MacRumors

Our deals today include a collection of markdowns on the AirPods Pro, Apple TV 4K, and the high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro. All of the sales can be found on Amazon, and none require any coupon codes in order to see the sale prices.

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.

AirPods Pro with MagSafe

Amazon is offering the AirPods Pro with MagSafe Charging Case for $174.99, down from $249.00. This is the second-best price we've ever tracked, and it's a match of the 2022 all-time low price on this version of the AirPods Pro.

The headphones are in stock today, and they are shipped and sold directly by Amazon. The new AirPods Pro launched in 2021, and are essentially the same as the 2019 model with the addition of the new MagSafe Charging Case.

Apple TV 4K

Secondly, Amazon has the 2021 32GB Apple TV 4K for $169.98, down from $179.00. The Apple TV 4K is available for the usual free Prime shipping options, and it's in stock and ready to ship today.

This sale is a second-best price on the 32GB Apple TV 4K, but steeper discounts have been rare for the first few months of 2022. If you're on the market for one of Apple's newest streaming boxes, this will be the best price currently available.

You can also get the 64GB Wi-Fi Apple TV 4K for $189.98, down from $199.00. We've seen this Apple TV 4K discounted by an additional $10, so this sale is another second-best price. This model is also sold by Amazon, and it's in stock and ready to ship today.

MacBook Pro

Finally, we're tracking an offer on the 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16-core GPU, 1TB SSD), now priced at $2,449.00, down from $2,699.00. At $250 off, this is an all-time low price on this model of the 2021 MacBook Pro.

This new deal comes a few days after we shared a similar record low price on the 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16-core GPU, 512GB SSD), available for $2,249.00, down from $2,499.00. Both of these discounts are available in both Silver and Space Gray right now on Amazon.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

New images of 3D-printed mockups, likely based on relatively accurate dimensions for the upcoming iPhone 14 lineup, have offered a close look at the design changes Apple is planning for the 2022 iPhones, particularly the enlargement of the camera systems compared to the latest ‌iPhone‌ 13 series.

The ‌iPhone‌ 14 series will feature larger camera systems on the back, according to previous rumors and schematics. Images shared today by Mac Otakara offer a clearer real-world look at that design change by attempting to put ‌iPhone‌ 14 physical mockups in ‌iPhone‌ 13 cases and seeing if they will fit.

The 6.7-inch "‌iPhone‌ 14 Max," shown in the image below, fits almost perfectly inside a case for the 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max, indicating the two devices will be essentially the same physical size. The simpler dual-lens camera system on non-Pro models is smaller than the triple-lens Pro camera system, so the camera bump on the new non-Pro ‌iPhone‌ 14 Max will be significantly smaller than seen on Apple's current 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max.

Moving to more like-for-like comparisons, the smaller 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ 14 and 14 Pro mockups do not fit well into corresponding ‌iPhone‌ 13 and 13 Pro cases. Images show that the camera bump in particular causes fit issues, as it is significantly larger on the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and 14 Pro. The overall device sizes also appear slightly larger, as the phones can't even be squeezed into the cases.

Moving to the highest-end model of the ‌iPhone‌ 14 lineup, the 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max, Mac Otakara says that it shares similar overall dimensions with the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max and therefore fits into a case for the current model, albeit with some caveats. As is true with other models in the ‌iPhone‌ 14 lineup, the larger camera bump prevents an exact fit with the existing case.

‌Mac Otakara‌ also examined how screen protectors for the ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup fit the corresponding ‌iPhone‌ 14 model mockups and they suggest that some models may indeed see thinner display bezels with different corner radii.

Finally, ‌Mac Otakara‌ was unable to determine the layout of the front camera and sensors on the Pro models, as the mockups do not include those details. Rumors and leaks have suggested Pro models will include a pill and hole-punch layout rather than a notch.

As a reminder, the ‌iPhone‌ 14 lineup is rumored to consist of four models, with two lower-end 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch sizes and two higher-end Pro models of the same size. The ‌iPhone‌ 14 lineup will mark the end of the road for the smaller 5.4-inch ‌iPhone‌ "mini." For a full rundown of everything we're expecting with this year's new ‌iPhone‌, see our comprehensive roundup.

