Apple's new $19 polishing cloth that it introduced alongside the redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models is now available for same-day pickup at many Apple Store locations across the United States and Canada.
Apple Store pickup is a much quicker way of getting the polishing cloth for those who haven't ordered one yet, as Apple's online store is currently quoting mid-January delivery for orders placed today in the United States. In-store availability can be checked by zip code or postal code on the polishing cloth's product page on Apple's website.
Apple says the polishing cloth is made with soft, nonabrasive material and can be used to clean any Apple product's display safely and effectively, including those with nano-texture glass like the Pro Display XDR. Note that Apple already includes a polishing cloth with the Pro Display XDR, but it does not include one with other products.
Those who were quick to order the polishing cloth when it first became available last week are now beginning to receive their orders.
We've partnered up with Anker again this week, offering a collection of popular accessories on sale for up to 45 percent off their original prices. These include Anker's USB-C wall chargers, MagSafe-compatible Magnetic Car Mount, and an array of wireless chargers for iPhone and Apple Watch.
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.
Anker's Magnetic Car Mount is also at a new low price of $16.49 with our exclusive code, down from $29.99 and beating our previous sale on the accessory by about $1.50. This accessory is compatible with the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Adobe hosts an annual MAX conference each year to unveil new features for its Creative Cloud apps, and this year's event will see Adobe introducing updates for Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, and more.
Photoshop
On the desktop, Photoshop is gaining an improved Object Selection Tool that lets users hover over the image that they want to select and then execute the selection with a click. The tool is AI-based and is designed to recognize most objects in an image to make them easy to select.
Adobe says that selections made with the Object Selection tool are more accurate and more detail is now preserved at the edges. There's also a new option to Mask All Objects to generate a mask for all of the objects detected within a given layer.
Adobe is also adding new adjustable Neural Filters for changing the look and season of a landscape, transferring the color palette of one image to another, and matching the color and tone of an element on one layer to another layer. For existing Neural Filters, Adobe is improving depth blur, superzoom, style transfer, and colorize.
Other new features include improved gradients that are designed to look clearer and brighter, Export As updates, a faster oil paint filter, improved color management and HDR, and an option to copy vector shapes from Illustrator to Photoshop.
Photoshop on iPad is gaining support for RAW images, so RAW photos can be opened and edited on the iPad as well as the desktop. This works with RAW photos from DSLRs and other cameras and RAW images captured with the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.
Layers in Photoshop for iPad can be converted into Smart Objects for non-destructive edits, and there are new Dodge and Burn tools.
Illustrator
There are new collaborative features for Illustrator both on the iPad and on the desktop, with a new option for "Share for Commenting" to let users collect comments on their Illustrator documents. Creative Cloud Spaces also ensure that all creative work and resources are located in one spot and accessible to everyone, while Creative Cloud Canvas lets teams visualize and review creative work together.
Adobe has overhauled the 3D effects in Illustrator, and with the updated 3D panel, there are options for adding depth to drawings and creating 3D objects from paths. Adobe is using a new geometry processing engine for these improvements, and it also provides feedback in real-time.
Adobe Substance materials can be imported directly into Illustrator, and there's a Discover panel that provides instant access to product support and learning resources.
On the iPad, Illustrator now supports Vectorize, a feature that can convert any image into a crisp vector graphic. Users can take a photo of a sketch and Adobe will automatically draw the graphic. Artistic or calligraphic brush strokes can be applied to artwork, and there's a new Object Blend tool for blending one shape into another.
Other new Illustrator for iPad features include rulers and guides for more precise placements, version history to track and revert to prior versions of a document, the option to add linked PSD files from Photoshop or Fresco into an Illustrator document, and a tool for natively cutting and pasting text or graphics between Photoshop, Fresco, and Illustrator.
Along with these updates, Adobe has announced plans to bring Adobe Illustrator to the web, allowing Illustrator files to be edited and accessed using a web browser.
Lightroom
For Lightroom and Lightroom Classic, Adobe is adding more precise selection and masking tools. Selective Adjustment tools have been redesigned from the ground up, and can now be found under the new "Masking" button.
Adobe says that the selection and masking updates will allow users to make more complex and accurate selections to easily pull out the areas of a photograph that you want to change with less hassle.
There are new AI-based Select Subject and Select Sky options in Lightroom that are designed to allow the subject of the photo or the sky to be selected with a single click, allowing edits to be applied just to these areas.
To give Lightroom users editing ideas, the app will suggest a selection of presets that will make photos more eye-catching. Adobe will scan an image and match the subject with the presets that will make it look best, plus there are eight new Premium Preset Packs.
Other Lightroom additions include Community Remix for allowing other Lightroom users to edit your photos, and Crop Overlays for fine-tuning framing.
Content Credentials
Adobe is introducing Content Credentials for Photoshop, Adobe Stock, and Behance. In Photoshop, the opt-in feature will capture edits and identify information from a working image, which can be attached to the image when exporting it. Adobe says that this metadata provides new transparency options for creative professionals and casual artists.
Images can be inspected and their details accessed through Adobe's verification website.
Other Updates
After Effects - Multi-Frame Rendering with up to 4x faster performance, Speculative Preview for rendering compositions in the background when the system is idle, and Composition Profiler for highlighting the layers and effects that have the biggest impact on processing time. Scene Edit detection is also available in the beta version of the app.
