MacRumors

Following the announcement of new Apple TV 4K models in October, we've been tracking steep markdowns on the 2021 models on Amazon. These sales have continued into November, and right now you can get the 32GB Apple TV 4K for $99.99, down from its original price of $179.00.

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.

This remains the best price we've ever tracked on this model of the 2021 Apple TV 4K, and it makes the streaming device about $29 cheaper than the brand new entry-level Apple TV 4K model, which starts with 64GB. Current shipping estimates on Amazon provide a November 5 to 10 delivery window.

We're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2022.

Smart home accessory maker Nanoleaf today announced the upcoming launch of new products that are compatible with Matter, a smart home standard that Apple began supporting with the launch of iOS 16.1. Matter is designed to allow for interoperability between smart home devices from different manufacturers.

Nanoleaf is debuting Matter-equipped A19, GU10, and BR30 light bulbs, as well as a Lightstrip, with all of the products part of the company's Essentials line. The bulbs and the lightstrip offer more than 16 million color options as well as tunable whites with color temperatures ranging from 2700-6500K.

The new Essentials devices are able to play color-changing lighting scenes that can be customized with the Nanoleaf app. With Matter integration, the Essentials products are compatible with HomeKit and other smart home platforms like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

Matter-compatible Essentials Smart Bulbs and Lightstrips are set to launch in early 2023 and will be priced from $20 to $100. Nanoleaf plans to introduce additional Matter-compatible products at CES in January.

Photo editing app Darkroom today announced the launch of new highlight and shadow recovery tools, which are available as an expansion of the existing recovery sliders.

Darkroom says that the Exposure, Whites, Highlights, Shadows, and Blacks sliders have been rebuilt from the ground up in a major technical investment that allows users to access edits that were previously out of reach.

A luminance curve adjusts the dark and bright areas of the image, while a histogram-equalization algorithm enhances clarity in the midtones to avoid a flat look. A frequency-domain algorithm detects busy areas in the image and enhances contrast, and all of the new algorithms are spatially aware to allow for tweaks to each part of an image.

The highlight and shadow recovery tools are available for all image types, but Darkroom says they work particularly well for RAW photos as there is more detail to recover.

With the launch of the new tools, Darkroom is discontinuing the Photos Editing Extension that allowed the Apple ‌Photos‌ app to be used to make Darkroom edits. The feature is being discontinued because of memory constraints and resolution limitations.

Darkroom is free to download, but premium Darkroom+ features are available for $5 per month or $30 per year. Darkroom can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Amazon today announced that it will be updating 17 of its Echo devices to support the new Matter smart home standard over Wi-Fi next month, according to The Verge. The phased rollout will initially only be supported on Android and allow those Echo devices to serve as controllers only for plugs, bulbs, and switches. Amazon's Matter support will expand early next year to include iOS devices and Thread networking, and support for additional categories of smart devices will come over time.

Amazon told The Verge that it is taking a phased approach due to the sheer number of devices involved and the complexity of getting everything transitioned over to the new standard.

"We're bringing Matter support to well over 100 million devices across 30 Echo and Eero devices," Chris DeCenzo, a senior principal engineer at Amazon and the company's CSA board director, explained in an interview with The Verge. "This is an effort unprecedented in scale and complexity. It's a big deal, and we need to make sure it goes smoothly."

In particular, he pointed to the lack of available products in the other Matter categories for Amazon to test. "There aren't many [Matter-compatible] locks, window shades, and thermostats out there yet, and we want to test everything in our beta program first."

The delayed rollout of support on iOS is also reportedly due to Apple's requirements, with Amazon saying that upgrading its Alexa app for iOS to be compatible with Matter requires using new APIs that Apple only just released and which Amazon will need to test to ensure everything is working properly.