Apple will be accused of breaking EU law by unfairly limiting access of its mobile payment system on iPhone to third-party service providers, such as PayPal and Venmo, according to the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the matter.

According to the report, Apple will be accused of "unfairly blocking groups such as PayPal and leading banks from accessing its mobile wallet system" by the European Union and could face heavy penalties if the accusation moves forward. In specific, the EU is taking issue with Apple's restriction of NFC technology on the ‌iPhone‌, which Apple does not allow third-party app developers to access.

By limiting access to the NFC chip, services such as PayPal, Venmo, banks, and other financial providers, are unable to provide a similar experience to that of Apple Pay for ‌iPhone‌ users. Apple claims that its restrictions on NFC are in place as a safeguard for user privacy and security.

The new development from the EU comes as Apple faces increasing pressure to open its ‌iPhone‌ to third-party app stores and possibly make iMessage a cross-platform messaging service. New details this week of the "Digital Services Act" soon planned to make its way through the European Parliament and the European Council could force Apple to open its iPhones to other app stores and sideloading, a move that CEO Tim Cook warns would fundamentally change the ‌iPhone‌.

For those who want to repair their iPhones on their own without having to visit an Apple retail store or service provider, Apple now has a dedicated Self Service Repair program that provides the repair manuals, parts, and tools necessary for fixing the display, battery, bottom speaker, camera, display, SIM Tray, and Taptic Engine.

Repairs are available for the 2022 iPhone SE, the iPhone 12 models, and the iPhone 13 models at this time, and are limited to the above listed iPhone components. Apple has plans to expand to additional repairs and additional devices in the future, but for now, you can only do a limited number of fixes on the latest iPhones.

Before any repair can be completed, you need to read through the manual to see what it entails, and the manuals are also available if you want to attempt a repair on your own without Apple's components.

To get to a repair manual, you just need to visit Apple's Self Service Repair website. From there, click on the "Apple Repair Manuals" link under "Support." You can also click below to get directly to the manual that you're looking for. Note that all of the links are PDFs on Apple's site.

• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone SE 3rd-Generation

Each repair manual explains how the repair process works and it walks through the parts that are available for purchase. Repair manuals include details on how to set up for a repair, the steps required, and what to do if something goes wrong.

Many of Apple's repairs require a toolkit that is priced at $49 and weighs in at 70 pounds, so major fixes like swapping out a battery or replacing a display are rather involved compared to visiting an Apple retail store.

After downloading and reviewing a repair manual, those who want to proceed with Apple's tools and equipment can initiate an order on Apple's Self Service Repair website.

Apple's new Self Service Repair program leaves iPhone owners with too many hoops to jump through to successfully fix their own devices, right to repair advocate Nathan Proctor said in a statement today. Proctor leads the U.S. PIRG's right to repair campaign, working to pass legislation that would allow consumers to repair their own electronics.

Proctor said that the program is encouraging because Right to Repair is "breaking through," but Apple is exerting too much control by locking parts to a specific device and requiring Apple verification during the repair process.

"We are really pleased to see public access to Apple service guides for the first time in decades. However, it's clear that Apple is doubling down on requiring each part be encoded to a specific phone, and then requiring a connection to Apple to verify the part before it gains full functionality. I don't see how locking parts to a specific device and requiring manufacturer approval to install it offers any benefit to the product owner, but it does allow Apple to maintain a lot of control over the repair process. It also means that Apple can decide to stop supporting repairs. If Apple decides that a phone is too old, they can effectively put an expiration date on any product needing repair, defeating one of the most important aspects of repair -- minimizing toxic electronic waste.

"While this is a start, there are still too many hoops to jump through to fix phones. As it's becoming clear that Apple and other manufacturers can give us the Right to Repair, we should require them to. And we should have more options. Not just one set of parts. Not just a few manufacturers. No product should be tossed in the scrap heap, wasting money and adding to our toxic electronic waste problem, because the manufacturer doesn't properly support repair."

Proctor believes that Apple and other tech companies should give consumers more options and better access to parts from different manufacturers rather than requiring parts supplied by the company itself.

Repair outlet iFixit expressed similar thoughts on the program, and said that it is a "great step" forward, but restrictive because of the part verification requirements that tie new components to serial numbers.

