing issues with iPhone Mirroring, follow these steps to get it working again.
Apple's annual developer conference where it will unveil iOS 19, macOS 16, and more.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7, new Apple Intelligence features, and more.
Apple's next-generation iPhone models with a new "Air" or "Slim" model replacing the current Plus model.
12 hours ago by Tim Hardwick
12 hours ago by Tim Hardwick
12 hours ago by Joe Rossignol
2 days ago by Joe Rossignol
2 days ago by Joe Rossignol