MacRumors

Apple plans to release second-generation AirPods Pro in the second half of 2022, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a tweet today.

While the second-generation AirPods have remained available to purchase since Apple released third-generation AirPods last year, Kuo said Apple may discontinue the original AirPods Pro when the new ones are released later this year. Apple announced the AirPods Pro on October 30, 2019, making them nearly two and half years old.

Kuo also said that demand for the third-generation AirPods is "significantly weaker" than for the second-generation AirPods, resulting in Apple reducing its third-generation AirPods orders from suppliers by at least 30% in the second to third quarter of this year.

Kuo has previously claimed that the second-generation AirPods Pro will feature a "significantly upgraded" wireless chip compared to the H1 chip in the original AirPods Pro. The chip powers audio-related functions like active noise cancellation, and improvements to this technology could result in improved battery life for longer listening time per charge. Kuo also expects the new AirPods Pro to support lossless audio on Apple Music.

Kuo also previously claimed that the new AirPods Pro charging case will be able to emit a sound to help users find it when misplaced. It is likely the charging case will also have water resistance like the third-generation AirPods charging case.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu have previously reported that Apple has tested a more compact design for the new AirPods Pro that would eliminate the stems that drop below the earbuds. If this ends up being the final design, the new AirPods Pro could look similar to Apple's Beats Studio Buds released last year.

Gurman and Wu also claimed the new AirPods Pro would feature motion sensors for fitness tracking capabilities alongside the Apple Watch.

The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) today announced that Apple CEO Tim Cook will headline this year's Global Privacy Summit, which will take place in person on April 11 to April 13 in Washington, D.C.

Cook will provide the conference's keynote speech on April 12 at approximately 9:15 a.m. Eastern Time. His speech will be live-streamed on YouTube.

"Tim Cook is a leading and influential voice for the privacy community, especially as Apple remains a critical player in the broader environment in which the digital economy operates," said J. Trevor Hughes, IAPP's President and CEO. "We look forward to his contributions to the event's powerful dialogue on privacy and trust in the digital economy."

The annual Global Privacy Summit focuses on international privacy and data protection in practice, policy, and strategy, according to the IAPP, a not-for-profit organization that has a mission of promoting and improving the privacy profession globally.

Discounts have returned for the new 14-inch MacBook Pro this week on Amazon, starting with the M1 Pro/8‑core CPU/512GB SSD model at $1,799.00, down from $1,999.00. Overall, this is a second-best price on the 512GB 14-inch MacBook Pro and is still a solid deal at $200 off for anyone shopping for the notebook this week.

Note: 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.

Both Space Gray and Silver are being discounted to this price, and only Amazon is reaching this low of a price. Additionally, the sale price has been applied automatically and does not require any coupon codes to see the discount.

You can also get the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro/10-core CPU/1TB SSD on sale, priced at $2,249.00, down from $2,499.00. This is a record low price on the 1TB 14-inch MacBook Pro, and it's only available in the Silver color option.

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.

Media management platform Plex today announced a new "Discover" feature that's designed to make it easier for people to find what they want to watch across different streaming services. With Discover, customers can add any TV show or movie into their Plex Watchlist, and receive information on where to find it.

The feature will inform users which streaming service has the content that they want to watch, and if the user has a subscription to that service, the content can be watched directly from Plex. It's similar to how the Apple TV app works, but it is more universal because it does not require an Apple device, and it also works with all streaming services, Netflix included.

To go along with Discover, Plex is debuting the Plex Universal Watchlist, which is an all-in-one watchlist that lets customers keep track of anything that they want to watch. The Universal Watchlist will display newly available titles from shows that are still airing, and it will let users know where the content they want to watch is available.

Plex says that its new feature set is meant to turn Plex into a one-stop shop for all media content. In addition to supporting watchlists and content from streaming services, Plex offers a selection of free, ad-supported TV shows and movies, plus it supports personal media libraries and live content.