Apple's new ‌Self Service Repair‌ program launched this morning, and customers can currently opt to receive repair kits to fix the battery, bottom speaker, camera, display, SIM Tray, or Taptic Engine of an ‌iPhone‌ 12 or ‌iPhone‌ 13 device.

Initiating a repair requires a serial number or IMEI, and after some of the repairs are complete, customers will need to initiate System Configuration with Apple. Repairs can be done with the rental toolkit from Apple, which costs $49 to rent for a seven day period.

Apple's rental toolkit includes all of the tools necessary to get into an ‌iPhone‌, but the actual replacement components are a separate charge. Apple's toolkit is massive at a total weight of 79 pounds, and kits must be returned to a UPS location when a repair is complete.

The toolkit rental and return process, the cost of replacement parts, and the verification may be more effort than some users want to put into ‌iPhone‌ repair, so it is unclear how popular Apple's program will be with ‌iPhone‌ users. On the plus side, repairs do not have labor costs associated, and all of the parts and tools are genuine Apple components, which isn't always the case with third-party repairs from companies other than Apple.

With Mother's Day approaching on Sunday, May 8, Apple today shared a series of Apple Pay promotions that are aimed at providing savings on gifts for mothers. Discounts are outlined below.

• 1-800 Flowers - $15 off when spending $39.99 or more with the promo code APPLEPAY.
• Apoktheke - 20 percent off fragrances, body care, and more with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Zazzle - 25 percent off personalized gifts, decor, and more with promo code APPLEPAY2022.

‌Apple Pay‌ must be used for all of the purchases to get the discount, and the offers are valid through May 8, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The discounts cannot be combined with other promotions.

In addition to providing ‌Apple Pay‌ discounts, Apple has also put together a Mother's Day gift guide with Apple product suggestions for mothers such as iPads, iPhones, and the Apple Watch.

Last week, Transcend launched a 1TB version of its JetDrive Lite 330 expansion card for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, giving users a convenient way to add significant amounts of storage to their machines without any extra bulk. I've had a chance to spend some time with the new card, and while there are limitations for some of the things you might want to do with it, the JetDrive Lite 330 can be a very handy addition to your setup.

While the JetDrive Lite 330 is at its heart simply an SD card, the novel aspect of it is that it's designed to specifically fit flush with the ‌MacBook Pro‌'s edge, allowing you to essentially leave the card inserted at all times without having to worry about the card or the slot being damaged from pressure being put on a normal-sized SD card that sticks out a bit.

The JetDrive Lite 330 has a thin plastic face that rests up against the edge of the ‌MacBook Pro‌, and it provides just enough of a surface to get a fingernail behind it to remove the card. It's a simple but great design that all but guarantees the card will stay in place throughout day-to-day usage, packing your machine in and out of a bag, and more.

Transcend says the JetDrive Lite 330 card offers read speeds of up to 95 MB/s and write speeds of up to 75 MB/s per second, and I came close to that in my testing, with Blackmagic Speed Test registering roughly 90 MB/s and 75 MB/s respectively. That's of course well over an order of magnitude slower than the internal SSD on a ‌MacBook Pro‌ or even a Thunderbolt or USB 3.1+ external drive, but for certain tasks, it's definitely sufficient.

Given the transfer speeds, you definitely can't use the JetDrive Lite 330 as a boot drive or anything where you're rapidly reading and writing data. It's simply not designed for those tasks, but it's ideal as some extra onboard storage for documents, media, and other types of data.

One popular use case for the JetDrive Lite is as an onboard Time Machine backup drive, and the new 1 TB capacity option makes this a more reasonable solution than ever. My 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ has a 1 TB SSD, but only about 230 GB is currently used. It's frequently recommended that your Time Machine drive be at least two or three times as large as the drive you're backing up, in order to have enough room to save a sufficient amount of history, so this new 1 TB JetDrive Pro 330 is perfect for me as a test case.

It should be obvious, but it's important to note that onboard Time Machine storage isn't an ideal solution, as if your Mac is lost or stolen, so is your backup. I back up to an Apple Time Capsule at home (offsite backups would be even safer to protect against larger losses such as a fire or home burglary), but I'm currently doing a lot of international travel and the JetDrive Lite is a great way to tide me over with some sort of backup without needing an online service or potentially cumbersome external drive solutions.