Premiere Pro - Speech to Text is more accurate for pop culture terminology, and it's better at formatting for dates and numbers. Simplify Sequence removes gaps, unused tracks, and user-designed clips, and there's new color management for H.264 and HEVC formats. Remix, a feature that rearranges songs so the music matches the video is available in the beta version of the App.
Character Animator - Creators can use their own body movements and gestures to animate their puppets, and they can also create their own characters without having to use Photoshop or Illustrator using the Puppet Maker, a feature available in public beta.
Adobe XD - Adobe is adding support for playable videos and Lottie animations to Adobe XD.
Adobe Stock - Adobe Stock is gaining Stock & Marketplace, a unified hub for Adobe creative assets that include Adobe Stock, Adobe Fonts, plugins, and Substance 3D assets. There's also a new "Find Similar audio" tool.
Adobe Fresco - Adobe Fresco, Adobe's free drawing app, is gaining support for motion, so it can now be used to create animations. The app is also getting Perspective Grids and Vector Brushes.
Adobe is making changes to many of its other apps and services, and full details on all of the updates can be found on Adobe's website.
A file within an Apple Watch retail demo unit suggests that at some point, Apple considered using "Apple Watch Pro" branding for some models of its smartwatch.
The file, shared by Apple Demo on Twitter, dated February 26, 2015, is contained within a folder of other Apple Watch logos, including a logo for the Apple Watch Edition and Apple Watch Sport. The image suggests that at some point, Apple considered using its "Pro" nomenclature for the Apple Watch, possibly for the higher-end stainless steel models, as indicated on Twitter.
Upon looking into some of the demo content files on a 2015 Apple Watch Demo (A1623), I discovered an image of logo for an unknown model of Apple Watch. Not sure if “Apple Watch Pro” is an unreleased model, or is just some place holder text. #appleinternalpic.twitter.com/kbpzBGrokX
— Apple Demo (@AppleDemoYT) October 25, 2021
Apple uses its "Pro" branding for its high-end products, specifically devices that offer more features than the standard model of that product. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, for example, both feature improved cameras, displays, and a LiDAR sensor, features not offered on the baseline iPhone 13. Apple uses its "Pro" branding across its major product categories, including the iPad, Mac, iPhone, and AirPods.
An “Apple Watch Pro” would presumably be a model that includes more premium features or design elements compared to the standard Apple Watch. "Apple Watch Pro" may have also been an alternative name to "Apple Watch Edition," a line of Apple Watch models that currently come in titanium cases.
Pixelmator 2.2 got its public release on Tuesday. The latest major update to the popular image editing app includes support for macOS Monterey and Shortcuts, as well as a new Split Comparison View, a new Bokeh effect, and more.
With Monterey bringing Shortcuts to the Mac for the first time, Pixelmator is adding 28 dedicated actions, including all ML-based tools (Super Resolution, Enhance, Denoise, Match Colors, and Crop) and some Shortcuts-exclusive features, like automatic background removal for photos of people. For more information, Pixelmator has provided a tutorial on using Shortcuts with the app.
This update also brings a new split-screen comparison view, allowing users to see all their edits more closely. Split comparison view can be turned on by Option-clicking the Show Original button or force clicking the canvas when using the Color Adjustments and Effects tools. Users can also press the Control + C keyboard shortcut or add the new compare button to the Pixelmator Pro toolbar by clicking View > Customize Toolbar.
In addition, there's an all-new Bokeh blur effect, while users can now open Pixelmator Photo files in Pixelmator Pro, and the maximum brush spacing has been increased from 100% to 1000%. Elsewhere, new FaceTime Portrait Masks mean whenever users insert photos of themselves with the FaceTime camera, they'll get an automatically created portrait mask applied to that layer. Some other more minor changes are listed in the full release notes.
Lastly, Pixelmator Pro's developers say users can expect features like ML Super Resolution to be up to 15 times faster on the latest MacBook Pro models when compared to the most recent Intel-powered Mac devices, thanks to Apple's new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
The latest Pixelmator Pro update is free for all existing users of Pixelmator Pro, which costs $39.99 in the Mac App Store.
Apple's privacy rules are "negatively affecting" Facebook, and its business, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed during its most recent earnings call.
As a quick refresher, starting with iOS 14.5 and all newer versions of iOS and iPadOS, Apple requires that apps ask for users' permission to track them across other apps and websites. Under the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework, the latest change gives users a choice on whether they wish to be tracked for ads or other purposes.
In the weeks leading up to ATT's launch, Facebook was vocal about its displeasure with the change, explicitly framing it as unfavorable for small businesses who use its platform to target customers. When users opt-out of tracking, Facebook and other ad providers have less data for targeted advertisement, possibly, in one example provided by Facebook, making it harder for local businesses to target ads to potential customers nearby.
Continuing on its anti-Apple's privacy rules campaign, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was quick to blame Apple for his company's lower than expected growth in the third quarter of the year. Kicking off the earnings call, Zuckerberg said Apple is "negatively affecting" Facebook but that he believes the company will be able to "navigate" the challenges Apple is presenting thanks to its long-term investments.
As expected, we did experience revenue headwinds this quarter, including from Apple's changes that are not only negatively affecting our business, but millions of small businesses in what is already a difficult time for them in the economy. Sheryl and Dave will talk about this more later, but the bottom line is we expect we'll be able to navigate these headwinds over time with investments that we're already making today.