More information about Discover and Universal Watchlist can be found on the Plex website. Plex is free to use, but upgraded personal media management features require the $4.99 per month Plex Premium package.

Two scammers who stole $1.5 million from Apple over a period of three years using the company's own technology have been sentenced to a combined 13 years in prison.

It was reported in September 2021 that two scammers developed a scheme to use point-of-sale devices stolen from Apple stores to generate fraudulent Apple gift cards between 2015 and 2017.

The scam was enabled through a handheld employee-only point-of-sale device called an "Isaac." Retail employees carry Isaacs around in the store, allowing them to check stock and sell products to customers wherever they are.

One of the scammers simply walked into Apple Stores across the country and waited for opportune moments to steal an Isaac device. They then sat outside the same store, still connected to its Wi-Fi network, and used the logged-in employee account on the Isaac to acquire thousands of dollars worth of digital gift cards.

The digital gift card redemption codes were then loaded into the Wallet app to generate QR codes, which were screenshot and sent via iMessage to the other conspirator, who was then able to walk into other Apple Stores and buy a range of high-value Apple devices. This process was then repeated across the country, allowing the pair to defraud Apple out of more than $1.5 million in total, according to the indictment.

One of the scammers stole $50,000 worth of digital Apple gift cards in Texas, while on the same day, his partner used the gift cards to buy thousands of dollars worth of Apple products in New York. The haul in Southlake, Texas, alone totaled $50,000 using 26 digital gift cards.

The pair were finally caught stealing Isaac devices in Apple Stores on CCTV and were eventually tracked down using their cellphone via GPS, before finally being arrested by the FBI. They subsequently pled guilty to wire fraud.

According to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Texas, the perpetrators have now been sentenced to a combined 13 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.26 million in restitution to Apple. It is unclear if Apple has made any changes to its internal systems and access to employee accounts on Isaacs to prevent the same scam from being attempted again.

Following yesterday's discounts on the Apple Watch Series 7, Amazon today has a new Gold Box sale on the Apple Watch SE. Prices start at $229.99 for the 40mm GPS model with the Silver Aluminum Case, down from $279.00.

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 is the second-best price we've ever tracked for the Apple Watch SE on Amazon, and at this time only the model with the Abyss Blue Sport Band is on sale. This model is shipped and sold by Amazon, with stock available today.

You can also get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE for $259.99 on Amazon, down from $309.00. This model is available in the Silver Aluminum Case with Abyss Blue Sport Band and Gold Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band.

There are also cellular versions of the Apple Watch SE on sale today, starting at $279.99 for the 40mm model, down from $329.00; and rising to $309.99 for the 44mm model, down from $359.00. There are more case and band styles on sale for the cellular models, including Space Gray Aluminum with Tornado/Grey Sport Loop and Gold Aluminum with Maize/White Sport Loop.

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

The iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature 20 percent smaller bezels around the display, according to newly shared CAD renders.

The CAD renders, shared by the Twitter account "ShrimpApplePro," show a design for the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max that is broadly in line with other illustrations and measurements from 91Mobiles and Max Weinbach. Much like these previous renders, the most noticeable changes include a centered pill and hole-punch shaped front-facing TrueDepth camera array in place of the notch and a larger rear camera bump, but otherwise the design seems to be very similar to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro. The renders are accompanied by a range of specific measurements for different aspects of the device.

The ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max's bezels will reportedly be 1.95mm thick, a moderate reduction compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max's 2.42mm bezels. One reason for the reduced bezels could be to make more space between the top bezel of the device and the top of the new pill and hole-punch cutouts. With these reduced bezels, the top of the cutouts will purportedly sit 2.29mm below the top bezel of the display.

The extent to which the reduced bezels will have a noticeable effect on the front of the device is questionable. Last year, users debated whether there was a difference between the sizes of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 13's bezels, and it seems plausible that Apple could slightly change the thickness of its bezels even on devices that ostensibly have the same display sizes.