The Verge says the following Echo devices will be updated with Matter support next month: Echo Dot (fifth-gen), Echo Dot (fifth-gen) with Clock, Echo (fourth-gen), Echo Dot (third-gen, 2018 release), Echo Studio, Echo Show 8 (second-gen, 2021 release), Echo Show 10 (third-gen), Echo Show 5 (second-gen, 2021 release), Echo Dot (third-gen) with Clock, Echo Dot (fourth-gen) with Clock, Echo Show 5, Echo (v3), Echo Dot (fourth-gen), Echo Input, Echo Flex, Echo Plus (v2), and Echo Show 8. Additional Echo and Eero devices will be receiving the upgrade in early 2023.

Woot and Amazon today have a pair of solid markdowns on Beats headphones and Apple Watches, respectively. You can get up to $110 off select Beats devices on Woot and $39 off the second generation Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 8 on Amazon.

Beats

Woot today is hosting a notable sale on headphones from a variety of different brands, including all-time low prices on the Beats Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro. For the Beats Fit Pro, you can these headphones in new condition for $144.95, down from $199.99.

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.

The Beats Fit Pro come in brand new condition with a one year Beats manufacturer limited warranty, and only Sage Gray is available at this record low price. Amazon Prime members can get free standard shipping, and delivery is estimated for November 11 to 15.

The Powerbeats Pro are on sale for $139.95, down from $249.99, which is another best-ever price. These are also in brand new condition, come with a one year Beats manufacturer limited warranty, and are only available in one color: Navy.

Powerbeats Pro are on sale for around $180 at most retailers right now, so Woot's sale is particularly steep for a new pair of the headphones. All of these deals will only be available today, so be sure to browse Woot's full headphone sale before it ends.

Apple Watch

In another sale, Amazon is offering all-time low prices on the second generation Apple Watch SE in select configurations. You can get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE (S/M band size) for $239.99 in two colors, down from $279.00.

Only the S/M band size is discounted to this record low price, and it's available in Silver Aluminum and Starlight Aluminum.

We're also tracking a deal on the Apple Watch Series 8, where you can get the 45mm cellular model for $489.99, down from $529.00. This one is only available in M/L band sizes, but it's another all-time low price at $39 off.

We're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2022.

Smart home accessory maker Aqara today shared new details about impending updates and product releases that will add support for the Matter home standard.

Aqara users will first gain access to Matter on their accessories in December 2022 via an over-the-air update to the Aqara Hub M2, allowing existing Aqara Zigbee devices to become compatible with Matter. Other Aqara hubs, including the Hub M1S, Hub E1, Camera Hub G3, and Camera Hub G2H Pro, will receive similar updates in the following months.

The hub updates will expose over 40 existing Aqara Zigbee devices, such as the Door and Window Sensor, Temperature and Humidity Sensor, and Curtain Driver E1, to Matter and connect with other third-party Matter devices. See the full list of devices that will gain Matter support with the first wave of updates on Aqara's website. Aqara says it will expand support for Matter to more Zigbee devices in the future, with over 160 existing accessories in the pipeline.

In addition, Aqara plans to launch a new lineup of Thread-based multi-protocol devices with refreshed designs starting in early 2023, including native Matter support and direct connection with Matter controllers. The company also says it will open up the Aqara Home app to support third-party Matter devices.

Eve Systems today announced an upcoming firmware update for three of its devices, with the new firmware set to add Matter integration. The latest models of the Eve Energy, Eve Motion, and Eve Door and Window devices will receive Matter firmware updates on December 12.

Eve says that Matter certification has been completed for these three products, and they will receive firmware updates through the Eve app. With Matter support, each person in a household will be able to access Eve products from their preferred smartphone or voice assistant.

Eve says that all 14 of its Thread-enabled Eve devices will get free Matter firmware updates over time, and Matter-certified Eve products will be available for sale starting in the first quarter of 2023.

The Eve app has to date been available exclusively for iOS devices, but there is an Android version in the works that will launch in early 2023.

Matter is a new smart home standard that is meant to improve interoperability between smart home devices, allowing them to work across multiple smart home platforms.

Twitter aims to start charging users for blue check verification badges as soon as next week, as part of new owner Elon Musk's plan to further monetize the social media platform, according to a new report.

The badges will be part of an $8-per-month Twitter Blue subscription, an increase of $3 over the current $4.99 per month price, which will also include priority in replies, mentions, and search, the ability to post long video and audio, and half as many ads as non-paying users.