While Zuckerberg and the Facebook executive team hold Apple's changes accountable for this quarter's performance, it may also be an asset. Zuckerberg has in the past stated that ATT could ultimately help Facebook, and it's a sentiment he again repeated during the earning's call.
Apple's changes, according to Zuckerberg, are making "e-commerce and customer acquisition less effective on the web." Still, Facebook could benefit from the lessened effectiveness as "solutions that allow businesses to set up shop right inside our apps will become increasingly attractive," Zuckerberg added.
Facebook's chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, also criticized Apple and its privacy rules, going as far as to claim that the new rules are negatively impacting Facebook while benefiting Apple's own advertising business.
We've been open about the fact that there were headwinds coming – and we've experienced that in Q3. The biggest is the impact of Apple's iOS14 changes, which have created headwinds for others in the industry as well, major challenges for small businesses, and advantaged Apple's own advertising business.
Despite Facebook facing an avalanche of pressure amid leaked internal documents and scrutiny, Sandberg pointed the finger at Apple for Facebook's lackluster performance this quarter. "Overall, if it wasn't for Apple's iOS 14 changes, we would have seen positive quarter-over-quarter revenue growth," Sandberg said.
One document as part of a trove of internal documentation leaked to the press this week indicates that Facebook is increasingly concerned about the youth demographic on its platform. Specifically, Facebook wants to take additional steps to make its platform more attractive to younger users, a portion of the online audience that is increasingly shying away from Facebook, according to leaked company documents.
One area in which Facebook hopes to achieve a more appealing look to younger users is by steering them away from Apple's iMessage platform. Zuckerberg said during the earnings call that iMessage is "growing in popularity," potentially posing a risk to some of Facebook's messaging platforms, such as Messenger.
Apple has time and time again defended App Tracking Transparency, claiming it simply wants to give users a choice on whether to be tracked or not. In a video posted to its YouTube channel following ATT's launch, Apple said that "some apps have trackers embedded in them that are taking more data than they need. Sharing it with third parties, like advertisers and data brokers... This has been happening without your knowledge or permission. Your information is for sale. You have become the product."
Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, has also been vocal about Facebook in the past. At a speech at a privacy conference earlier in the year, Cook implied that platforms such as Facebook lead to polarization and violence. "If a business is built on misleading users, on data exploitation, on choices that are no choices at all, then it does not deserve our praise. It deserves reform," Cook said.
Serif today announced updates for its popular suite of Affinity creative apps that bring official support for macOS Monterey and optimizations for the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips powering Apple's latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
According to Ashley Hewson, managing director of Affinity developer Serif, buyers of the latest MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips will enjoy "stunning speed improvements" when using all three apps:
"The new GPU represents an industry reflection point—we now have compute performance surpassing nearly all discrete GPU hardware, but retain the key benefits of unified memory. This required us to step back and think again about where performance bottlenecks might be, as it's clear the 'old rules' no longer apply.
"The results of this work yield a benchmark score of around 30,000 for the M1 Max 32core GPU, absolutely obliterating any other single GPU score we have ever measured. Our changes have also improved performance on the previous M1 chip, which is now roughly 10% faster in our benchmark in version 1.10.3."
Especially as the GPU isn’t the only big win here - the “Vector (Multi CPU)” score in the #M1Max is the highest we have ever measured (for Affinity Designer users), as is the “Combined (Single GPU)” score (for Affinity Publisher, by some margin).
— Andy Somerfield (@andysomerfield) October 25, 2021
The new MacBook Pro also features a Liquid Retina XDR display, which completely changes the way photographers can edit images in Affinity Photo, according to Hewson.
"The new XDR display is also a game-changer for photographers. We spent most of our time trying to work around the fact that our cameras shoot a few stops more light than can be displayed properly on a standard screen. Displays like the new Liquid Retina XDR can easily display the entire dynamic range captured by dSLRs, so the way you develop RAW changes completely, not just for bracketed merge shots, but for single images. Gone are the days of compressing highlights to recover detail—fundamentally changing the way we use computers to process photographs."
Lastly, the Affinity apps have also been optimized to deliver smooth rendering at 120fps on the new MacBook Pros, similar to the equivalent Affinity apps on iPad.
The 1.10.3 update is available across all Affinity apps on macOS today and is free to existing users. All Affinity apps are currently available to purchase individually for $60 each on the Affinity website, no subscriptions required.
Apple today released macOS Big Sur 11.6.1, a minor update to the macOS Big Sur operating system that first came out in November 2020. macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 comes roughly six weeks after the launch of macOS Big Sur 11.6.
The new macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 update can be downloaded to all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences.
According to Apple's release notes, the update "improves the security of macOS" and is recommended for all users. It serves as a security update for those users who can not or don't want to upgrade to macOS Monterey. There is also a similar Security Update 2021-007 for macOS Catalina users.
Pre-orders for Apple's new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models opened last Monday immediately after Apple's "Unleashed" event, and soon after, shipping estimates for all configurations began slipping by weeks and in some cases by over a month.
If you weren't able to pre-order after Apple's event for whatever reason, there's still a chance to get a 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro when they launch on Tuesday.