Setting the JetDrive Lite up as a Time Machine drive was incredibly simple, with the card being recognized as a standard drive in Finder immediately after insertion, and then showing up in Time Machine settings as an available backup destination. Once I selected it and initiated Time Machine, it took a little over 80 minutes to complete the initial backup. Subsequent backups have taken no more than a minute or two as Time Machine looks for changes and pushes 500 MB or so onto the card.

Overall, backups are actually much faster and smoother than my usual Time Machine backups over Wi-Fi to the spinning hard drive of my Time Capsule at home. Browsing through Time Machine backups is also smoother.

Once I'm done with my international travels and back to regularly backing up at home, I'll be able to make more use of the JetDrive Lite 330 for general storage, perhaps bringing some music and photos over that currently live on external drives. Having all of that accessible right from my Mac without having to worry about carrying external drives is nice.

Apple charges $400 to double the storage on a ‌MacBook Pro‌ from 1 TB to 2 TB, and of course a single speedy 2 TB drive has certain benefits over this JetDrive Lite solution, but the reverse is also true. The JetDrive Lite offers additional flexibility as it can be easily added after the fact and can be removed as needed for safe storage or transfer to another machine.

The 1 TB JetDrive Lite 330 is available now for $249.99 from Amazon, and for those who don't need as much storage, there are cheaper 512 GB, 256 GB, and 128 GB options also available.

In addition to the latest 14-inch and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models from 2021, the JetDrive Lite 330 is also compatible with 13-MacBook Pro models (Late 2012 through Early 2015 generations), and Transcend offers other JetDrive Lite products to fit various 2010–2017 MacBook Air and 2012–2015 ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with different SD card slot designs.

Transcend offers a JetDrive Toolbox app for Mac and Windows that supports a couple of functions like tools for recovering deleted files and automatically unmounting and remounting the card depending on your machine's standby status in order to save power, but unfortunately, it's not compatible with M1-based Macs.

Note: Transcend provided MacRumors with the JetDrive Lite 330 for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Apple's newly-launched Self Service Repair program is a "great step" forward, but "not the unqualified win for repair enthusiasts that Apple's marketers would have you believe," according to do-it-yourself repair website iFixit.

In a blog post today, iFixit's Elizabeth Chamberlain said the biggest problem with Apple's program is that parts must be paired with a device. When purchasing parts from Apple's Self Service Repair Store, a customer must enter a device's serial number or IMEI, and any parts ordered need to be paired with the same device after installation.

"Integrating a serial number check into their checkout process is a dire omen and could allow Apple the power to block even more repairs in the future," said Chamberlain. "Building the technology to provision individual repairs easily sets Apple up as the gateway to approve—or deny—any repairs in the future, with parts from any source."

To initiate the pairing process, known as System Configuration, Apple says customers will need to contact the Self Service Repair Store's support team by chat or phone. The parts store is operated by third-party company SPOT, not Apple.

iFixit said there is still "a lot to be excited about" with the details Apple announced, including availability of tools that only certified Apple technicians could access until now and free step-by-step visual repair manuals on Apple's website.

"We are really happy to see Apple making repair manuals available for everyone for free online," said Chamberlain. "Like, seriously happy. Like, we've-been-asking-for-this-for-twenty-years happy. They're selling their own proprietary repair tools to the public, too, again for the very first time. You can buy official Apple battery presses and display adhesive removal devices—or even, to our surprise, rent those devices."

iFixit remains optimistic that as Right to Repair legislation advances around the world, companies like Apple will be required to take further steps.

"At least Apple is getting some of their homework done in advance," said Chamberlain, about the initial phase of the program. "Manufacturers know the right to repair is coming—we'll get the rest of their assignments in due time."

We're tracking an ongoing slate of record low prices on the Apple Watch Series 7 and Apple Watch SE this week, all of which can be found on Amazon.

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.

41mm GPS Aluminum Series 7

Starting with the 41mm GPS Apple Watch Series 7, you can get this model for $329.00 in most colors, down from $399.00. We saw a slightly lower price on this model earlier in the month, but at $70 this is a solid second-best price on the Apple Watch Series 7 and the most consistent deal we've seen in 2022.

