MacRumors

Kanye West, now known officially as "Ye," does not plan to release his next album, "Donda 2," on streaming services that include Apple Music and Spotify, opting instead for a proprietary platform.

Ye said today on Instagram that "Donda 2" will be available only on the Stem Player, a $200 device that was released with the initial "Donda" album pre-installed. The Stem Player is designed to allow users to "customize any song" with controls for vocals, drums, bass, effects, and more.

As an explanation for why the album will not be coming to major streaming platforms, Ye said that artists "get just 12% of the money the industry makes," and that it's "time to free music from this oppressive system."

The Stem Player was developed in partnership with Kano Computing, and Ye is ramping up production to meet demand. Ye said that there are 67,000 units available, and 3,000 units are being manufactured each day.

Ye has in the past claimed that an album will be exclusive only to release it on streaming services later. Back in 2016, he said that his album "The Life of Pablo" would "never never never" come to ‌Apple Music‌, only to release it on Apple Music a month later.

"Donda 2" is expected to launch next week, on February 22, and the Stem Player can be purchased online.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Woolnut to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Coated Folio or a Coated Sleeve designed to carry and protect Apple's iPads.

Available for the 11-inch iPad Pro, 10.9-inch iPad Air, and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, Woolnut's Sleeves and Folios are made from a sustainable matte PU leather alternative that replaces traditional leather while offering the same benefits.

With this particular collection, Woolnut is aiming for future-oriented tech-friendly materials that are environmentally friendly. In addition to using a matte PU material, the Folios and Sleeves are lined with 100 percent recycled PET felt that's derived from plastic bottles.

The soft felt material is designed to keep iPads free from scratches, and it offers padding for carrying your iPad when traveling, either in hand or in a bag. Woolnut makes slip-in Coated Sleeves that are priced starting at $56, and Coated Folios that are priced starting at $75.

The Sleeves have an open-top design that makes it easy to pop an ‌iPad‌ inside and get it out when needed, while the Folios are a bit more secure and have a zipper closure mechanism. The Folios include an Apple Pencil holder and are sized to support a Magic Keyboard, while the Sleeves are slimmer, making them ideal for those looking for a thin and fitted ‌iPad‌ protection solution.

Woolnut's Coated Folios and Sleeves come in black, blue, and green, all dark, attractive shades that will limit the amount of wear shown, and each one is equipped with a matching gray felt interior.

We have six Coated Sleeves and Folios to give away, with each winner to choose their favorite design, color, and size. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (February 18) at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on February 25. The winners will be chosen randomly on February 25 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

The Washington Post today reports that employees at some Apple retail stores in the U.S. are quietly working to unionize.

The report claims that groups of employees working for at least two stores are preparing to file paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board in the near future, and at least a half dozen more locations are said to be in earlier stages of the unionization process. Apple did not immediately provide a comment on the report.

A key concern among Apple retail employees looking to unionize is that wages have not kept up with the rate of inflation. The report claims that Apple recently gave raises to some of its retail employees, but due to rising inflation, some of the employees said they are effectively making less money than when they were first hired.

Apple retail employees can earn anywhere from $17 to more than $30 per hour depending on their position, according to the report, but some employees believe that Apple should pay more as one of the world's most valuable companies.

Apple has reportedly offered improved benefits in an effort to attract and retain retail employees in the current labor market.

Amazon today has Apple's 14-inch M1 MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16-core GPU, 1TB SSD) for $2,249.99 with on-page coupon, down from $2,499.00. This sale is available in both Silver and Space Gray, and you won't see the sale price until you reach the checkout screen due to the automatic on-page coupon.

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.

With the coupon, this deal takes a total of $249 off the original price of this 14-inch M1 MacBook Pro. To date this is the best discount that we've ever tracked on this model, and only Amazon is reaching this low of a price at this time.

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.

Apple has been lauded as "ungodly well-managed" by billionaire investor Charlie Munger, Yahoo Finance reports.

In an exclusive interview, the Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman told Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer:

I think Apple is one of the strong companies and will stay a strong company. I think it's ungodly well-managed.

Apple is now Berkshire Hathaway's largest stock holding, and the stake is a significant proportion of the value of the conglomerate holding company itself. In recent years, Berkshire Hathaway has sought to bolster its stake of Apple and other big tech companies such as Amazon. Munger emphasized that he is most impressed by Apple:

I judge the strength of the company based on how much the customers love it. And I've got zillions of friends who they'd almost part with their right arm before they'd part with their iPhone. That's a hugely powerful position to be in.

Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett often praises Apple's success and, as of September 2021, the company owned 5.5 percent of Apple with 907.6 million shares.

Last month, Apple became the world's first company worth three trillion dollars. At its last earnings report, Apple reported quarterly revenue of $123.9 billion, an all-time quarterly record for the company. On a category-by-category basis, the company also set all-time quarterly revenue records for the iPhone, Mac, Wearables, and Services.

Alternative iPhone camera app Obscura 3 has launched with several new camera features and an overhauled design that aims to make its various photography tools easier to access.

In the newly designed interface, the control wheel of the previous version has been replaced by an entirely gesture-based control system with haptic feedback, which the developer says improves single-thumb control and gives users the closest feeling yet to using a real DSLR on a smartphone.

As in previous versions, Obscura 3 allows users to shoot in a range of formats such as RAW, HEIC, JPEG, Live Photo, and Portrait-style modes, amongst others, but the way the modes are controlled has changed.

The new app builds upon Apple's latest camera hardware, with Pro, Pro Photo, Depth, Live Photo, and Video modes. The default Pro Photo Mode uses only a single camera at a time, enabling manual control of focus, white balance, shutter speed, and ISO.

Pro Mode uses the dual or triple-camera system of the ‌iPhone‌, with fast zooming between lenses at the expense of the more manual controls. All of the modes offer various shooting options via a gear icon that when pressed reveals horizontally scrolling settings below the viewfinder.

The Obscura camera features also provide flash control, grids, shutter time, and spirit level, while an improved dedicated library browser includes pre-built albums like flagged and starred, and it allows users to apply filters and easily edit, share, copy, favorite, hide, delete, and trash their pictures.

The app also includes three themes, several app icon choices, light and dark modes, and a companion Apple Watch app that can trigger your ‌iPhone‌'s shutter remotely.

Obscura 3 is available to download on the App Store for a one-time purchase price of $9.99.

Apple today shared a short movie called "Life is But a Dream," which was created by South Korean film director Park Chan-wook, who is known for "Oldboy," "The Handmaiden," "Lady Vengeance," and more.

The 21 minute film was commissioned by Apple, and it tells the story of an undertaker who needs wood to build a coffin for the savior of his village. He digs up an abandoned grave, awakening the ghost of an ancient swordsman.

Apple has also uploaded a separate "making of" video that explains how Park and his film crew used the iPhone 13 Pro's features to create the short.

"Shot on ‌iPhone‌" is a long running Apple ad campaign, and Apple has previously commissioned other short films. Most recently, Apple shared a short film from Chinese director Zhang Meng to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Apple supplier BOE is having issues producing the OLED panels that are used in iPhones due to the ongoing global chip shortage, reports The Elec. The shortage will impact production "this month and next month," according to the site's sources.

BOE gets its display driver ICs for Apple's iPhone display panels from LX Semicon, but LX Semicon's production is falling short of the target goal. Because of a lack of production capacity from foundries, LX Semicon is apparently supplying display driver ICs to LG Display before BOE.

As a result, BOE is expected to drop its OLED panel production volume from three million units to two million units next month. Apple has reportedly ordered up to 10 million OLED panel units from BOE for the first half of 2022, and it is unclear if the shortage will impact ‌iPhone‌ supplies.

The ‌iPhone‌ 13 and 13 Pro models were in short supply following their launch last September, but as of now, both devices are in stock and available for next-day delivery in most places.

Fortnite has been unavailable to play on the iPhone and iPad since Apple banned it from the App Store in August 2020 amid an ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, but the battle royale game is coming back to iOS devices thanks to Nvidia's GeForce NOW gaming service.

GeForce NOW is a browser-based gaming service that will allow ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ users to play Fortnite using Safari, and it's getting close to launching. Nvidia has been working with ‌Epic Games‌ to bring Fortnite to the browser since November 2020, and in January, the two companies announced a limited time beta that's happening before the official launch.

We've been able to get into the Fortnite beta to see how gameplay works through a browser, which is going to be the only way to play Fortnite on Apple devices for the foreseeable future. Fortnite runs as it does on mobile devices for the most part, with touch controls available as well as controller integration so you can play with a Bluetooth controller if preferred.

Gameplay was decent for the most part, considering that this is still a beta test. There are still some kinks to work out, but in general, it's similar to the prior version of Fortnite on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌.

Using Fortnite through GeForce NOW requires signing up for the beta at the current time, and it is a closed beta which means not everyone will be able to play. You can sign up for the waitlist, and you'll get an email if and when you're granted access.