In Australia, and in countries in Europe and East Asia that have Apple retail stores, 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros in the stock configurations are already listed as available for in-store pickup (update: in-store pickup is now available in the U.S. and Canada too). In the United Kingdom, for example, Apple's online store shows the following configurations as available to pick up in-store today.
14-inch MacBook Pro
Silver/Space Gray
8-Core CPU
14-Core GPU
16GB Unified Memory
512GB SSD Storage
67W USB-C Power Adapter
14-inch MacBook Pro
Silver/Space Gray
10-Core CPU
16-Core GPU
16GB Unified Memory
1TB SSD Storage
96W USB-C Power Adapter
16-inch MacBook Pro
Silver/Space Gray
10-Core CPU
16-Core GPU
16GB Unified Memory
512GB SSD Storage
140W USB-C Power Adapter
16-inch MacBook Pro
Silver/Space Gray
10-Core CPU
16-Core
16GB Unified Memory
1TB SSD Storage
140W USB-C Power Adapter
Availability wise, the only off-the-shelf model that doesn't appear to be widely available at U.K. retail stores is the top-spec 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max chip, 32-Core GPU, and 32GB of memory, which costs a combined £3,299 ($3,499). This exception is likely to be replicated in other stores and countries.
If you intend to pick up a new MacBook Pro, once you proceed to the checkout and click the blue "Checkout" button, select "I'll pick it up," then choose a store location, pickup date, and an available 15-minute check-in window from the options.
If you will be picking up the MacBook Pro personally, enter your phone number. If someone else will be arranging the pickup, enter his or her contact information. The person making the pickup must be carrying a valid photo ID.
Then, proceed with the checkout process as usual. Once payment has been made, wait until you receive a pickup notification email or text message before picking up the MacBook Pro. If you don't receive one, call the store. Since the MacBook Pro is paid for ahead of time, the store will hold the device in its back room until you arrive. Your order will be held for 14 days.
Of course, another option is to simply walk into an Apple store on Tuesday, preferably right when they open. In some instances, you may have to wait in line, but the queues have typically been shorter in recent years and shouldn't be anything like as long as iPhone launch days. Note that temperature checks and face masks may be required. You can use the pickup tool on Apple's website to check if stores in your local area have stock, or call the store directly.
It's already Tuesday, October 26 in New Zealand, Australia, and multiple countries in Asia which means it's MacBook Pro launch day. Customers in New Zealand and Australia are always the first to get their hands on new devices due to time zone differences, and the new MacBook Pro models are no exception.
14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are beginning to arrive to customers who pre-ordered last Monday, and new MacBook Pro owners have been sharing photos on the MacRumors forums.
There are no Apple Stores in New Zealand, so customers in Australia and countries across Asia are the first to be able to pick up a MacBook Pro at an Apple retail location. Stock in Australia and other countries will give us an idea of what we can expect from other stores worldwide.
Apple is selling stock configurations of the new machines in its retail stores, and there are also some higher-end BTO configurations that may be available depending on the store. Most people who want a custom configured machine will need to order online and wait, however.
Supplies of stock MacBook Pro models are constrained and new orders won't arrive until mid-to-late November or early December in some cases, so getting a stock configuration in a store is now the only way to get one of the new machines on launch day.
Following New Zealand, Australia, and Asia, sales of the MacBook Pro will begin in the Middle East, Europe, and then North America. Apple Stores globally are opening up right around 8:00 a.m. local time to allow customers to pick up reserved devices and make walk-in purchases.
Stay tuned to MacRumors tomorrow because we'll have a hands-on look at the MacBook Pro along with first impressions and plenty more coverage coming throughout the week.
Amazon has just dropped Apple's latest Magic Keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro to its all-time best price at a savings of over $100. The deal is currently available only in black, with the keyboard accessory priced at $242.99, down from $349.00.
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.
The white version of the Magic Keyboard is currently not discounted, with Amazon listing it at its regular price of $349.00.
This is the new 2021 model of the Magic Keyboard, so it's been optimized to fit the slightly thicker 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini-LED display, but it also fits the 2018 and 2020 models. It features a full QWERTY keyboard, trackpad, USB-C port for charging, backlit keys, and a floating cantilever design.
The iPad Pro attaches magnetically to the keyboard with passthrough charging for the iPad Pro via its Smart Connector, and the Magic Keyboard provides front and back protection when closed.
Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Rumors have suggested that Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPhone SE that's set to be released in 2022, and a new rumor from display analyst Ross Young suggests that Apple will call this device the "iPhone SE Plus" even though it's not going to be getting a bigger display.
Young says the upcoming iPhone SE will feature the same 4.7-inch LCD display that's available in the current version of the iPhone SE, which itself adopted the display size from the now-discontinued iPhone 8. This is in line with prior rumors that we've heard about the device, all of which have indicated that Apple is planning to stick with the 4.7-inch form factor.
Back in 2019, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple was working on an "iPhone SE 2 Plus" with a larger display for release in 2021, but no such device has materialized. Kuo later walked back these claims, and all of his latest iPhone SE information has indicated that the next-generation version will have the same screen size as the current model.
We now hear the next LCD iPhone will be introduced in 2022 and called the SE Plus with the same 4.7" LCD as the 8 along with 5G. We hear the iPhone SE3 with a 5.7" - 6.1" LCD is now pushed to 2024. https://t.co/9gxiAAk8Yi
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) October 25, 2021
Kuo has also claimed that the upcoming iPhone SE will have 5G support, a rumor reiterated today by Young, so it's possible the "Plus" moniker could perhaps be referring to the faster connectivity. Apple has traditionally used "Plus" to denote a larger screen size with the iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 8 Plus, but "Plus" was abandoned after the iPhone 8 and larger-sized iPhones are now "Pro Max," so Apple may be planning to recycle the Plus name.