• (Product)Red with (Product)Red Sport Band - $329.00, down from $399.00
• Green with Clover Sport Band - $329.00, down from $399.00
• Starlight with Starlight Sport Band - $329.00, down from $399.00
• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $329.00, down from $399.00
• Blue with Abyss Blue Sport Band - $329.00, down from $399.00

45mm GPS Aluminum Series 7

The 45mm GPS Apple Watch Series 7 has three colors on sale at a new record low price, which is $359.00, down from $429.00. Colors on sale at this price include (Product)Red Aluminum with (Product)Red Sport Band, Blue Aluminum Case with Abyss Blue Sport Band, and Green Aluminum Case with Clover Sport Band.

• (Product)Red with (Product)Red Sport Band - $359.00, down from $429.00
• Blue with Abyss Blue Sport Band - $359.00, down from $429.00
• Green with Clover Sport Band - $359.00, down from $429.00

41mm Cellular Aluminum Series 7

For the Cellular aluminum models of the Apple Watch Series 7 you'll find similarly solid discounts on Amazon today. The 41mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 7 is priced at $429.00, down from $499.00, and coming in about $20 under the previous record low discount.

• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $429.00, down from $499.00
• Green with Clover Sport Band - $429.00, down from $499.00
• Blue with Abyss Blue Sport Band - $429.00, down from $499.00

45mm Cellular Aluminum Series 7

Lastly, Amazon has every aluminum model of the 45mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 7 at $459.00, down from $529.00. Similar to the other sales, this price beats the previous best deal by about $20 and only Amazon is offering the sale.

• Green with Clover Sport Band - $459.00, down from $529.00
• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $459.00, down from $529.00
• (Product)Red with (Product)Red Sport Band - $459.00, down from $529.00
• Blue with Abyss Blue Sport Band - $459.00, down from $529.00
• Starlight with Starlight Sport Band - $459.00, down from $529.00

Apple Watch SE

If you want to save even more money, we're tracking best-ever prices on a few models of the Apple Watch SE. You can get the 40mm GPS Silver Aluminum model with Abyss Blue Sport Band for $229.00, down from $279.00.

This is one of the lowest prices we've ever seen for the Apple Watch SE, and it's available in Silver Aluminum with Abyss Blue Sport Band, Gold Aluminium Case with Starlight Sport Band, and Space Grey Aluminium Case with Midnight Sport Band.

Likewise, the 44mm Apple Watch SE is being discounted to the record low price of $229.00, down from $309.00. This one's only available in the Silver Aluminium Case with Abyss Blue Sport Band.

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

Apple is researching a one-way mirror finish, wireless charging systems, and charging stands for headset devices, according to newly granted patent applications.

In a patent filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office simply called "Display system," first spotted by Patently Apple, Apple outlines how a head-mounted display device may be wirelessly charged via inductive coils placed inside the headband.

Apple explains how a headset's adjustable headband may contain a number of spaced-apart receiving coils connected to the device's power storage or battery. The headband continues to function as expected, with adjustable left and right sides to comfortably support the display unit on the front of a user's face. Apple also describes separate charging modes to allow wireless charging via this method even when the user is wearing the headset.

The patent describes a "power supply device" to accompany the headset, including a base that is connected to a transmission coil. In some embodiments, the power supply device is a charging stand to hang the headset on via its headband, while in others it is a flat charging base to simply place the headset on top of.

Apple says that the "head-mounted display and the power supply device are cooperatively configured to align the transmission coil" to charge, as to prevent users from needing to carefully align the charging coils manually. This could simply relate to the layout of the charging system, as is the case with the stand configuration, but it could also potentially even extend to a MagSafe-like alignment system.

In another patent filing granted earlier this week titled "Electronic device with infrared transparent one-way mirror," Apple describes how a head-mounted display device may feature a mirror-effect finish like some sunglasses or ski goggles. The one-way mirror allows optical components in the interior region, such as cameras and infrared sensors, to function correctly but be hidden from view by the reflective finish of the headset's exterior.

Apple's rumored mixed-reality headset is often the focus of the company's patent filings, with previous patents including a finger-mounted control device, adjustable lenses, eye-tracking, and even software. While patent applications cannot be taken as concrete evidence of the exact hardware Apple is planning to sell, it is difficult to look past the way in which the company's large number of patent filings may fit into the bigger picture surrounding its rumored headset project.