For users who already have the verification badge, such as celebrities, journalists, and other notable influencers, "chief twit" Musk intends to give them a "multi-month grace period" before they will either need to pay for the badge or lose it, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the plans. Twitter will reportedly allow government accounts to stay verified, as well as those in regions where Twitter cannot charge payment.

The company also plans to expand access to its edit function, which is currently limited to paying Twitter Blue subscribers. All Twitter account holders are expected to be given access to the long-requested edit feature, and that could also happen as early as next week, although the timing for Twitter's plans could still change, according to Bloomberg's sources.

The plan to charge for the blue verification badge has been met with controversy, with some prominent holders of the badge speaking out against the move and saying they won't pay for it.

Some critics have accused Musk of "charging for free speech," in the sense that users who don't pay up will have their posts diminished or silenced. Others however have supported the move, agreeing with Musk that it will help weed out bots and other spam accounts.

Musk is working rapidly to monetize Twitter, as the social network has historically not been particularly profitable. In addition to introducing changes to Twitter Blue, Musk has also said that he plans to bring back video service Vine. Rumors suggest that Musk has shifted more than 50 Tesla engineers over to Twitter to work on the new features.

Google is rolling out a new Gmail app feature in time for the holiday season that allows users to more easily track their packages directly from within their inbox.

In a bid to help users stay on top of order and shipping confirmation emails over the festive period, Gmail will show a simplified view of a user's package tracking and delivery information.

For orders with tracking numbers, Gmail will prominently display your current delivery status in your inbox list view and in a summary card at the top of individual emails. Package tracking will be available across most major U.S. shipping carriers and will provide important details at a glance, such as estimated arrival date and status — like "Label created," "Arriving tomorrow" or "Delivered today."

Users can opt in to receive the package tracking updates in their inbox using Gmail's settings. Gmail will then automatically look up order statuses using tracking numbers and surface them in the user's inbox. It will also proactively show delay labels and bring the emails to the top of the inbox. Google says the new package tracking features will roll out "in the coming weeks."

Google's system is vaguely reminiscent of the package tracker that Apple recently introduced in iOS 16, but distinct in that Apple's tracker only works for orders from supporting businesses that are purchased using Apple Pay. Also, Apple's tracker is built into the Wallet app, rather than its stock Mail app.

Popular Meta-owned messaging app WhatsApp received a handful of new feature additions today, along with the global rollout of its new Communities feature.

Communities is designed to allow people to bring together separate groups under a single umbrella, providing users with a way to receive updates that are sent to an entire community, and then organize smaller discussion groups on important topics.

An example use case could be school parents creating an overarching "School" community, which breaks out into smaller groups based on grade and other factors. WhatsApp first started testing Communities in April, and now they're gradually rolling out worldwide.

The encrypted chat platform has also gained in-chat polls, something that has been in beta testing since March. Users are now able to ask a poll question and group members can choose from pre-defined answers. Like chats, polls are end-to-end encrypted, meaning only people in the group can see the poll and the results.

In addition, video calls can now have up to 32 participants, and the maximum group size has been doubled from 512 to 1024 users.

WhatsApp has worked to improve the group chat experience over the last few years in an effort to keep up with competing platforms, introducing group descriptions, a catch-up feature, a one-way messaging option, and protection for users who are being added repeatedly to groups they've left.

macOS Ventura causes a number of problems for users who use a Microsoft Exchange account for their calendar or reminders list, according to user reports online.

macOS Ventura is the latest macOS operating system released to the public last week. Since its release, users have taken to Twitter, the MacRumors Forums, as well as the Apple Support forum to share that their Exchange calendar no longer syncs properly with Apple's calendar or Reminders app.

In some cases, when the calendar does sync with Apple's built-in calendar app, other issues still arise, such as event dates and times being synced incorrectly, event invitations not coming through, reminders not syncing, and other related bugs.