We've heard little about the iPhone SE aside from the rumors about a 4.7-inch display size and 5G connectivity, so it may not have much to offer in terms of feature improvements. It's also expected to get a new A-series processor, and it will be Apple's most affordable 5G iPhone when it launches.
Young also believes that Apple is working on a larger version of the iPhone SE that will come out in the future. This device is expected to feature a 5.7-inch to 6.1-inch LCD display with a hole-punch camera, and Young claims it will launch in 2024, with Apple having pushed its target release date back from 2023.
A recent rumor from MyDrivers suggested the next-generation iPhone SE would feature an iPhone XR-like design with Touch ID built into the side button, but this is not in line with the majority of the rumors that we've heard about the model coming in 2022 and it sounds more like the 2024 iPhone SE that Young mentions.
Apple today released macOS Monterey to the public after several months of beta testing, and it brings a whole slew of useful new features and changes to apps like Safari, Maps, FaceTime, Notes, Photos, Messages, and More, along with some great quality of life improvements.
We've rounded up 10 of our favorite macOS Monterey features, but let us know what you like about the update in the comments below.
Erase All Content & Settings
With macOS Monterey, restoring a Mac to factory settings works a lot more like it does on the iPhone and iPad with iOS. With an Erase All Content & Settings button, you now erase your Mac without needing to go through the hassle of reinstalling the operating system.
The feature wipes the Mac but leaves the operating system in place so the machine can be sold or traded in, and it's so much more convenient than prior methods that it's made the number one spot in our list. Note that you need to have a Mac with a T2 chip for Erase All Content and Settings to be available as it is not compatible with older machines.
With enhanced AirPlay support on the Mac, content from an iPhone or iPad can be AirPlayed to the display of a Mac, something that wasn't possible before. AirPlay to Mac also works with Mac-to-Mac transfers so you can display one Mac's screen on another.
AirPlay to Mac allows users to extend or mirror an Apple device's display to a Mac, and since two Macs are supported, a Mac can use another Mac as an external display in a sort of Target Display Mode feature clone.
AirPlay to Mac works both wirelessly or wired using a USB-C cable, with the wired connection useful for cutting down on any possible latency. You can also use AirPlay to turn your Mac into a speaker that's paired with other AirPlay 2 speakers for multiroom audio, and you can AirPlay Apple Fitness+ workouts to the Mac.
Many of the FaceTime features that have been made available in iOS 15 are also included in the macOS Monterey version of FaceTime. There's a Create a Link feature for FaceTime calls that makes it much easier to get people to join your call as it's similar to how Zoom and other video apps work, and it's great for scheduling calls.
PC and Android users can now join FaceTime calls from the web using those FaceTime links created by Apple users.
Apple has also added a Portrait mode effect to FaceTime calls on the Mac so you can blur out the background behind you while you chat. A new Grid view can show everyone in the call at one time, and there are new audio modes. Voice Isolation minimizes background noise and focuses on your voice, while Wide Spectrum can be used to highlight all sounds if there are multiple people on your end of the call.
FaceTime on macOS Monterey will be gaining all of the SharePlay features made available on iOS devices in iOS 15.1, but SharePlay was not ready for release when macOS Monterey launched and it will be coming at a later date.
Quick Note
The Notes app in macOS Monterey has been enhanced with a new Quick Note feature that's designed for jotting down notes no matter what you're doing. If you place your cursor in the very bottom right corner of the display, a little note icon will pop up.
Clicking it opens up a Quick Note where you can write down a thought, add a link, save a photo, and more. Quick Notes are saved in a dedicated section in the Notes app, and can be accessed across all devices.
Safari Tab Groups
Apple initially planned to tweak the design of Safari in macOS Monterey, adding a redesigned tab bar that better blends into the background of the webpage, but after complaints, that plan was scrapped and Safari largely looks like it did in Big Sur.
If you like, you can enable the new "Compact" design in the Preferences section of Safari, but there is a more notable Safari change - Tab Groups.
With Tab Groups, you can save groups of tabs together and then revisit them later. If you're planning a vacation, for example, you might have several tabs that you want to keep open and revisit later without having the tabs take up your entire Safari tab bar, with Tab Groups allowing you to save everything and open it back up later.
Animated Memoji Avatar
Memoji can now be set as your macOS avatar, showing up on the Lock Screen in place of the standard still image. In System Preferences, click on your profile and you can create or choose a Memoji to serve as your avatar.
You can choose a favorite pose and a style, which adds a background color, and then click save to set it. Memoji will animate on the Mac's Lock Screen when you log into your Mac. If you do something like enter your password wrong, you'll see the Memoji react.
Emojis and initial monograms are also options for Mac avatars in Monterey, plus there's a new "Suggestions" tab that houses various profile picture options.
Focus
Focus is a more tailored version of Do Not Disturb that's meant to let you focus on what you're doing at the current moment while blocking out unnecessary distractions.
