MacRumors

First impressions of the Apple Studio Display have now been shared by select media outlets and YouTubers, providing a closer look at Apple's latest standalone display. Reviewers praised some aspects such as the display's built-in speaker and microphone setup, while others felt that "the Studio Display in its current state is a confounding miss."

Priced starting at $1,599, the Studio Display is Apple's first new external display since the 2019 Pro Display XDR. It features a 27-inch 5K Retina display with up to 600 nits brightness, P3 Wide color, True Tone, one Thunderbolt port, three USB-C ports, a built-in A13 Bionic chip, a three-microphone array, a 12-megapixel f/2.4 Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage, and a six-speaker sound system with support for Spatial Audio.

An angle-adjustable stand is included in the price of the display, but for an extra $400, there is a tilt and height-adjustable stand, and a VESA mount adapter option that lets the display be used in portrait or landscape orientation. There is also a $300 upgrade for nano-texture glass that minimizes glare in workspaces with bright lighting.

Design

Reviewers generally admired the slim, all-aluminum design of the Studio Display. Gizmodo's Phillip Tracy highlighted the Studio Display's passive cooling design elements and criticized the display's rubbber feet:

On the top are vent holes for passive cooling; the rear panel got warm during my testing but never reached concerning temps.

Like those on the Mac Studio, the Studio Display's rubber pads failed to keep the monitor planted to my wooden desk. It slid around as I inserted or disconnected cables from the rear I/O.

Display Quality

CNBC's Kif Leswing felt that the display quality was adequate but unimpressive:

The picture quality on the Studio Display is good, but it won't blow you away. I like that text is nice and sharp thanks to the extra pixels, so people who read on their computer for hours per day might want to consider it. And while it might seem expensive, it's a lot less than the Pro Display XDR Apple also sells, which costs $4,999 before you add in the $1,000 stand.

The Verge's Nilay Patel criticized the Studio Display's lack of HDR and ProMotion:

The real issue is that $1,599 is a lot of money, and here it's buying you panel tech that is woefully behind the curve. Compared to Apple's other displays across the Mac, iPhone, and iPad lineup, the Studio Display is actually most notable for the things it doesn't have.

[...]

The Studio Display is also notable for being an SDR display, with no HDR modes to speak of. Apple's high-end iPhones, iPads, and Mac laptops all support HDR, but the Studio Display tops out at 600 nits, and Apple doesn’t offer a HDR mode in the software at all. Again, this comes back to the ancient backlight tech: true HDR requires local dimming, and the Studio Display doesn’t have it.

The Studio Display also only offers a 60Hz refresh rate, which is both bog-standard and also woefully behind Apple’s other top-tier products like the iPhone 13 Pro, iPad Pro, and MacBook Pro...

Tracy was similarly disappointed at the lack of true blacks due to the Studio Display's LCD panel:

Keep in mind that this is a standard IPS panel so you won't get the perfect black levels found on an OLED screen nor do you get HDR support for greater contrast. I placed the HP Spectre x360 16's OLED display side-by-side with the Studio Display and my eyes were drawn to the laptop. Blacks on the monitor looked dark gray in comparison, and the colors didn’t have the same wet paint-like saturation to them as those on the Spectre. I also wouldn't use the Studio Display as a gaming monitor considering the measly 60Hz refresh rate. That's standard for a screen of this resolution, but part of me was hoping Apple could find a way to add ProMotion.

The specifications of the display were consistently flagged as disappointments by reviewers given the Studio Display's price point.

Microphones and Speakers

Patel praised the Studio Display's built-in microphone and speaker setup:

Let's start with the good stuff: the mic and speakers sound great. Really, really great. You can adjust the three-mic array to do voice isolation or not in Control Center, and you'll sound as good or better on calls as any conference mics I've ever heard... The speakers are loud and deep, and while I am not entirely convinced that spatial audio in music is anything but a gimmick and even less convinced that anything like "spatial" audio can be produced by a stereo speaker system located in front of you, Apple is certainly processing its heart out here — if you play an Atmos clip you'll hear some dramatic swooshing about, which is always fun. These are the best built-in speakers I've ever heard.

TechRadar's Matt Hanson praised the microphones, but found the Studio Display's support for Spatial Audio less impressive:

The spatial audio support was less impressive. We tried a few tracks in Dolby Atmos and didn't really feel like the sound was coming from around us. Virtualized surround sound is always a challenge to get right, and can never compare to physical speaker setups, and that's true with the Studio Display, unfortunately.

Tracy likewise lauded the speaker setup, saying that "the sound quality is better than anything I've ever heard out of a monitor." TechCrunch's Brian Heater said that while the microphone setup is marketed as "studio quality," for users "planning to do much more than just webconferencing, I'd recommend plugging an external mic into one of the aforementioned ports."