If you do get in, all you need to do is sign up for a GeForce NOW account, which is available for free, though there are higher-quality paid accounts available starting at $50 for six months. From there, sign into GeForce NOW, add a link to your Home Screen, and link it to your ‌Epic Games‌ account.

After those steps have been completed, Fortnite will be an available game to play in the closed beta section of the GeForce NOW website. We have a full rundown of how it works in the YouTube video up above, along with a demonstration of what gameplay is like.

Apple has made it clear that it has no intention of allowing Fortnite back into the App Store while the ‌Epic Games‌ lawsuit is ongoing, and the legal battle could span years. Apple said that it would not consider requests for the reinstatement of the ‌Epic Games‌ developer account until the court's judgment is "final and non-appealable," and both ‌Epic Games‌ and Apple are appealing the initial ruling at this time.

Apple is well within its rights to deny the reinstatement of the ‌Epic Games‌ developer account as the court found that Apple's termination of the account was "valid, lawful, and enforceable" after Epic breached its contract with Apple by adding purchase methods that defied ‌App Store‌ rules.

Following the release of iOS 15.3.1 on February 10, Apple has stopped signing iOS 15.3, the previously available version of iOS that came out in late January. Because iOS 15.3 is no longer being signed, it is not possible to downgrade to that version of iOS if you've updated to iOS 15.3.1.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.

iOS 15.3 was a bug fix update that addressed a significant Safari bug that could leak browsing activity, while iOS 15.3.1 was another bug fix update further addressing WebKit vulnerabilities.

Apple today announced that it will be releasing limited-edition Powerbeats Pro in celebration of the NBA's 75th anniversary.

Designed in collaboration with Canadian gift shop Better, the special Powerbeats Pro feature Better and NBA logos with blue and red ear tips to match. The wireless headphones will be available February 19 for $249.99 in the United States.

Powerbeats Pro launched in 2019 as the first totally wireless Beats earphones. Key features include ear hooks for a secure fit, the same H1 chip as AirPods for "Hey Siri" support, up to nine hours of listening time per charge, IPX4-rated sweat and water resistance, and a charging case that works with a Lightning to USB-A cable.

Note that Apple is currently offering the Powerbeats Pro in existing black, navy, or ivory colors for $179.95. It may also be worth considering the newer Beats Studio Buds or Beats Fit Pro if you are shopping for wireless headphones.

Edison Mail today announced that it has updated its Mac app with native support for Apple silicon, allowing the app to run faster on Macs powered by the M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max chips. The new version of the app is available now through the Mac App Store.

Edison Mail first released a desktop app for the Mac in 2019 with features such as One-Click Unsubscribe for junk emails, Block Sender, Custom Snooze, Undo Send, and automatic Read Receipt Blocking to prevent advertisers from tracking your email actions. The app also offers a Dark Mode, keyboard shortcuts, and more.

With a unified inbox, Edison Mail allows you to manage unlimited email accounts all in one place, with supported providers including iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook, and many others. Edison Mail also offers apps for the iPhone, iPad, and Android smartphones.

Nomad has returned with a new collection of products in its ongoing Outlet Sale, offering up to 70 percent off cables, Apple Watch straps, AirPods cases, and older model iPhone cases. Shoppers should note that all items in the Outlet Sale are final sale and can not be returned.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Nomad. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This time all of the products in the Outlet Sale are in new condition. The steepest discounts will be found on the iPhone XS series of folio cases, which are available for just $4.95 in a few colors. You can find a list with most of the items on sale below.

Cables

• Universal Cable - $19.95, down from $24.95
• Lightning to USB-C Cable (1.5m) - $27.95, down from $34.95
• Lightning to USB-A Cable (1.5m) - $23.95, down from $29.95

Apple Watch Straps

• Modern Strap (Silver Hardware, 41mm) - $19.95, down from $69.95
• Modern Strap (Gold Hardware, 41mm) - $19.95, down from $69.95

AirPods Case

• Rugged Case - $24.95, down from $29.95

iPhone XS Cases

• Modern Leather Folio - $4.95, down from $69.95

Tile

• Tile Slim - $19.95, down from $29.95

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

The iPhone 14 Pro will feature 8GB of RAM, the most memory ever offered in an iPhone, according to an unverified but plausible report coming out of Asia.