As an example, you can create a "Work" focus mode that minimizes notifications from non-work related apps to help you better concentrate without interruption. Apple has built-in Focus modes for things like Sleep and Driving, and you can create custom Focus modes. With Focus, you can choose the apps and the people that are allowed to contact you at different times.
If you're in a Focus mode and someone tries to send you a message, they'll be notified that your notifications are silenced (though it's still possible to get through in an emergency), and if you turn on Focus on one device, it's automatically synced to all your devices.
Shortcuts
The Shortcuts app that was first introduced on iPhone and iPad is now available on the Mac, so you can access all of your favorite Shortcuts. Apple has designed Mac-specific shortcuts that are available in the Gallery, and you can make your own.
Shortcuts has been updated with Next Action Suggestions to make it easier to create new shortcuts, and your Automator app workflows can be converted into shortcuts. For Pro users, there's AppleScript integration and shell script compatibility.
Shortcuts are deeply integrated into macOS Monterey and can be run from the Dock, menu bar, Finder, Spotlight, or using Siri, and they're universal, so Shortcuts made on your iPhone can be used on your Mac and vice versa.
Universal Control (Coming Soon)
One of the headline features of macOS Monterey, Universal Control will allow a single mouse and keyboard work across multiple Macs or iPads. So if you have a desktop setup with an iMac, a MacBook, and an iPad, you can use one mouse and one keyboard to control all three.
Universal Control is not yet available because it was not ready in time for macOS Monterey's launch, but it will be coming in a future macOS Monterey update.
Read More About macOS Monterey
There are tons more features in macOS Monterey that are worth checking out, and we have a full rundown of everything new in the update in our macOS Monterey roundup.
Apple's HomePod (first- and second-generation) and HomePod mini feature support for Apple Music's Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio formats. This article explains how to enable them.
Apple's spatial audio feature uses Dolby Atmos to create a richer, more immersive soundstage when listening to songs in the Apple Music catalog that support spatial audio. With Dolby Atmos enabled, the subjective experience is that musical notes are coming from all around you. Meanwhile, Apple Music Lossless provides listeners with higher quality audio in a lossless file format, which is great news for audiophiles and purists.
To enable Dolby Atmos and Apple Lossless on your HomePod, follow these steps:
Tap the ellipsis button (three dots encircled) in the top-right of the screen.
Select Home Settings from the dropdown menu.
Under "People," select your named owner profile.
Under "Media," select Apple Music.
Scroll down and toggle the switches beside Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio to the green ON position.
Now that you've enabled Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio, you'll be able to enjoy a more immersive audio experience, and if you've enabled Apple Lossless, higher quality music tracks. You can check which songs support the audio effects by looking for the respective logos in the Apple Music app interface.
Apple today released iOS 15.1, the first major update to the iOS 15 operating system that was released in September. iOS 15.1 introduces new features that were delayed from iOS 15 plus it adds camera improvements for iPhone 13 Pro users.
This guide highlights everything that's been added in the iOS 15.1 update.
SharePlay
Integrated into the FaceTime app, SharePlay is a feature that's designed to allow people to do more together virtually using FaceTime. There are built-in options for listening to music with others with playlist sharing and watching TV and movies with syncing.
There's also a SharePlay screensharing component for sharing what's on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac with someone else, a feature great for group planning or assisting someone with device troubleshooting.
SharePlay was meant to be introduced as part of the initial iOS 15 update, but Apple had to delay it because it was buggy and not ready for release.
ProRes Video Capture (iPhone 13 Pro)
When the iPhone 13 Pro models launched, Apple promised that a high-quality ProRes video option would be coming in an update, and it has arrived in iOS 15.1.
ProRes is a professional video recording format used by TV show, commercial, and movie creators, and the format offers higher color fidelity and less compression. ProRes support allows iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max owners to capture, edit, and share professional-quality videos from their devices.
You can enable ProRes by going to the Camera section of the Settings app and tapping on "Formats." From there, toggle on "Apple ProRes."
ProRes video capture is limited to 30fps at 1080p on devices with only 128GB of storage, but higher capacity devices can record in 4K. Apple says that a one-minute 10-bit HDR ProRes video takes up 1.7GB of space when recorded in HD mode, or 6GB in 4K mode.
Auto Macro Toggle (iPhone 13 Pro)
For macro shots, the iPhone 13 Pro models switch over to the Ultra Wide lens when the iPhone's camera gets close to an object, which some people are not a fan of because it can be difficult to get a shot with the camera lenses swapping back and forth.
The iOS 15.1 update adds a new toggle to turn off Auto Macro, and when disabled, the Camera app will not automatically switch over to the Ultra Wide camera for macro photos and videos.
Auto Macro can be turned off in the Camera section of the Settings app by scrolling down and toggling off the "Auto Macro" option.
Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos With Spatial Audio for HomePod
Paired with the HomePod 15.1 software, iOS 15.1 brings Lossless quality and Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio to the HomePod and the HomePod mini.
Lossless audio and Dolby Atmos can be enabled through the Home app. Open up Home Settings, tap on your profile, and then under Media, tap on Apple Music. From there, toggle on Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos.
Vaccine Cards in the Wallet App
iPhone users who have added their COVID-19 vaccination records to the Health app on the iPhone can now use those records to generate a vaccination card in the Wallet app. The Apple Wallet vaccination card can be shown to businesses, venues, restaurants, and more that are requiring vaccines for entry.