Camera

A major area of concern among reviewers was the built-in 12-megapixel camera. Patel said that "the Studio Display's headline webcam feature works so badly that it's virtually unusable."

Apple has a long history of producing amazing images with 12-megapixel sensors and A-series chips, and for some reason this thing just looks awful.

Actually, it looks awful in good light, and downright miserable in low light... it produces a grainy, noisy image with virtually no detail. I tried it in FaceTime, in Zoom, in Photo Booth, in QuickTime – you name it, it's the same sad image quality. Turning off the Center Stage feature that follows you around the room doesn’t help. Turning portrait mode on and off doesn’t help.

Our rule has always been to review products based on what we have in front of us and never against the promise of a future software update, and based on what I have in front of me, I simply wouldn’t want to use this camera. The cameras on the new MacBook Pro and M1 iMac are far superior to what we're seeing here, and an iPhone front camera is even better still. I'm hopeful Apple will improve things via software in the future, but I would not spend $1,599 on this display until that actually happens.

Other reviewers generally agreed with the disappointing results from the built-in webcam, with Heater commenting:

...the image is a surprising step down from recent M1 Macs. The white balance is off and there's more image noise. My first instinct was to try to peel away a protective film I might have left on by accident, but to no avail. That's just how the image is now — a pretty huge disappointment for a monitor that starts at $1,599.

The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern agreed:

With a 12-megapixel camera and the A13 Bionic chip, it should be on par with the front-facing camera of an iPhone 11 Pro.

Yet Apple’s camera consistently produced grainy and washed-out images. There was so much missing detail in some of the shots that it reminded me of the camera on my old BlackBerry.

Tracy similarly found the camera to be "fine" but "noisy." Apple told multiple publications that improvements to the Studio Display's camera would be coming in a software update, but it is unclear exactly what aspect of the reviewers' complaints this update pertains to or when it will be released.

Stands and Nano-Texture Option

Patel noted that the "$300 nanotexture option smudges easily and is hard to clean," while Tracy criticized the Studio Display's stand options:

The Studio Display inexplicably lacks height adjustment. For that, you need to pay an extra $400 for a completely different stand. Perhaps Apple thinks some folks won't need it; whatever the case, a height-adjustable stand should be table stakes at the base price. To make matters worse, the stand options aren't interchangeable, meaning what you buy is what you get. What you can do with the standard stand is tilt the screen from -5 degrees to 25 degrees, which was more effective in providing an optimal viewing angle than I had anticipated. That said, if, like me, you need to stretch your legs and stand at various times throughout the workday, then prepare to spend extra or go with a VESA mount.

Hanson said that "it's these kinds of 'hidden' extra costs that try a lot of peoples' patience when it comes to Apple."

More Reviews

• TechCrunch
• SixColors
• Ars Technica
• The Independent
• Popular Science

Videos

Apple's all-new Mac Studio desktop computer launches this Friday. Ahead of time, the first reviews and unboxing videos for the Mac Studio have surfaced, providing us with a closer look at the machine and its companion Studio Display.

Performance

While the Mac Studio resembles a larger Mac mini, it is far more powerful. The computer can be configured with the same M1 Max chip available for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, or the new M1 Ultra chip, which features a 20-core CPU, up to a 64-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine. With the M1 Ultra chip, the Mac Studio has faster performance than a 28-core Mac Pro tower released in December 2019.

Specifically, the Mac Studio has earned a multi-core score of around 23,500 to 24,000 in many Geekbench 5 results, compared to an average multi-core score of 19,956 for the Mac Pro with a 28-core Intel Xeon W processor. This is especially impressive given that the Mac Studio with the M1 Ultra chip starts at $3,999, while a Mac Pro tower configured with a 28-core processor is over three times more expensive at $12,999.

The Verge's Monica Chin:

My first stop was Becca Farsace, our video director who edited the entire video review of the Mac Studio and Studio Display (which you should go watch if you haven't already) on our Studio unit. I watched her work in Premiere and Media Encoder for hours, and even to my amateur eyes, it was clear that the Studio was flying. It was miles better than our two-year-old Mac Pro (which Becca uses for most of her work) at basically everything.

Becca was able to play 4K, 10-bit 4:2:2 footage from a Sony FX3 at full resolution in Adobe Premiere Pro at 4x speed with no proxies. It was lightning fast. On any other machine, she'd have had to be in half-resolution at most. There was also no lag between hitting the spacebar and stopping playback when playing footage at 2x or 4x speed, something she finds to be a big annoyance on the Mac Pro.

Connectivity

On the back of the Mac Studio, connectivity options include four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, one 10-Gigabit Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones. On the front, there is an SD card slot, along with two USB-C ports for M1 Max configurations or two Thunderbolt 4 ports for M1 Ultra configurations. The computer supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.