Nevertheless, a 20 percent reduction on the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max is likely to be more noticeable than any change between the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 models, but it is worth noting that these measurements do not include the 1.15mm thickness of the stainless steel frame that sits around the display, which could make the change look less drastic. The reduced bezels are likely also too small to change Apple's marketed 6.7-inch screen size, even if the actual display area is larger in reality.

---

Update: This article originally referred to a tweet from Quinn Nelson that suggested the ‌iPhone‌ 13's bezels were slightly larger than those of the ‌iPhone‌ 12. It compared an iPhone 12 mini to an ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and was not a like-for-like comparison, so was corrected by Nelson at the time, and the erroneous reference to it has been removed.

Apple has raised prices for its entire AirPods lineup in India by as much as 10% for certain models as a result of new import duties imposed by the government which went into effect at the start of this month.

The new import duties mean that headphones and earphones will have a 15% to 20% duty upon import into India, but Apple's AirPods are seemingly being subject to a less severe duty of around 5% and 10% only. The third-generation AirPods now cost ₹20,500 ($272) compared to before at ₹18,500 ($245). AirPods Pro are now priced ₹26,300 ($349), compared to ₹24,900 ($330) and AirPods Max now cost ₹66,100 ($890). The second-generation AirPods also now 5% more expensive.

No other products, including iPhones, iPads, and Macs, have had their prices adjusted in India.

(Thanks, Pururaj)

The Hulu app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV was today updated with support for SharePlay, allowing Hulu users to watch streaming TV shows and movies with one another over FaceTime.

SharePlay is a feature that was introduced in iOS 15, and it is designed to allow people to do more over ‌FaceTime‌. With SharePlay, a group of people together on a ‌FaceTime‌ call can open up the Hulu app and select something to watch. The content will be synced up for everyone for a multi-person viewing experience.

All participants on the ‌FaceTime‌ call who want to watch Hulu will need to have a Hulu account to use, and pricing starts at $6.99 per month. SharePlay can be accessed by starting a ‌FaceTime‌ call and then opening the Hulu app, or by opening up the Hulu app, selecting a TV show or movie, tapping the "Share" button, and then tapping on the "SharePlay" option.

Hulu today also added a new feature that lets Live TV users flip between channels during playback. Full release notes for the update are below:

In this release, we are helping spread the Hulu love by introducing SharePlay. With SharePlay, you can watch content from the Hulu streaming library in sync with friends and family over FaceTime. We also launched a feature allowing Live TV users to easily flip between channels during playback. Upgrade to the newest version of the app on your iPhone or iPad to try it out.

Hulu can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple in March came out with the updated 2022 iPhone SE, a budget iPhone that's equipped with 5G. Samsung also recently came out with its own budget 5G smartphone, the Galaxy A53 5G, so we thought we'd compare the two to see how they measure up. In short, the A53 5G is offering up a better feature set, but it can't match the iPhone SE in terms of lifespan and build quality.

On paper, the Galaxy A53 5G offers a wide suite of features that the iPhone can't match. When it comes to the display, for example, the Galaxy A53 5G has a more modern edge-to-edge 6.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the iPhone SE is sporting a smaller 4.7-inch display with thick, outdated bezels. The display is bright, vibrant, and at 1080p, noticeably better than the iPhone SE display.

Samsung has also equipped its smartphone with an ultrasonic fingerprint reader that's under the display and facial recognition, while the iPhone SE is using a standard Touch ID Home button, but Samsung's ultrasonic fingerprint reader is slower and less accurate than Touch ID, and the facial recognition is not on the Face ID level. It can be used for unlocking the smartphone, but not for making payments or authenticating passwords. Touch ID is being phased out from the iPhone, but it's still quick, responsive, and simple to use.

The Galaxy A53 5G is made from plastic, and it just feels cheaper than the iPhone SE, which is fully glass with aluminum siding. It's clearly made from better quality materials, and it has a more premium feel than the Galaxy A53 5G, which feels like your average budget Android device.