It's not clear what Apple has changed with macOS Ventura to cause these issues or whether this is an issue on Microsoft's side. Users who are running macOS Monterey have reported no similar problems, so at least for now, it seems to be a bug with macOS Ventura.

In the meantime, users can try removing and re-adding their Exchange account to their Mac in hopes of resolving the issue. For users still running macOS Monterey and who use an Exchange account, it may be best to wait for the issue to be patched before updating.

The unionized Towson Apple Store in Maryland today filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after its employees were excluded from some benefits that Apple recently introduced for non-union workers, reports Bloomberg.

Apple in October announced plans to offer employees additional funds for education and new health care options in some states, but workers at the Towson store were denied the benefits. The employees were told that the store would need to negotiate benefits with Apple through the union.

The Towson store was the first Apple retail location to unionize, and Apple's head of retail, Deirdre O'Brien, warned employees about future negotiation issues ahead of their decision to form a union. "We have a relationship that is based on an open and collaborative and direct engagement," O'Brien said in May. "Which I feel could fundamentally change if a store is represented by a union under a collective bargaining agreement."

Restricting benefits from unionized stores could dissuade other retail locations from unionizing, and it is not unique to Apple. Starbucks has also been fighting unionization and has denied benefits to stores that have made the decision to unionize.

The Towson location is represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union, which filed the complaint against Apple. So far, two stores in the United States have unionized, including a location in Oklahoma, as has one store in Scotland.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple will continue to source modem chips from Qualcomm for the 2023 iPhone 15 lineup, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Qualcomm said it is set to provide the "vast majority" of modem chips for Apple's devices, despite earlier expectations that it would provide just a fraction of modem chips.

Qualcomm in November 2021 said that it expected to supply 20 percent of Apple's modem chips in 2023, signaling a potential shift to Apple's own modem chips. Apple has been working to cut down on its reliance on Qualcomm by developing its own modem technology in-house, but it does not appear that Apple's chips will be ready for a 2023 launch.

Gurman's report echoes information that we previously heard from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo said in June 2022 that Apple's work on a 5G modem chip "failed," and that Qualcomm would remain Apple's modem supplier for the 2023 ‌iPhone‌ lineup.

Kuo said that development on the chip stalled, but the work is ultimately continuing. Apple is expected to create its own modem chip, but it will take more time for work to be completed and satisfactory for use in iPhones and other devices.

Apple launched a legal battle against Qualcomm in 2017, accusing Qualcomm of unfairly collecting royalties for technologies it had nothing to do with. Apple wanted to transition away from Qualcomm with the shift to 5G to stop paying Qualcomm's fees and instead use Intel technology, but Intel was not able to manufacture 5G chips that met Apple's standards.

Apple was forced to settle its lawsuit with Qualcomm and has since used Qualcomm 5G modem chips for the ‌iPhone‌ and iPad lineups. Apple has been working on its own modem chip since then, and even purchased Intel's modem chip business to get a head start. Initial rumors pinpointed 2023 as the year Apple would be ready to transition, but it looks like it will take a bit longer for Apple to end its modem deals with Qualcomm.

Former Apple employee Dhirendra Prasad this week pled guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States after stealing more than $17 million from Apple through mail and wire fraud schemes.

According to the Northern California District Attorney's office, Prasad worked for a ten-year period between 2008 and 2018. He was in the Global Service Supply Chain department, buying parts and services for Apple from vendors.

Starting in 2011, Prasad began accepting kickbacks, inflating invoices, and stealing parts, which resulted in Apple paying for items and services that it did not receive. Prasad worked with two Apple vendors, Robert Gary Hansen and Don M. Baker, to steal money.

In 2013, for example, Prasad had motherboards shipped from Apple's inventory to Baker's company, CTrends. Baker had the components from the motherboards harvested, with Prasad arranging purchase orders for the harvested components so that Apple paid for parts it already owned. The two split the funds from the arrangement.

In 2016, Prasad had components shipped from Apple to Hansen's business, Quality Electronics Distributors, Inc. Hansen intercepted the components, put then in new packaging, shipped them back to Apple's warehouse, and charged Apple for it through Prasad.