Six Colors' Jason Snell:

But that may be the point: this is a computer designed to be used, not to be looked at as a piece of art. When you choose to stick ports on the front of a computer—hey everybody, Apple put ports on the front!!—you are choosing function over form. That's the story of the Mac Studio.

Apple hasn't skimped on the Mac Studio when it comes to what a certain portion of its customer base wants—connectivity. I used the SD card on the front of the Mac Studio twice on the very first day I had it connected. I also plugged a keyboard into that front USB port. (My test unit was an M1 Max model, so those front ports were USB-C; on models with the M1 Ultra chip, they’re full-fledged Thunderbolt 4.)

And then there's the full array of ports on the back: Four Thunderbolt 4, two USB-A, HDMI, a headphone jack, and 10Gb Ethernet. While I didn't fill up all of those ports, I did transfer an array of cables and adapters from the back of my iMac Pro to the Mac Studio and didn't have to dig out a single adapter or find a USB hub to accommodate them.

More Reviews

• WIRED's Brenda Stolyar
• TechCrunch's Brian Heater
• Pocket-lint's Stuart Miles
• Ars Technica's Andrew Cunningham
• CNET's Dan Ackerman

Videos

Prices on the new 14-inch MacBook Pro have dropped to even lower prices today on Amazon, starting with the M1 Pro/8‑core CPU/512GB SSD model at $1,749.00, down from $1,999.00. This beats current sales at other retailers by about $50, and is an all-time low price on this version of the MacBook Pro.

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.

Only the Space Gray color option is being discounted as of writing, and only Amazon is reaching this low of a price. The sale price has been applied automatically, so you won't need a coupon or discount code either.

Secondly, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro/10-core CPU/1TB SSD is being discounted to $2,249.00, down from $2,499.00. This is another record low price on the new 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.

The latest macOS Monterey update, released to the public this week, is bricking Macs that have had their logic boards replaced, causing panic among customers who are unable to get their Mac back to a working state, according to a cluster of user reports posted on social media and Apple's support forums.

Apple this week released macOS Monterey 12.3, which among other things, brought Universal Control to users. Sadly, not all users are being able to experience ‌Universal Control‌ or the latest update at all.

As chronicled on an Apple Developer forum thread, users who attempt to update their Mac to macOS 12.3 from macOS 12.2.1 or earlier are met with errors, endless restart loops, and possibly a bricked Mac. The reports are limited to just Macs that have had their logic boards replaced, specifically new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.

There is a firmware bug in Mac OS 12.3 that renders the update impossible to install on any 2021 14 or 16 inch MacBook Pro that has had it's logic board replaced.

The cycle is:

You try to upgrade, the upgrade will fail but recovery to handle it correctly, you'll reboot still on 12.2.1 but with a report a problem dialogue informing you of an iBoot Panic
You'll try to upgrade again. This time, the iBoot FW will corrupt. You'll see the apple icon flash on boot 5-6 times before seeing the exclamation mark symbol telling you recovery is needed.
You can try and revive using a second Mac with Apple Configurator 2. This will fail, because it tries to load the 12.3 firmware from the IPSW, in either DFU or Recovery mode.
The only way to get things running again is to manually download the 12.2.1 IPSW and use Apple Configurator 2, with the Mac in DFU mode, to load the revive image. This will update the firmware of iBoot, and the recovery image to a working build. The Mac will then restore 12.2.1's OS, keeping your data upon finishing.

According to the reports, there are two possible outcomes users are facing. Either a Mac becomes bricked and unusable, or a Mac finishes the update process and reboots but doesn't update and displays an "iBoot Panic" message.

A thread on Reddit by users also reports similar issues. "When I attempt to upgrade to 12.3 on a 2021 M1 14 inch macbook, the entire download and then upgrade sequence completes (30 or 40 minutes in upgrade sequence) and when it reboots has not upgraded and is still on 12.2.1," one user said.

In the case the Mac does not boot up after the update sequences, users must put their Mac into DFU and revive it manually. This process, however, requires users to have a second compatible Mac to revive their bricked Mac. As many customers only have one Mac, or no compatible Mac to use Apple Configurator with, they're forced to head to the Apple Store for assistance.

Even a trip to the ‌Apple Store‌, however, will result in staff likely replacing the already faulty logic board with another logic board, putting users in an endless loop until the bug is patched. Users are generally reporting mixed results when trying to put their Mac into DFU mode, but one user on Reddit has offered some advice:

Any attempts to get 12.3 on your mac will fail with that error.

You should be able to get into DFU though - wait until you're on the exclamation mark screen after a few flashes, then do the DFU key sequence. Configurator will let you try a revive in recovery mode though, but not sure if that works - I assume that's your 21 error. You should get a 2006 error when trying in DFU mode.

The second time I tried a normal in system upgrade, the screen refused to show anything as a result of the firmware failure - but it still appeared in Configurator and the DFU key sequence still worked.