The A53 5G wins out when it comes to battery life because it offers almost double the capacity of the iPhone SE. The iPhone SE is, however, much, much faster than the A53 because it's using the same A15 chip that's in the iPhone 13. Samsung's smartphone is equipped with an Exynos 1280 chip that doesn't even come close to measuring up. Samsung does have the edge when it comes to storage, as the base model starts with 128GB and it can be expanded with an SD card slot (the iPhone SE starts at 64GB), plus it has more camera lenses.

Apple's iPhone SE has a single-lens 12-megapixel wide-angle rear camera, while the Galaxy S53 5G has a 64-megapixel wide-angle camera, an ultra wide lens, and a depth and macro sensor. Of course, more megapixels and more lenses does not equal better quality, and the iPhone SE has texture, detail, and HDR features powered by the A15 that set it apart.

Both phones have 5G and are equal in that department, and as for pricing, the Galaxy A53 5G is technically priced at $449, but it's available for $349 right now. That's cheaper than the iPhone SE, which is priced starting at $429.

Though the Galaxy A53 5G seems like the better phone right now, it's the A15 chip that makes the iPhone SE stand out. Apple will provide software updates, new features, and support for the iPhone SE for a good five to seven years, while Samsung is not going to support the A53 5G that long. The Galaxy A53 5G has a flashier set of features that may be immediately appealing, but those looking for a phone that's going to last for years to should check out the iPhone SE.

What do you think of the Galaxy A53 5G, do you prefer it to the iPhone SE? Let us know in the comments.

Five years ago, the Mac lineup was in a bad state. Over three years had passed since Apple redesigned the Mac Pro with a sleek but constrained "trash can" enclosure, while the iMac, MacBook Air, and Mac mini had also gone years without updates.

A snapshot of the MacRumors Buyer's Guide from April 4, 2017:

At the time, some users began to question whether Apple was still committed to the Mac, especially at the high end of the market.

The criticism ultimately led Apple to hold a meeting with a small group of reporters, where it apologized to pro Mac users and ensured that it remained committed to the Mac. In a rare and surprising move, Apple also pre-announced it was working on a "completely rethought" Mac Pro with a modular design, a new pro-level iMac, and a new pro display.

The meeting, which was disclosed to the public five years ago today, involved Apple's former marketing chief Phil Schiller, software engineering chief Craig Federighi, and then-VP, now-SVP of hardware engineering John Ternus. One of the reporters in the room was John Gruber, and the quotes that follow are from his Daring Fireball coverage.

Schiller's apology to Mac Pro users:

The current Mac Pro, as we've said a few times, was constrained thermally and it restricted our ability to upgrade it. And for that, we're sorry to disappoint customers who wanted that, and we've asked the team to go and re-architect and design something great for the future that those Mac Pro customers who want more expandability, more upgradability in the future. It'll meet more of those needs.

Federighi's admission that Apple had designed itself into a "thermal corner":

I think we designed ourselves into a bit of a thermal corner, if you will. We designed a system with the kind of GPUs that at the time we thought we needed, and that we thought we could well serve with a two GPU architecture. That that was the thermal limit we needed, or the thermal capacity we needed. But workloads didn’t materialize to fit that as broadly as we hoped.

Schiller ensuring that Apple remains committed to the Mac:

We're committed to the Mac, we've got great talent on the Mac, both hardware and software, we've got great products planned for the future, and as far as our horizon line can see, the Mac is a core component of the things Apple delivers, including to our pro customers.

To say that Apple delivered on its promise is an understatement. Not only did Apple release the modular Mac Pro and the since-discontinued iMac Pro, but it also finally ditched the problematic butterfly keyboard on MacBooks, announced its game-changing transition to Apple silicon, brought back a wide array of ports on the latest MacBook Pro models, gave customers an entirely new option in the Mac Studio, and more.

