MacRumors

Apple Music is available on the PlayStation 5 from today, offering the first fully integrated ‌Apple Music‌ experience on a game console, Sony has announced.

The news comes after weeks of the ‌Apple Music‌ app intermittently appearing for PS5 users with no official word on the development from Apple or Sony. ‌Apple Music‌ on the PS5 allows subscribers to play more than 90 million songs, as well as a host of curated playlists and radio stations directly from their console. The app also supports music video playback in resolutions up to 4K.

‌Apple Music‌ allows users to listen in a variety of ways, including in the background or during gameplay. Music videos also support continuous playback when navigating to and from the ‌Apple Music‌ app.

In addition to opening the ‌Apple Music‌ app, users can access ‌Apple Music‌ during gameplay by pressing the PS button on the DualSense wireless controller to access Control Center and the Music Function card. The Music Function card can display ‌Apple Music‌ recommendations to match the game that is currently being played, present playlists from a user's library, or even offer options to play ‌Apple Music‌ playlists specifically curated for gaming.

PS5 users can download the ‌Apple Music‌ app from the Media space and simply need to follow the on-screen instructions to link their ‌Apple Music‌ account. The process involves either scanning a QR code from an Apple device or manually entering Apple ID credentials. Apple also today updated its support document for Apple Music on Smart TVs to include game consoles.

iFixit has shared a teaser of its 14-inch MacBook Pro teardown, and one noteworthy detail is the inclusion of pull tabs for the battery cells, which the repair website said will allow for easier do-it-yourself battery replacements.

The four outer battery cells have easily-noticeable iPhone-like pull tabs, and once the trackpad is removed, there are cutouts in the chassis to access the pull tabs that hold the middle two battery cells in place, according to iFixit. The pull tabs are likely in the new 16-inch MacBook Pro too given it has a similar internal layout as the 14-inch model.

Since the release of the first MacBook Pro with a Retina display in 2012, the battery cells have been glued into the "top case," a large part housing the keyboard and trackpad. When an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider needs to replace the battery in these previous MacBook Pro models, they must replace the entire top case, although the customer only pays a battery service fee of $129 to $199 out of warranty. It's unclear if the pull tabs will result in a change to this procedure, but they will certainly benefit do-it-yourself repairs by making the battery cells more easily accessible.

The new MacBook Pro models launched on Tuesday after being unveiled last week. iFixit said it will be sharing its full teardown of the new MacBook Pro soon, and in the meantime, some customers have already popped theirs open, giving us a first look inside.

2018 and newer MacBook Air models are also equipped with battery pull tabs.

Amazon's Omni and 4-Series Fire TVs will support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit in a future update, the company has announced (via The Verge).

Amazon's Omni and 4-Series Omni TVs launch today, featuring 4K HDR, voice controls with Amazon Alexa, and close integration with the Fire TV user experience. Upon the launch of the new TVs, Amazon today announced that it plans to add support for ‌AirPlay‌ 2 and ‌HomeKit‌ "soon."

‌AirPlay‌ 2 will allow users to easily play content from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to an Amazon TV, while ‌HomeKit‌ integration allows some of the TV's functions to be controlled from the Home app or with Siri.

Amazon first expressed interest in ‌AirPlay‌ 2 and ‌HomeKit‌ when it enabled these features on its 2020 model year "Fire TV Edition" TVs made by Toshiba and Insignia, but they are unavailable on standalone plug-in Fire TV streaming devices. Progressively more brands have been adding AirPlay 2 and HomeKit functionality in recent months, but it is still unavailable on most TV sets.

Adorama today has further discounted Apple's 14-inch MacBook Pro, beating the current Amazon sale on the 8-core 512GB model by about $50. You can get the 512GB 14-inch MacBook Pro for $1,899.00, down from $1,999.00.

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

This is now the best deal we've ever tracked on this MacBook Pro model among the major Apple resellers online, and as of writing it's only available at Adorama. Adorama lists the notebook as "coming soon," so the MacBook Pro won't ship out immediately, but you can still lock in the sale price today ahead of a later shipping date.

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.

Ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, Apple today announced that it is adding 10 new projects for its "Power for Impact" initiative, which looks to bring clean energy solutions to communities around the world, and has more than doubled the number of its suppliers committed to using 100 percent clean energy over the past year.