There are also reports on the MacRumors Forum, with one user saying, "I cannot install macOS 12.3 in any way: direct upgrade, install via App Store, Recovery Mode, DFU Restore, all failed. All versions before macOS 12.3 works. I have to download IPSW for macOS 12.2 to use it." Apple does offer IPSW files for macOS updates, but as stated above, that process requires a second Mac to install onto the bricked Mac.

Apple has instructions for how to revive an Apple silicon Mac here and an Intel-based Mac instructions can be found here. Apple has so far not commented or acknowledged the specific issue bricking Macs attempting to update to macOS 12.3, but we've reached out to Apple for comment and will update accordingly.

Reliable display analyst Ross Young has reiterated his belief that Apple will unveil a new product with a 27-inch mini-LED display around June, despite another well-known analyst claiming new mini-LED products from Apple are unlikely this year.

On Wednesday, Ming-Chi Kuo said there may be no new products with mini-LED displays from Apple in 2022 because of cost concerns to do with sourcing the technology.

Kuo believes that only Apple's existing mini-LED products like the 12.9-inch iPad Pro may be updated in 2022, but he said he doesn't expect any additional products to feature or transition to the more advanced display technology.

In an apparent response to Kuo's prediction, Young later tweeted that he was still "quite confident" that a 27-inch mini-LED display will feature in a new Apple product set to come in or around June, but said that he was unsure what Apple was going to call it.

Young previously suggested that the product could be a Studio Display "Pro," although he conceded this is a guess. Young has also independently told MacRumors he feels positive that Apple will use a 27-inch mini-LED panel this year "in some implementation." Young says he has confirmed its existence with multiple companies in Apple's supply chain, and today reminded readers that his consultancy has "called every mini-LED product right from Apple so far."

That said, in February, Young claimed Apple would launch an iMac Pro as early as summer 2022, but the analyst withdrew that prediction immediately after Apple unveiled the Mac Studio, which was only rumored at the last minute. Young explained that his sources weren't aware of the separation between the ‌iMac‌, ‌Mac Studio‌, and Studio Display, which had added confusion to Apple's exact plans.

Adding further to the confusion regarding Apple's product roadmap, Apple this month discontinued the 27-inch Intel-based ‌iMac‌, leaving questions on whether there will be a larger ‌‌iMac‌‌ to join the 24-inch in Apple's lineup. Rumors are mixed on whether Apple is developing a larger-screened version of the ‌iMac‌ at all, so the company's plans are unclear at this time.

• Have We Seen the Last of the 27-inch iMac?

Kuo and Young both have respectable track records regarding display-related information for future Apple products, so it will be interesting to see whether Apple announces any new mini-LED products this year.

Apple's new third-generation iPhone SE with 5G connectivity is set to go on general sale on Friday, and Taiwan-based analysts have today shared their shipment expectations for the device over the coming year.

Apple's new ‌iPhone‌ SE shipments are expected to reach 30 million units in 2022, according to estimates by DigiTimes research analysts Sean Lin and Luke Lin. That's at the top-end of the predicted number of second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE (2020) units that Apple managed to ship in the first year of its release.

Apple is said to have prepared components for under five million units of the new ‌iPhone‌ SE in the first quarter of 2022, but actual shipments for the entry-level smartphone are expected to be lower than that in the first quarter.

In the next quarter, shipments are expected to rise to 11 million units, with volumes in the third quarter to stay at around the same level before slowing down in the fourth quarter, leading up to the launch of Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 14 series.

According to DigiTimes, the availability of the new ‌iPhone‌ SE is expected to significantly drive up 5G handset shipments to non-China markets in 2022, with a significant cross-section of customers preferring its lower price and traditional ‌iPhone‌ design with a physical Home button.

In 2021, around 280 million 5G handsets were shipped to non-China markets, according to the analysts, but the number is expected to rise sharply by over 60% to over 450 million units, accounting for 63.5% of worldwide volumes. In China, by contrast, where nearly 80% of shipments are already 5G devices, shipment growth this year is only expected to be in the single digits.

Following basic iPhone 14 Pro CAD renders surfacing online yesterday, new images today alleged to be renders for the lower-end iPhone 14 models have been leaked, showing the same ‌iPhone‌ 13 notch and rear camera design.

The renders, shared by MySmartPrice, obtained through an "industry insider," depict a very similar design for the assumed two lower-end models of the ‌iPhone‌ 14 lineup compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 13.

Apple made small design changes to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 12, with the main change being a new camera layout. The updated diagonal camera layout from the ‌iPhone‌ 13 will carry over to the ‌iPhone‌ 14 with no changes, according to the CAD files. MySmartPrice notes, however, that the camera on the back seems to "have received a minor refresh and seems to have a thicker frame of glass surrounding the housing."