Apple's roundtable discussion with reporters will forever be a turning point in the Mac's history.

Two models of the AirPods have returned to their 2022 all-time low prices today on Amazon, including the AirPods Pro with MagSafe and the AirPods 2. Discounts reach up to $75 off these models, and both are in stock and ready to ship today from Amazon.

Note: 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.

AirPods Pro with MagSafe

Apple's AirPods Pro with MagSafe Charging Case is on sale for $174.00, down from $249.00. This price is a match of the 2022 low price on the AirPods Pro, and overall it's the second-best price we've ever tracked.

The headphones are in stock now on Amazon and ready to ship, with a delivery window between April 5-6. 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.

AirPods 2

Secondly, Amazon has the AirPods 2 at $99.00, down from $129.00. We haven't seen the AirPods 2 return to this low of a price since early February, and at $99.00 it's only about $10 higher than the all-time low price seen during the holidays.

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.

The iPhone 14 Pro may deliver more detailed images thanks to a considerably larger sensor and smaller pixels, according to unverified technical information shared on Chinese social media site Weibo.

A recent post from the account "Fishing 8" on Weibo listed a large number of the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro's technical camera specifications. In line with a multitude of rumors about the iPhone 14 Pro's Wide camera from over the past year, the post claims that the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro will feature a 48MP camera. As a result of the increased number of megapixels, the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro's Wide camera pixels will be smaller, purportedly measuring at 1.22µm. This is a reduction of 0.68µm compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max.

The sensor is believed to be a Sony unit, like those of the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro. Despite the change in pixel size, the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro will allegedly feature the same Dual Pixel Auto Focus (DPAF) system, marketed by Apple as "Focus Pixels," that the ‌iPhone‌ has offered since the ‌iPhone‌ 6 in 2014, and the same ability to record 16:9 HDR video at up to 60fps.

The device's sensor is said to be 1/1.3-inches in width, a 21.2 percent increase over the 1/1.65-inch sensor width of the Wide camera on the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max. This translates to an approximate sensor area increase of 57 percent compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro.

This increase in sensor size requires a larger lens to capture more light, leading to a noticeably larger rear camera array. The 1/1.3-inch sensor size is the same as Samsung's 50MP GN1 sensor, which is used in the Google Pixel 6.

Overall, the information suggests that the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro will offer larger, higher-resolution images with finer details, but at the risk of poorer low-light performance and images that are more susceptible to noise. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously said that he believes that the camera quality of the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro models will "elevate mobile phone camera photography to a new level."

The Weibo account that shared these technical specifications frequently posts detailed camera information, but it does not have a track record of leaks about future Apple devices and MacRumors cannot verify the authenticity of its post, so the rumor should be taken with a pinch of salt. Nevertheless, the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro is widely believed to feature a larger, 48MP Wide camera sensor, so the shared technical specifications seem to be plausible and broadly in line with other rumors.

Update Apr 5: This article originally stated that the new sensor would be 21 percent larger than the corresponding sensor on the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro, but it is actually approximately 21 percent wider and 57 percent larger.

Amazon today has introduced a new batch of all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 7, starting as low as $329.99 for the 41mm GPS models. These sales reach up to $69 off, and in every model listed below you'll find record low discounts. Below we focus on the aluminum versions of the Apple Watch, but Amazon is also offering $69 off a few stainless steel models.

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

Starting with the 41mm GPS Apple Watch Series 7, this model has hit $329.99 in all colors, down from $399.00. This is now beating the previous all-time low price by about $10, and only Amazon is offering this steep of a discount.

• (Product)Red with (Product)Red Sport Band - $329.99, down from $399.00
• Green with Clover Sport Band - $329.99, down from $399.00
• Starlight with Starlight Sport Band - $329.99, down from $399.00
• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $329.99, down from $399.00
• Blue with Abyss Blue Sport Band - $329.99, down from $399.00

45mm GPS Aluminum

Similarly, the 45mm GPS Apple Watch Series 7 has every color on sale at a new record low price, which is $359.99, down from $429.00. Today's discount is beating the previous all-time low discount by about $20, and again every GPS aluminum color option is on sale.