Any vaccination record available through the SMART Health Cards specification can be added to the Health app and transferred to Wallet.
California, Louisiana, New York, Virginia, Hawaii, and some Maryland counties support Smart Health Cards, as do Walmart, Sam's Club, and CVS Health. So those in the specific supported states should be able to look up their information in state databases, but those who were vaccinated through companies like Walmart and CVS can also add their information to the Health and Wallet apps because it's the same system.
Home App
There are new automations triggers that can be created based on HomeKit-enabled sensors that detect humidity, air quality, or light level.
Shortcuts
Shortcuts includes new actions for overlaying text on images or GIFs, and there are new Siri games.
iPhone 12 Battery Algorithms
For iPhone 12 models, there are updated battery algorithms that will offer better estimates of battery capacity over time.
iPad Live Text
On the iPad, the update adds the above listed features and support for Live Text in the Camera app. With Live Text, the Camera can detect text, phone numbers, addresses, and more, with the feature available on iPads that have an A12 Bionic chip or later. Live Text was already available on the iPhone.
Bug Fixes
The update includes several bug fixes for issues with Photos storage, the Weather app, the Wallet app, Wi-Fi, and more.
- Photos app may incorrectly report storage is full when importing photos and videos - Weather app may not show current temperature for My Location, and may display colors of animated backgrounds incorrectly - Audio playing from an app may pause when locking the screen - Wallet may unexpectedly quit when using VoiceOver with multiple passes - Available Wi-Fi networks may not be detected
Guide Feedback
Know of an iOS 15.1 feature we left out or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.
Apple today released macOS 12 Monterey, and whenever a new operating system is released for the Mac, some users prefer to perform a clean installation. This article explains how to perform what is effectively a clean install of Monterey using a brand new option that's available on Apple silicon-powered Macs and Intel Macs with a T2 security chip.
Clean installing macOS is often done to remove annoying quirks and strange behaviors that a Mac may have inherited over time, and can also help to reclaim disk space caused by junk files left by third-party apps. However, even if neither of these issues have arisen for you, sometimes it's just nice to start afresh for that "brand new Mac" feeling and then migrate your apps, documents, and data, either manually, or by migrating from a Time Machine backup.
Clean installing previous versions of macOS usually involves creating a bootable copy of the macOS installer on a flash drive or USB stick and then reformatting your drive before installing the bootable copy on your Mac, or using macOS Recovery to reinstall the Mac operating system over an internet connection. In Monterey, however, a third option has come into play on newer Macs that offers a very simple and straightforward way to erase your Mac without needing to reinstall the operating system.
Following in the footsteps of the iPhone and iPad, Apple silicon Macs and Intel Macs with a T2 security chip (2017-2020 models) now have an "Erase All Content and Settings" option available in macOS Monterey. Because storage is always encrypted on Mac systems with Apple silicon or the T2 chip, the system is instantly and securely "erased" by destroying the encryption keys.
Not only does this effectively erase all user data and user-installed apps from your Mac without reinstalling macOS, it also signs out your Apple ID, removes your Touch ID fingerprints, purchases, and all Apple Wallet items, and turns off Find My and Activation Lock, making it far easier to restore your Mac to like-new factory settings.
This ability means you can simply download and install macOS Monterey over your current macOS version when prompted, and then select the new erase function in Monterey, which will erase your Mac and leave the core macOS system intact. After erasing the Mac, it will display the Setup Assistant and be ready to be set up like new. You can then migrate your data manually or by using the Setup Assistant's migration option. The following walkthrough breaks down the steps involved.
Before you do anything else, back up your data using Time Machine or your preferred backup method.
In macOS, click the Apple () symbol in the menu bar and select System Preferences.
Click Software Update in the preferences pane.
Allow Software Update to ping Apple's servers, then click Upgrade Now to download the Monterey installer when it appears. You can continue to use your Mac while the installer is being downloaded. Once the installer has downloaded, you'll receive a prompt. Click to install the new version of macOS and wait for the installation to complete.
Once your Mac has restarted into Monterey, click the Apple () symbol in the menu bar and select System Preferences....
When the preferences pane appears, select System Preferences -> Erase All Content and Settings from the menu bar.
Enter your admin password in the Erase Assistant dialog prompt and click OK.
Note all the settings, data, media, and other items that will be removed. Click Continue if you're sure.
Click to sign out of your Apple ID, then click Erase All Content & Settings in the prompt to confirm.
Allow the erase process to complete. Your Mac may restart more than once during the process, after which you may be prompted to activate your Mac over Wi-Fi.
Once finished, you'll see the "hello" message on your Mac's screen, indicating the Setup Assistant is ready. Follow the onscreen instructions, and if desired, elect to migrate your data from a Time Machine backup when the option appears.
That's all there is to it. Even if you're not clean installing Monterey today, the new option makes it far more convenient to restore your Mac to factory settings, whether you simply want to start afresh with your Mac in future or plan to sell or gift it to another person.
The United States Department of Justice is accelerating its antitrust probe into Apple and there is increased likelihood that Apple will face an antitrust lawsuit, reports The Information.
Citing internal sources with knowledge of the investigation, The Information says there has been a "flurry" of activity as the DOJ has continued to question Apple, its customers, and its competitors about Apple's control over the iPhone. The DOJ sent new subpoenas to Apple's business partners over the summer, and has assigned more staff to the probe.