Regarding the notch, Apple did make it smaller by shrinking it in size but increasing it in height on the ‌iPhone‌ 13 compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 12. Apple is planning to stick with the same notch on the base ‌iPhone‌ 14 models, according to the renders, which show no noticeable difference in size or design.

Apple is reportedly planning to announce four new ‌iPhone‌ 14 models this coming fall, including two 6.1-inch and two 6.7-inch sizes. The ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Max, possible names for the two lower-end models, will keep the same notch and overall design as the current ‌iPhone‌ 13. The higher-end ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max will receive a more noticeable design change - removing the notch.

For the first time on its flagship ‌iPhone‌ since the introduction of the ‌iPhone‌ X in 2017, Apple is planning to do away with the notch on the high-end ‌iPhone‌ 14 models. While the display will not be completely free of intrusions as some customers may hope, it will feature a pill-shaped and circular cutout at the top of the display that takes up less space than a notch.

Rumors and leaks point to Apple wanting to further differentiate its "Pro" iPhones from its lower-end models. Today's renders for the ‌iPhone‌ 14 reveal very few design changes compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 13. In addition, the iPhone 14 may even feature the same A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13. As with every year, Apple can be expected to improve the cameras on this year's new ‌iPhone‌, so it remains to be seen what exactly Apple plans to change with the ‌iPhone‌ 14 compared to the current base model iPhones.

For a rundown of everything we know about the ‌iPhone‌ 14 lineup, see our roundup.

Google today announced that its annual Google I/O developers conference is set to take place on Wednesday, May 11, and Thursday, May 12, about a month ahead of when we're expecting Apple to hold the annual Worldwide Developers Conference.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai shared the news this afternoon, and he said the event will be "live from Shoreline Amphitheatre," with the content available online. The wording of his tweet was confusing, but Google has clarified that this will be an online-only event as it has been for the past two years.

A "limited audience" will be at the event, but that will consist of Googlers, with press and other attendees expected to tune in online.

With COVID cases dropping in California and mask mandates lifting, it's possible Google could have chosen to invite some people to attend in person, but the company has opted not to do so, perhaps because Google I/O typically sees attendees from around the globe.

Google's decision to hold an online-only event may give us some insight into Apple's plans. Apple has not announced the dates for the Worldwide Developers Conference, nor has the company said whether this year's event will have an in-person element. Apple has been cautious throughout the global health crisis, so with Google going online only for I/O, we are likely to see Apple opt for an online event as well.

Apple last year announced the dates for the 2021 Worldwide Developers Conference on March 30, so we may not have too long to wait to find out what Apple has in store for WWDC 2022.

Netflix today said that it may implement an extra payment for those who share their Netflix accounts with people outside of their households, a practice that is common with the streaming service.

According to Netflix, sharing accounts between households impacts its ability to "invest in great new TV and films" for its members, and so it has been exploring ways to permit users to share outside of their households by "paying a bit more."

A test launching over the next few weeks in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru will implement these extra payments for those who provide Netflix access to those who they do not live with. Netflix customers in these countries can add two extra members to their accounts for monthly fees of 2,380 CLP in Chile, 2.99 USD in Costa Rica, and 7.9 PEN in Peru. For reference, Netflix costs $8.99 to $15.99 per month in Costa Rica.

Netflix plans to give customers on the Basic, Standard, and Premium plans an option to enable the people who they share an account with to move a profile over to a new, paid account or an extra member account, suggesting multi-household Netflix account sharing is coming to an end.

According to Netflix, it will be working to "understand the utility of these two features" in Peru, Chile, and Costa Rica before making changes in other countries. Netflix has always included wording in its terms and services that prevents account usage across multiple households, but until now, the service has ignored password sharing.

Netflix is the only streaming service that charges by streaming quality. In the United States, Netflix charges $9.99 for the Basic no-HD plan that allows for streaming on a single device, $15.49 for a Standard HD plan that allows for two people to watch at the same time, and $19.99 for a Premium plan with Ultra HD streaming and support for four simultaneous viewers.

Apple is unlikely to launch any products with new mini-LED display sizes in 2022 due to cost concerns, reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a tweet today.

When asked for further details by email, Kuo clarified that only Apple's existing mini-LED products like the 12.9-inch iPad Pro may be updated in 2022, with no additional products to transition to mini-LEDs this year. For example, Kuo said he does not expect Apple to update the 11-inch iPad Pro with a mini-LED display this year.

Apple's existing products with mini-LED displays include the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 14-inch MacBook Pro, and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

If accurate, Kuo's tweet suggests there also wouldn't be a mini-LED version of the Studio Display released this year. This prediction conflicts with information shared by display industry consultant Ross Young, who earlier this week said that Apple could launch a 27-inch monitor with mini-LEDs in June. Young said he believed the display would have a 5K resolution and may feature ProMotion for up to a 120Hz refresh rate.