• (Product)Red with (Product)Red Sport Band - $359.99, down from $429.00
• Blue with Abyss Blue Sport Band - $359.99, down from $429.00
• Green with Clover Sport Band - $359.99, down from $429.00
• Starlight with Starlight Sport Band - $359.99, down from $429.00

41mm Cellular Aluminum

For the Cellular aluminum models of the Apple Watch Series 7 you'll find similarly solid discounts today. The 41mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 7 is priced at $429.99, down from $499.00, and coming in about $20 under the previous record low discount.

• (Product)Red with (Product)Red Sport Band - $429.99, down from $499.00
• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $429.99, down from $499.00
• Green with Clover Sport Band - $429.99, down from $499.00
• Blue with Abyss Blue Sport Band - $429.99, down from $499.00

45mm Cellular Aluminum

Finally, Amazon has every aluminum model of the 45mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 7 at $459.99, 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 - $459.99, down from $529.00
• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $459.99, down from $529.00
• (Product)Red with (Product)Red Sport Band - $459.99, down from $529.00
• Blue with Abyss Blue Sport Band - $459.99, down from $529.00
• Starlight with Starlight Sport Band - $459.99, down from $529.00

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 added a new range of postpartum workouts to Fitness+ to help mothers return to regular exercise after childbirth.

Almost a year after Apple introduced new Fitness+ workouts geared toward pregnant women, the company today launched a range of workouts for the postpartum period. The series, titled "Get Back to Fitness After Having a Baby," contains seven workouts in the Core, Strength, and Mindful Cooldown categories.

This program is designed for anyone who has recently had a baby, with workouts that can help you feel stronger and more energetic as you take on the daily demands of parenthood. The Core workouts are about reconnecting to your core, building up your ab and back strength, and working your pelvic floor. The series starts with a Core workout to help you create a foundation for getting stronger and avoiding setbacks. There are also upper-body, lower-body and total-body Strength workouts that use one light to medium dumbbell or just your bodyweight. And the Mindful Cooldowns include stretches that target common post-pregnancy tight spots, plus meditations that focus on themes like patience and self-care. Throughout, there are exercise options to help you feel more comfortable, no matter what type of delivery you had. You can do any of the workouts on their own or combined with other workouts in this program or the Fitness+ library. Check with your healthcare provider before starting an exercise.

CNET reports that some of the new workouts target the pelvic floor to help restrengthen muscles supporting organs in the pelvis that relax during childbirth. There are modifications for different levels of intensity depending on the preferred level of activity after childbirth, and the Mindful Cooldowns include messages about the importance of patience and self-care for new parents.

Priced at $9.99 per month, or available as part of the $29.95 per month Apple One Premier plan, Apple Fitness+ is a subscription-based workout video service, available in over 20 countries around the world. A one-month free trial is available for all Apple Watch users.

Apple last month released the fifth-generation iPad Air, with key new features including an M1 chip, 5G support for cellular models, an upgraded front camera with Center Stage support, and up to a 2x faster USB-C port for data transfer. As it turns out, Apple also made an internal change to the device that repair advocates may appreciate.

According to repair website iFixit, the new iPad Air's battery cells have stretch-release pull tabs on the underside for easier removal. In comparison, previous iPad Air models have completely glued-in battery cells that are more difficult to remove, with technicians commonly using a solvent like isopropyl alcohol to loosen the large amount of adhesive.

The pull tabs should make battery replacements easier for third-party repair shops and customers attempting do-it-yourself repairs, but Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers still replace the entire device when a customer needs a new battery for all iPad models, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The pull tabs could also have environmental benefits by making it easier for Apple's recycling partners to remove the battery from the iPad's aluminum enclosure.