Late last year, Morgan Stanley analysts noted that Apple's portfolio of patents related to mixed-reality headsets are now mirroring the scale of the company's portfolio of patents related to smartwatches directly before the launch of the Apple Watch, indicating that the device could be "approaching liftoff."

MacRumors has partnered up with Nomad this week with a sale that's offering 20 percent off a selection of the brand's best accessories for charging, protecting, or organizing. You can find all the products on sale by heading to Nomad's website through this link, which should automatically apply the discount once in your cart. If you don't see the markdown, enter the code MACRUMORSSALE20 at checkout.

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.

This sale includes products like Nomad's MagSafe Mount ($47.96), Sport Band for Apple Watch ($47.96), Rugged Case for AirPods ($15.96), and Leather Loop for AirTag ($19.96). You can also save on MacBook Sleeves and Lightning cables. All of these accessories will remain on sale through May 10, so you have a few weeks to shop our exclusive sale before it ends.

Power

• MagSafe Mount - $47.96, down from $59.95
• MagSafe Mount Stand - $47.96, down from $59.95
• Base Station Apple Watch Mount Edition - $103.96, down from $129.95

Straps

• Rugged Band - $47.96, down from $59.95
• Sport Band - $47.96, down from $59.95
• Traditional Band - $79.96, down from $99.95

Cases

• Rugged Case for AirPods - $15.96, down from $29.95
• Modern Leather Case for AirPods - $27.96, down from $34.95
• Modern Leather Case for iPhone 12 - $39.96, down from $49.95

AirTag

• Leather Loop - $19.96, down from $24.95
• Rugged Keychain - $31.96, down from $39.95

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Apple today announced that it has officially launched its Self Service Repair program, letting United States customers repair their iPhones from their homes. To do the repairs, Apple is offering a $49 rental kit that consists of all the tools needed to repair an iPhone 12 or ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup model and the third-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE, and possibly unexpectedly, the kit is rather large.

On its Self Service Repair website, Apple says that the rental kits include two cases, one weighing 43 pounds and the other weighing 36 pounds. Stacked on top of each other, the cases will measure 20 inches in width and 47 inches in height. Thankfully, both cases include wheels for easy transportation.

On the website, Apple details what comes inside of each case, including a battery and display press, protective covers, and screwdrivers. For repairs of the third-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE, customers will only receive one case with tools designed specifically for the smaller ‌iPhone‌.

Apple today announced it has launched its self-service repair program for the iPhone. Announced late last year, the program will let ‌iPhone‌ 12, ‌iPhone‌ 13, and third-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE users conduct certain repairs at home in the United States, with plans to launch in Europe later this year.

Apple says that genuine repair manuals and Apple parts and tools will be available in a new Self Service Repair Store. In the store, customers will have access to over 200 individual parts and tools. At first, the store will include tools only for the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineups and the third-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. Apple says it plans to expand the store with tools, manuals, and parts for Macs with Apple silicon chips later this year.

To conduct a repair, customers will first need to review the repair manual for their product and the specific repair on Apple's support website. After, they'll be able to order the required parts and tools from the Self Service Repair Store and begin the repair. All the tools and parts offered in the store undergo "extensive testing to ensure the highest quality, safety, and reliability," Apple says.

While customers must order the parts needed for the repair, Apple will provide a $49 kit that includes all the essential tools required to conduct repairs for customers. The rental kit will be available to customers for one week before they're needed to be sent back to Apple and are shipped free of charge. This rental option offers flexibility to customers who may not want to fully own and purchase tools for just a single repair.

The program is part of Apple's efforts to "further expand access to repairs," according to the company. Still, Apple cautions that the "vast majority" of customers should still visit a professional repair provider, such as an Apple Store, to ensure their devices are repaired safely and reliably. Over the last three years, Apple has expanded its repair network, including over 3,000 Independent Repair Providers and more than 5,000 authorized service providers worldwide.

Samsung today announced the launch of the T7 Shield, the newest addition to its T7 portable SSD lineup. The T7 Shield is designed to be Samsung's most damage-proof SSD, with improved durability for use both indoors and outdoors.