Kuo and Young both have respectable track records regarding display-related information for future Apple products, so it will be interesting to see whether Apple announces any new mini-LED products this year or updates existing mini-LED devices only.

Amazon has returned with all-time low discounts on the Apple Watch Series 7 today, reaching up to $50 off many models of the newest Apple Watch. Compared to other Apple products, the Apple Watch Series 7 remains one of the most consistently discounted devices in Apple's lineup for 2022.

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

Savings start with the 41mm GPS Apple Watch Series 7, priced at $349.00, down from $399.00. The Starlight and Green color options have been about $10 lower in previous sales, but otherwise this is the best price we've ever seen for the majority of 41mm GPS models.

• (Product)Red with (Product)Red Sport Band - $349.00, down from $399.00
• Green with Clover Sport Band - $349.00, down from $399.00
• Starlight with Starlight Sport Band - $349.99, down from $399.00
• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $349.00, down from $399.00
• Blue with Abyss Blue Sport Band - $349.00, down from $399.00

45mm GPS Aluminum

The 45mm GPS Apple Watch Series 7 is on sale for $379.00, down from $429.00. Just like the 41mm option, we have seen a steeper discount in the past on just one color, but Amazon's sale today has a wide array of color options at a solid $50 off.

• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $379.99, down from $429.00
• (Product)Red with (Product)Red Sport Band - $379.00, down from $429.00
• Blue with Abyss Blue Sport Band - $379.00, down from $429.00
• Green with Clover Sport Band - $379.00, down from $429.00

41mm Cellular Aluminum

Three of the 41mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 7 devices are on sale on Amazon this week, with record low discounts on the Midnight, Green, and Starlight models. As with other versions of the Apple Watch Series 7, most models are in stock and ready to ship today.

• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $449.00, down from $499.00
• Green with Clover Sport Band - $449.00, down from $499.00
• Starlight with Starlight Sport Band - $449.00, down from $499.00

45mm Cellular Aluminum

Lastly, Amazon is now offering $50 off the 45mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 7. The last time we covered these deals, Amazon was only discounting these devices by $30, so today's deals are now all-time low prices on these Series 7 models.

• Green with Clover Sport Band - $479.99, down from $529.00
• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $479.99, down from $529.00
• Starlight with Starlight Sport Band - $479.00, down from $529.00
• (Product)Red with (Product)Red Sport Band - $479.99, 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.

The new fifth-generation iPad Air will begin arriving to customers on Friday and, ahead of time, the first hands-on reviews of the device have surfaced. We've rounded up some of the reviews and unboxing videos below.

Key new features of the iPad Air include the same M1 chip found in the iPad Pro, 5G connectivity on cellular models, an upgraded 12-megapixel front camera with support for Center Stage, up to a 2x faster USB-C port for data transfer, and new color options. Pricing continues to start at $599 in the U.S. for 64GB of storage.

Overall, the new iPad Air remains a great value, with performance now on par with the iPad Pro thanks to the M1 chip and other Pro-like features.

M1 Chip

Geekbench 5 benchmark results that surfaced earlier this week confirmed that the M1 chip is not downclocked in the new iPad Air, resulting in the device having virtually identical performance as the iPad Pro.

Nevertheless, several reviewers pointed out that iPadOS makes it challenging to take advantage of the performance capabilities.

The Verge's Dan Seifert:

If you're using the iPad for things like browsing the web, reading books, watching movies or TV shows, or even light productivity, you won't likely notice the extra performance headroom the M1 chip provides. It mostly shines when doing especially demanding tasks, like editing and exporting 4K video or managing large file transfers. The Air is capable of doing those jobs, but there are better tools available if that's what you intend to do that don't have the limitations of iPadOS and a relatively small screen.

5G

The iPad Air now supports 5G networks on Wi-Fi + Cellular models, but not faster mmWave 5G like the iPad Pro does.

CNET's Scott Stein tested 5G on the new iPad Air:

This iPad doesn't support mmWave, just sub-6 5G. Effectively, at many times, it feels similar to LTE: Speeds at my home were around 290 megabits per second on Verizon, while in Washington Square Park in New York speeds were only around 60Mbps to 80Mbps.

Center Stage Camera

With an upgraded 12-megapixel front camera, the new iPad Air is the last iPad to gain support for Center Stage, a feature that helps keep you and anyone else with you in the frame as you move around during video calls. Center Stage is available for FaceTime calls and in supported third-party video calling apps, such as Zoom.

TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino:

The front camera has gotten a 12MP upgrade too – and is definitely improved from the previous Air. Facetime gets that nice Center Stage enhancement we saw come through on the iPad Pros last year too. As I said in my review of those this is a pretty huge quality of life improvement for those who video chat a lot as the auto-crop and tracking feature mitigates the odd left hand side placement of the camera when the iPad Air is in landscape mode. The angles feel more natural and less awkward overall. The color and contrast of the video call quality is improved as well.