Apple has been adding battery pull tabs to more devices, including the sixth-generation iPad mini and the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. However, despite having pull tabs, iFixit previously found that the iPad mini's battery is still glued down along the top and bottom edges, so it is not an entirely repair-friendly design. It's unclear if the new iPad Air's battery cells remain glued in to some degree as well.

Other devices with battery pull tabs include the iPhone 5s and newer, select iPad Pro models, and newer MacBook Air models.

Update - April 4: iFixit has confirmed the battery has no additional non-stretch adhesives. However, the BMS (battery management system) strip on the right edge of the battery is glued to the chassis and requires isopropyl alcohol to be loosened. iFixit added that the battery connector design continues to make it very challenging to disengage power from the device while it is being opened. iFixit has a special tool for this purpose.

Calendars have turned to April and we're still waiting for Apple to officially announce its plans for WWDC 2022, but that doesn't mean we don't still have tons of Apple news and rumors to focus on.

This week saw the release of bug fix operating system updates including iOS 15.4.1, macOS Monterey 12.3.1, and more, while we continued our coverage of Apple's new products like the Studio Display and third-generation iPhone SE. We're of course still hearing rumors about Apple's future product plans, along with other assorted news, so read on below for all of the details!

Apple Releases iOS 15.4.1 With Fix for Battery Drain Issue and More

While there are still no signs of an iOS 15.5 beta, Apple did release iOS 15.4.1 this week with several bug fixes and security patches. Notably, the update resolves a bug that may have resulted in some users experiencing excessive battery drain after updating to iOS 15.4.

Apple also released macOS Monterey 12.3.1 with several bug fixes, along with watchOS 8.5.1 for the Apple Watch, tvOS 15.4.1 for the Apple TV, and HomePod software version 15.4.1.

Apple Stores Will Now Decline to Repair iPhones Reported as Missing

Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers will now be alerted if an iPhone has been reported as missing in the GSMA Device Registry when a customer brings in the device to be serviced, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors.

If an Apple technician sees an iPhone has been flagged as missing in their internal system, they are instructed to decline the repair. The new policy should help to reduce the amount of stolen iPhones brought to Apple for repair.

iFixit Teardown: Studio Display Features iMac-Like Internal Setup

After providing a sneak peek inside Apple's Studio Display earlier this month, repair website iFixit has now completed a full teardown of the monitor.

The Studio Display has a similar internal design as an iMac, with impressively thin power supply boards cooled by two fans, and a logic board containing the A13 chip. The display's built-in webcam is virtually identical to the iPhone 11's front camera, according to iFixit.

Hands-On With Apple's Most Lackluster Smartphone: The 2022 iPhone SE

Earlier this month, Apple released the third-generation iPhone SE, with key new features including a faster A15 Bionic chip and 5G support.

Priced from $429 in the United States, the iPhone SE remains Apple's most affordable smartphone. However, with the same design as the iPhone 8 released in 2017, it is perhaps not surprising that Apple has reportedly scaled back iPhone SE production due to sluggish demand.

Watch our hands-on video for the new iPhone SE to help you decide if the device is worth purchasing in 2022.

Kuo: iPhone With Under-Screen Touch ID No Longer Likely Within Next Two Years

Apple is unlikely to release any iPhones with under-screen Touch ID within the next two years, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a tweet this week.

In a September 2021 research note, Kuo had predicted that Apple would launch at least one new iPhone model with an under-screen fingerprint scanner in the second half of 2023, but his latest tweet suggests that the feature is no longer coming in the foreseeable future.

Apple's Craig Federighi Explains Why iOS Auto-Updates Often Arrive Several Weeks Late

While some iPhone users opt to install iOS updates as soon as they are released, others are happy to wait for the Automatic Updates feature to do the job.

Apple had never publicly explained why automatic iOS updates tend to come through to users sometimes days or even weeks late, but Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi finally provided an explanation in an emailed response to a customer this week.

MacRumors Newsletter

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!