Specifics have yet to be nailed down, but The Information's sources believe that the investigation will lead to a lawsuit. Apple has been under investigation by the DOJ for two years now, and the probe is part of a broad investigation that has seen the Justice Department looking into Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon.
The DOJ has spoken with Apple critics that include Spotify, Match Group, Basecamp, and Tile, all companies unhappy with Apple's App Store policies and control.
Attorneys involved in the probe will eventually give the Department of Justice a recommendation on whether or not to file a lawsuit against Apple, but no formal recommendation has been made at this point in time, and there's still a possibility that no case will be filed as the investigation is ongoing.
Apple recently came out largely ahead in its lawsuit with Epic Games and the judge decided that Apple had not violated U.S. antitrust law, but The Information's sources say that the DOJ's investigation is broader because it is also examining issues like Sign in With Apple, App Tracking Transparency, and location tracking restrictions, so the Epic loss will not hinder a potential DOJ case.
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 today introduced iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and tvOS 15.1, all of which add support for SharePlay. SharePlay is designed to let people do more with friends and family over FaceTime, such as watching movies or listening to music.
SharePlay support is available for Apple Music, the Apple TV app, and Fitness+ in addition to being accessible for screen sharing, but it can do even more than that because third-party developers can add SharePlay support to their apps. We've rounded up a handful of apps that have introduced SharePlay support, and we'll add to this list going forward.
Heads Up!
Popular iPhone game Heads Up! is compatible with SharePlay, so you can play the game over FaceTime with friends and family members. For those unfamiliar with Heads Up, it's a variation of charades where the idea is to guess the word on the card that's held up to your forehead using clues from your friends.
To play Heads Up over FaceTime, just get on a call and open up the app. Each person will need to have the Heads Up app to participate. Heads Up is available from the App Store for $1.99.
Twitch
With Twitch, two or more people can watch streaming content with one another, with each person able to switch between streams. Content is synced, and playback controls are available. Twitch is free to download, and for SharePlay to work, each person must have an account and must be signed in.
Spotify
Spotify allows Premium subscribers to listen to music with one another over FaceTime. Everyone needs to have premium access as Spotify does not allow this feature to work for free tier users. Spotify is free to download, but a standard premium plan is priced at $9.99 per month.
TikTok
TikTok allows FaceTime call participants to watch the same TikTok videos and discuss. Each person can scroll through their own TikTok feeds and choose content to share. TikTok is free to download.
CARROT Weather
If you want to discuss the weather while on a FaceTime call, weather app CARROT supports SharePlay. Both participants need to own the app and can view the current weather conditions together. CARROT Weather can be downloaded for free.
Apollo
Reddit app Apollo has been updated with SharePlay integration. On a FaceTime call, participants can view the same subreddit, browse comment threads, and look at media. Both participants need to have the Apollo app installed for this to work. Apollo is free to download, but some features require an in-app purchase to unlock.
Guessing Game
Guessing Game is a casual party game that uses SharePlay to offer up a multiplayer experience with friends over FaceTime. Built specifically for SharePlay, the game allows users to play "Guess the Phrase" or "Guess the Drawing." With Guess the Phrase, users aim to complete the phrase first as it fills in one letter at a time, and with Guess the Drawing, the aim is to figure out a friend's drawing before the time runs out.
Guessing Game is free to download, but unlocking additional content like TV, Music, and Movie add-on packs requires in-app purchases.
Mapless
Mapless is an app that is focused specifically on walking directions and ideal for those who often walk to where they want to go. The SharePlay component introduces a "Walk and Meet" feature, which is designed to allow two people to find each other with each receiving walking directions to the other.
Two users can start a FaceTime conversation and then open up Mapless to initiate the SharePlay integration. From there, users can tap on the Walk and Meet option and each person will receive an arrow that points toward the other person in the conversation to make finding one another easier. A green ring also shows the progress as two people approach each other.
Mapless is free to download, but there are Plus and Premium subscription purchases that are required, with a free trial available.
Shhh!
Shhh! is a social deduction game that can be played over FaceTime with SharePlay. In the game, everyone but one player knows a single location, and this location must be kept secret from the spy while the players also deduce who the spy is through a series of questions.
A game has to be started from the app after creating a FaceTime call, but non-iPhone users can also join in on the web. Shhh! is free to play and available from the App Store.
Share+
Share+ is an app that adds several photo and video-related experiences to the FaceTime experience. Users can take a selfie together using a selfie feature that crops out everyone's backgrounds and merges them together, or they can watch YouTube or view photos in a "Theater" experience.
There are built-in games like "Word Lines," "Word Find," "Charades," "4 in a Row," along with options for editing and annotating PDFs with a group of users. Share+ can be downloaded from the App Store for free.
Kahoot!
Kahoot, an app that provides learning games for children, allows iPhone and iPad users to play Kahoot games over FaceTime. Users can start a FaceTime call, open the FaceTime app, and then select one of available quiz-based games. Kahoot is free to download, but there are optional in-app purchases to unlock more content
Other Apps That Support SharePlay
There are a number of other apps that have implemented SharePlay support, with some of the options listed below.
SharePlay has a lot of other capabilities and can be used for watching TV and movies with friends, listening to music together, and there's even a screen sharing feature. We have more details on SharePlay in our SharePlay guide, and for those who want to try out the screen sharing, we have a dedicated how to with instructions.
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.
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.