More Reviews

• WIRED's Brenda Stolyar
• MacStories' Federico Viticci
• Six Colors' Jason Snell
• iMore's Luke Filipowicz
• The Guardian's Samuel Gibbs
• Pocket-lint's Stuart Miles

Videos

India-based tech blog 91Mobiles posted a series of renders on Wednesday that it claims are based on leaked factory CAD images of Apple's upcoming iPhone 14 Pro.

Apple is widely expected to remove the notch on the Pro models in the iPhone 14 series, and the images offer an idea of how Apple's flagship device will look with hole-punch and pill-shaped cutouts near the top of the display.

Converging rumors and leaks have indicated that in the absence of a notch, a hole will be used for the Face ID dot projector, while the pill-shaped cutout will supposedly house the front camera and Face ID infrared camera. The CAD images show that the speaker grille will remain embedded in the top bezel.

Contrary to one rumor, the rear of the device looks largely unchanged from the iPhone 13 Pro, with the triple-lens array housed in a camera bump that protrudes from the chassis. In September, YouTube leaker Jon Prosser claimed the iPhone 14 will have a thicker chassis allowing for no camera bump, with the lenses, LED flash, and LiDAR Scanner sitting flush with the rear glass, but that is not what is shown here.

Prosser's sources also claimed that the new models will have round volume buttons and redesigned speaker and microphone grilles, but again, these latest CAD renders only show the same oblong buttons and grilles that iPhone users will already be familiar with.

Apple is expected to release four iPhone 14 series models this year, consisting of two 6.1-inch and two 6.7-inch sizes, thus dropping the "mini" variant that we saw in the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series. The hole-punch and pill-shaped cutouts are only expected to be featured on the highest-end ‌iPhone 14‌ variants, while the two lower-end ‌iPhone 14‌ models will continue to feature a notch.

It has also been claimed Apple will seek to differentiate Pro and non-Pro further this year, in that only the Pro models will get a new A16 Bionic processor, whereas the non-Pro models will feature the same A15 processor found in the iPhone 13 series.

The latter rumor is particularly intriguing, especially coming from reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The last time Apple re-used a previous-generation processor in a new flagship iPhone model, you have to go back to the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G, both of which used identical 412MHz ARM 11 chips. For everything we know about the ‌iPhone 14‌, see our comprehensive roundup.

Apple's primary iPhone assembler Foxconn says it has resumed production at its Chinese manufacturing plant in Shenzhen, following a partial lifting of the city-wide lockdown that came into effect on Monday.

The Taiwanese company told Reuters it had restarted some production and operations at its Shenzhen campus after meeting government conditions for staff to live and work in bubble arrangements and adopting a "closed-loop management" system.

The system was used successfully during the Winter Olympics in Beijing and kept event personnel tightly sealed off from the public, with regular testing for those within.

"Some operations have been able to restart and some production is being carried out," Foxconn said in a statement, adding that the system at its Shenzhen facilities subjected employees living there to the required health measures.

"This process, which can only be done on campuses that include both employee housing and production facilities, adheres to strict industry guidelines and close-loop management policies issued by the Shenzhen government," it added.

It's not known which Apple products Foxconn produces at its two Shenzhen plants, but Foxconn is the largest maker of the ‌iPhone‌. Manufacturers in Guangdong province, home to Shenzhen, said factory shutdowns have caused lags in deliveries, while logistical difficulties were making it harder to ship goods to overseas customers.

Foxconn on Wednesday conceded that 2022 would be "challenging" for the supply chain and forecast an up to 3% fall in revenue for the year – its first annual sales decline in six years – as a shortage of chips squeezes smartphone production and the pandemic shows no sign of easing in China.

Apple said the chip shortage cost it $6 billion in the last quarter of 2021, but predictions remained bullish for this year despite these strains on the global supply chain. That's despite Foxconn's warnings that the chip shortage is expected to run into the second half of 2022.

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.

Samsung in February unveiled the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, a high-end tablet that's meant to outshine the iPad Pro with its 14.6-inch OLED display. In our latest YouTube video, we went hands-on with Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra to see if the company has indeed created something that's better than the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌.

Priced starting at $899.99 for 128GB of storage and 8GB RAM, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is more affordable than the $1,099 128GB 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, even though it's bigger with its 14.6-inch AMOLED display. Apple's ‌iPad Pro‌ uses mini-LED technology, and both have the same 120Hz maximum refresh rate.

Samsung designed the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with slim bezels, but it's worth noting that there is a notch for the front-facing camera, even though Samsung has previously made fun of Apple for including a notch on some of its devices. Apple's iPads don't have a notch at this time, so Samsung is breaking ground on the tablet notch front.