The T7 Shield features an IP65 water resistant aluminum casing that is able to hold up to rain and dust, plus it offers crush resistance and protection from drops up to 9.8 feet high.

A rubberized exterior encases the aluminum to keep the SSD safe, and because it is the size of a business card, it is ideal for use when traveling. It comes in black, beige, and blue.

The T7 Shield features read speeds of up to 1050MB/s and write speeds of up to 1000MB/s, which Samsung says is more than 1.9x faster than SATA-based portable SSDs.

According to Samsung, the T7 Shield is compatible with PCs, laptops, mobile devices, game consoles, and more. It is priced at $160 for 1TB and $290 for 2TB, and it is available from Samsung's website.

Worldwide App Store downloads grew 2.4 percent to hit 8.6 billion in the first quarter of 2022, according to data shared today by Sensor Tower (via TechCrunch). Between the ‌App Store‌ and the Google Play store, there were 36.9 billion total app downloads, an increase of 1.4 percent.

As there are far more Android users than iPhone users, there were a much higher number of apps downloaded on Android devices, with Google Play downloads hitting 28.3 billion during the quarter.

TikTok was the most downloaded app on the ‌iPhone‌ and the iPad worldwide, surpassing 70 million ‌App Store‌ downloads. YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook were the other top downloaded apps, which is unchanged from the year-ago quarter.

TikTok has been downloaded more than 3.5 billion times since its launch, and it is the first non-Meta app to hit that milestone. In fact, since the beginning of 2018, no app has surpassed TikTok in downloads, according to Sensor Tower.

As for games, Subway Surfers, Wordle (the original from 2016), Coloring Match, PUBG Mobile, and Roblox were the most downloaded apps. Subway Surfer had more than 15 million downloads during the quarter.

Sensor Tower's full report on the state of the ‌App Store‌ in Q1 2022 can be found on the company's website. [PDF]

Apple today released new beta firmware for the Studio Display, which is available to Studio Display users who have the macOS Monterey 12.4 beta installed on their Macs. The updated firmware includes a fix for the webcam, so we thought we'd take a quick look to see the tweaks in action.

Prior to the launch of the Studio Display, reviewers noticed that the webcam was not performing as expected. It was described as washed out, grainy, noisy, and overall, poor quality.

After these complaints came out, Apple said that it "discovered an issue where the system is not behaving as expected," promising a fix in a future software update. That fix is out today, and Apple says that it has tuned the camera, improving noise reduction, contrast, and framing.

In practice, if you watch our video up above, there are noticeable quality updates, but the difference is subtle. Colors are not as pale, there's improved contrast, and the overall look is a bit more vibrant. Depending on lighting, there isn't a huge difference in sharpness, but the changes seem to be an overall net improvement.

Six Colors' Jason Snell shared a set of photos and a video that also demonstrate the differences between the new firmware and old firmware, and there is a clear change to the framing. There is less zoom both when using Center Stage and when not using the feature, which means video capture is overall less cropped.

Overall, Apple's changes seem to be for the better, though those hoping for something dramatic may be disappointed. Skin tones are improved as is overall color, and there appears to be an improvement in contrast along with less de-noising for more clarity, but ultimately this is still the same 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, so Apple is limited to software tweaks.

For now, Studio Display owners will need the macOS Monterey 12.4 beta to see the 15.5 firmware update, but it will be more widely available when the new version of Monterey sees a public release. The beta is currently available to both developers and public beta testers.

What do you think of the firmware update? Let us know in the comments.

Apple has slowed down on filling technical support or "Genius" roles at some of its retail stores, according to a report from Bloomberg. Employees at some locations have been informed that Genius positions will not be filled after the departures of people who previously filled those roles.

Bloomberg cites reports from several retail workers, who have suggested that Apple's lack of hiring could be for cost-cutting reasons or to decrease the number of employees at stores that are no longer seeing the same number of customers after the pandemic.

Apple has not laid off any workers nor is there an overall hiring freeze, but Apple has allegedly retracted verbal job offers for Genius roles in some situations in addition to halting hiring.

Despite these reports, there are still Genius roles advertised on Apple's website, and Apple has declined to comment on the situation.