Prasad also funneled illicit payments from Hansen to his creditors, and he also created a shell company to send sham invoices to CTrends to hide illicit payments and to allow Baker to claim hundreds of thousands of dollars of unjustified tax deductions.

Prasad could spend up to 25 years in prison after he is sentenced, with the hearing set to take place in March 2023. He also must forfeit $5 million in assets that he gained from the schemes.

United States Senator Elizabeth Warren this week penned a letter [PDF] to antitrust officials at the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department, requesting that they investigate "Big Tech's expansion into the automotive industry." Warren specifically called out Google, Apple, and Amazon, saying that the companies are setting themselves up to be a "one-stop shop for automakers," for data collection, cloud storage, analytics, in-car navigation, voice assistants, and autonomous driving collection.

In the letter that was shared by Vox, Warren says that Google, Apple, and Amazon are leveraging their market power in digital app markets, mobile operating systems, and data infrastructure to become "the dominant players in the automotive sphere," which Warren says has "alarming implications for developers, workers, and consumers."

Warren highlights Apple's June 2022 CarPlay announcements, where the company debuted the next-generation ‌CarPlay‌ platform that will "reinvent the car experience" and integrate more deeply with in-vehicle hardware. She also points out that Google has entered into a partnership with Ford that will see Ford using the Android Automotive Operating System, and Amazon is developing autonomous driving systems.

The senator claims that Apple and Google's expansion into cars threatens to spread "anticompetitive mobile app markets practices" to automobiles, citing in-app purchase requirements and the fact that ‌CarPlay‌ and Android Auto apps must be approved by Apple and Google, respectively, before being allowed into vehicles.

Allowing Big Tech into the automotive industry could "stifle a nascent industry" and price developers out of the market.

For these developers, allowing Google and Apple to take control of car operating systems could mean an end to their ability to compete outside Google's and Apple's restrictive platforms. Automotive applications have significant potential to provide drivers and passengers with information, enhance safety, and provide entertainment. But allowing Big Tech companies to cement their exclusive control over the terms of auto app competition could stifle a nascent industry.

Warren is asking the FTC and the DOJ to use their authority to address concerns as they emerge and "prevent further overreach by Big Tech companies." She says that without "proactive and rigorous oversight," Google, Apple, and Amazon will "bring their anticompetitive, anti-consumer, and anti-labor practices to the automotive sector."

Apple's CarPlay system has been in vehicles since 2014, and it has become ubiquitous, with most major vehicle manufacturers supporting the feature in modern cars. Apple is also working to expand further into automobiles with a full autonomous vehicle, a project that has been in development for many years now. Current rumors suggest that some kind of Apple-branded vehicle could be introduced as soon as 2025.

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.

The upcoming developer and public beta of iOS 16.2 will officially enable 5G for iPhone in India on select carriers, Apple has told Indian Express.

Apple had previously confirmed it was working with carriers in India, including Airtel and Jio, to bring 5G support to ‌iPhone‌ users in the country. Apple said it would begin its 5G rollout in the country in December. Now, the company says starting with the upcoming iOS 16.2 beta, users on Airtel and Jio networks will gain access to faster 5G connectivity.

Apple released the first beta of iOS 16.2 to developers and public beta testers last week, and the software is expected to launch in mid-December, coinciding with Apple's promise of a December rollout of 5G in India. iOS 16.2 includes several new features and refinements, including the new Freeform app and an updated architecture in the Home app.

Apple's retail store in Glasgow, Scotland, has become the first UK store to officially vote in favor of forming a union.

Staff at the Glasgow store had been eyeing unionization for some time and comes amid continued concerns for some employees over pay and working conditions. Staff at the Glasgow store are now set to use their unionization to push for higher hourly pay.

In response to the vote, Apple told The Herald it is "one of the highest paying retailers in Scotland" and it "regularly made enhancements to our industry-leading benefits as a part of the overall support we provide to our valued team members."

Apple has been attempting to ease concerns from retail staff over the last several months, encouraging store managers to be more open and direct with staff over their concerns and promising action to address them.

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.