Despite the notch, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra's display is its best selling point, and the OLED panel has an edge over the ‌iPad Pro‌'s mini-LED panel because of blooming, or light leakage that can cause some on-screen elements to have an unwanted glow effect when viewing high contrast content.

Samsung put the front camera on the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in a landscape orientation, which makes sense on a tablet this size as it's more of a desktop-like experience. The ‌iPad Pro‌ has the cameras positioned for use in portrait orientation, which is awkward on a larger display.

There is a built-in facial recognition system, but Android device makers have not mastered technology equivalent to Face ID, so it's limited in scope and can't be used for purchases or password authentication. Instead, there is a fingerprint reader built into the power button, similar to Apple's iPad Air.

The ‌iPad Pro‌ has the Apple Pencil as an input device, and the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra has the S-Pen, which is actually included in the box with the tablet so it doesn't require an extra purchase. The S-Pen is more feature rich than the ‌Apple Pencil‌ with air commands in addition to standard stylus support. Both the ‌Apple Pencil‌ and the S-Pen perform similarly, with minimal lag and the same palm rejection capabilities.

You can get a keyboard with a trackpad for the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra for an extra $350. The keys are fine, but the trackpad is way behind Apple's Magic Keyboard in terms of usability. Battery life is similar, but Samsung offers 45W fast charging so it can charge up quicker.

When it comes to hardware, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ are similar and are both excellent tablets, but software is what sets the two apart. The iPadOS operating system could offer a better desktop experience, but it still outshines Samsung's Android-based tablet software. Apps don't always work properly, the scale is off, and there are several other issues.

Samsung did develop DeX for a better desktop multitasking experience, and it's similar to something like Chrome OS with a dedicated dock, but it's still not a full computer replacement, much like the ‌iPad Pro‌. As for performance, the M1 chip is significantly faster, and there's no real competition.

All in all, the ‌iPad Pro‌ wins out because of the software experience and the ‌M1‌ chip's performance, but ecosystem is an important factor. No dedicated Samsung user is going to want to pick up an iPad, and the same goes for Apple device users who are locked into Apple's ecosystem.

Have you tried out the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra? Let us know in the comments.

A small number of Apple employees appear to have been evacuated from the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, according to NBC Bay Area. There is little information at this time, but the news site says that a "portion" of the campus was evacuated.

According Santa Clara County Fire Department Captain Justin Stockman, first responders found an envelope containing an unknown white substance, with employees ushered out in case the substance is harmful.

Update: The substance was evaluated and the building was deemed clear, so employees were allowed to re-enter their offices. Officials did not provide details on what the substance was.

The Mac Studio isn't set to launch until Friday, March 18, but a French Apple fan was able to secure his new machine today due to a store error. As relayed to Mac4Ever, an unnamed store gave the customer the ‌Mac Studio‌ early, and he has shared an initial photo of the new device.

According to Mac4Ever, the customer, Simon, will be providing additional photos of the ‌Mac Studio‌ later today, but as of right now, there's not a whole lot to see.

Apple tries to keep products from going out to customers early, but every so often a retail partner makes a mistake. Back in May, a customer got an M1 iPad Pro several days before launch, and multiple people were able to secure AirTags before their debut date.

The ‌Mac Studio‌ will officially launch on Friday, March 18, and customers in Australia and New Zealand will be the first to receive the devices, aside from any machines that end up going out early.

Priced starting at $1,999, the ‌Mac Studio‌ is equipped with Apple's highest-end Apple silicon chips, including the M1 Max and the new M1 Ultra, which is essentially two ‌M1 Max‌ chips that are interconnected. The ‌Mac Studio‌ will launch right alongside the Studio Display, the iPhone SE, and the iPad Air.

Apple started selling the Mac Studio following last week's "Peek Performance" event, and it is now sold out until April. Apple will likely have base models available for purchase in its retail stores on Friday for those who were not able to place an order for launch day delivery.

Update: Additional photos of the ‌Mac Studio‌ have been shared on the Mac4Ever website.

In late 2021, Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers gained access to a new "AirPods Firmware Updater" diagnostic tool for updating a customer's AirPods Pro to the latest firmware version when necessary.

In an internal memo today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple announced that the tool is now capable of updating the firmware on second-generation AirPods as well. Both the AirPods Pro and second-generation AirPods are now listed as supported models, but not the third-generation AirPods or the AirPods Max.

The tool allows technicians with access to Apple Service Toolkit 2 to install the latest firmware on a customer's AirPods in certain scenarios, such as if the customer's left or right AirPod failed to update or the customer is using a non-iOS companion device.

The firmware updater tool is for Apple's internal use only. Beyond visiting an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, there is no direct way for customers to update the firmware on their AirPods. In general, AirPods connected to an iPhone or iPad should automatically update to the latest firmware after a short period, and it may help to keep the AirPods in their charging case and connected to a power source.

(Thanks, @StellaFudge!)