According to a post from the account "yeux1122" on the Korean blog Naver, the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro will contain 8GB of RAM. Citing supply chain sources, the post claims that the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro's memory components have now been confirmed, and added that the schedule for mass production appears to be accelerating.

The account previously said that Apple was planning to launch a new iPad mini model with an 8.7-inch display and a chassis that has an increased width and reduced height compared to the fifth-generation iPad mini in the second half of 2021. While the display size claim was inaccurate, with the sixth-generation ‌iPad mini‌ actually featuring an 8.3-inch display, the chassis rumor and launch timeframe proved to be correct.

A report from Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu late last year similarly claimed that the 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max models will be equipped with 8GB of memory. This would be a significant increase from the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro's 6GB of memory, which currently stands as the most memory ever offered in an ‌iPhone‌.

The non-Pro ‌iPhone‌ models tend to have less memory, so it seems likely that the 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ 14 and 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ 14 Max will have less than 8GB. Even with the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro taking ‌iPhone‌ memory to the next level, the device still has some way to go before reaching the levels of memory offered in the iPad Pro, which introduced a 16GB memory option in early 2021 based on storage capacity.

The ‌iPhone‌ 13 is already significantly faster than Samsung's latest Galaxy S22 models, but lags behind in terms of memory. Galaxy devices have had 8GB of memory since the launch of the S10 in 2019. 8GB of RAM would therefore bring the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro models to parity with the memory offered in the latest rival devices from Samsung.

Apple shareholders are being urged to vote against a planned $99 million compensation package for Apple CEO Tim Cook, reports Financial Times. Shareholder advisory group Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) said on Wednesday that there is a "significant concern" with the stock Cook was awarded in 2021.

Cook last year was awarded stock valued at $82 million, along with a $3 million salary and a $12 million bonus, and the stock award was the first incentive package he had been granted since his 2011 package was granted in full for his tenure at Apple.

According to ISS, Cook's 2021 compensation "significantly exceeded" that provided by comparable companies last year. It has been seven years since ISS last objected to Apple's pay packages.

Shareholder votes on the compensation that Apple provides to executives are advisory, and the board is not required to take action. Financial Times says that if there is backlash over Cook's pay, it could potentially sway Apple's board. In its proxy statement, Apple says that it will "continue to consider shareholder feedback and the results of say-on-pay votes when making future compensation decisions."

Under Cook's 10-year leadership, Apple has seen continued success and in January, briefly became the first company to hit a $3 trillion valuation. Apple executive compensation is tied to company performance, and Apple has regularly hit its targets.

We've partnered with 1Password again this month, this time offering our readers a chance to get 50 percent off their first year of 1Password for Individuals. This offer is available to new customers only, and it doesn't require a coupon code.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with 1Password. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

To get the deal, head to 1Password's website and click "Get Started" to create an account. The 50 percent savings on your first year will be applied automatically. This deal brings the price of 1Password down to $18.00/year or $1.50/month, from $35.88/year or $2.99/month, and it's billed annually.

Once your first year ends, the pricing on the plan will return to $2.99/month, billed annually. 1Password is a password management app that is compatible across Apple devices, including iPhone and Mac. It allows you to create and store strong passwords across all of your most important online accounts, and alert you when your passwords are compromised.

The 1Password app informs you when sites that you're storing information for support two-factor authentication, helping you improve and strengthen your login information. If you're on a Touch ID or Face ID-supported Apple device, you can also open the 1Password app even quicker with Apple's biometric authentication systems.

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

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.3 update to its public beta testing group, with the new software coming a week after the second macOS Monterey 12.3 public beta.

Public beta testers can download the macOS 12.3 Monterey update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

Universal Control is the major new feature in macOS Monterey 12.3, and it is designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled using a single mouse/trackpad and keyboard. If you have a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro, for example, both devices can be controlled with the ‌MacBook Pro‌'s trackpad and keyboard or a keyboard attached to the iPad.

iPadOS 15.4 is required for ‌Universal Control‌ on the ‌iPad‌, and once the updates are installed on your devices, the feature just works as it is automatically enabled.

macOS Monterey also includes new Emoji 14 characters like melting face, biting lip, heart hands, and more, and plus it adds support for updating AirPods with a Mac. There's no official update interface, but your AirPods can receive firmware updates over-the-air when connected to a Mac, similar to how the update process works with an iPhone.

There are some under-the-hood changes as well. Apple is removing Python 2 from macOS with macOS 12.3 after support was suspended in January 2020, and Apple is eliminating some kernel extensions used by Dropbox and OneDrive, necessitating software updates for those apps.