Apple announced its Power for Impact initiative in 2019, designed to provide communities with renewable energy while promoting economic and social growth. One of the 10 new Power for Impact projects involves working with the Oceti Sakowin Power Authority in the United States to collaboratively develop renewable energy resources for the wholesale market, with the objective of creating a large-scale wind power development in the Midwest. Apple CEO Tim Cook said:

Every company should be a part of the fight against climate change, and together with our suppliers and local communities, we're demonstrating all of the opportunity and equity green innovation can bring. We're acting with urgency, and we're acting together. But time is not a renewable resource, and we must act quickly to invest in a greener and more equitable future.

Other projects in South Africa, Nigeria, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Colombia, and Israel seek to provide renewable energy to healthcare and educational institutions, as well as surrounding households, using rooftop solar installations. Apple believes that this will create a source of local revenue and lower energy costs, freeing up funds for educational scholarships, equipment, and medication.

Apple added that 175 of its suppliers have now committed to using renewable energy. This includes 19 suppliers in the United States, 19 in Europe, 50 in China, and 31 in India, Japan, and South Korea. The company said that the suppliers are also scaling up their use of renewable energy across their operations, beyond their business with Apple alone. Apple and its suppliers will bring more than nine gigawatts on-grid around the world, avoiding over 18 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, the equivalent of taking over four million cars off of the road each year.

Apple has also expanded the amount of recycled material that it uses in its products, working with suppliers to move toward a "circular system" that attempts to reduce the need for carbon-intensive mining. This includes recycled sources of gold, cobalt, aluminum, rare earth elements, and more.

Related to its recycling efforts, Apple highlighted that the iPhone 13 Pro has an 11 percent smaller carbon footprint compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, while the new 16.2-inch MacBook Pro has an eight percent smaller carbon footprint compared to the previous model.

The efforts are part of Apple's goal to reach carbon neutrality across its business by 2030, meaning that every Apple device sold will have a net-zero climate impact. Apple has already reduced its carbon emissions by 40 percent over the past five years.

DJI today announced the launch of its latest compact camera, the DJI Action 2, which is an update to the original DJI Action. DJI constructed the Action 2 with an interchangeable and adaptive magnetic design that can accommodate a number of accessories for framing, shooting, and monitoring.

The Action 2 is smaller and more powerful than the original Action camera, weighing in at 56 grams. The modular design and accompanying accessories allow the Action 2 to be used for a range of activities, from biking to surfing to vlogging.

According to DJI, the Action 2 is dustproof, waterproof, and drop-proof, so it is ideal for adventuring and extreme sports. There's a 1/1.7-inch sensor that can record 4K video at up to 120 frames per second, and it has a 155 degree super wide field of view for capturing more of a scene.

There's a Color Temperature Sensor that's designed to maintain color tones in complex lighting conditions and underwater recording, plus the camera includes DJI's Electronic Image Stabilization technology to keep footage smooth.

Other video features include Slow Motion, Hyperlapse and Timelapse, QuickClip for capturing short videos, and livestreaming support. The Action 2 can also be used as a USB video device class for a computer for live gaming broadcasts and conference calls.

The DJI Action 2 has a 1.76-inch OLED touchscreen, and an additional OLED screen can be added on with a front touchscreen module that attaches to the bottom of the camera unit. With this setup, the Action 2 turns into an ideal selfie and vlogging camera option.

On its own, the DJI Action 2 lasts for up to 70 minutes, but there are also several add-on options to increase battery life. The Front Touchscreen Module boosts battery life to 160 minutes, and the Power Module allows for 180 minutes of usage before a recharge is needed.

DJI has designed a whole range of accessories for the Action Cam 2. In addition to the aforementioned Front Touchscreen Module and Power Module, there's a Magnetic Lanyard for wearing the camera, a Magnetic Ball-Joint Adapter Mount, a Magnetic Adapter Mount, a Remote Control Extension Rod, a Floating Handle for use in the water, a Waterproof Case, a Magnetic Headband for head-mounted video, a micrphone with a recording range of 200 meters, and a Macro Lens for close-up shots.

The DJI Action 2 Dual-Screen Combo will be available for purchase starting on November 2 from the DJI website, with other accessories set to come out in mid-November. The Dual-Screen Combo is priced at $519 and includes a Front Touchscreen Module, Magnetic Lanyard, Magnetic Ball- Joint Adapter Mount, and Magnetic Adapter Mount.

DJI is also offering a Power Combo for $399 that includes the Action 2 Camera, Power Module, Magnetic Lanyard, and Magnetic Adapter Mount.

Several customers awaiting deliveries of their new redesigned MacBook Pros are being told that their shipments are being delayed due to "mechanical" issues impacting UPS, a courier used by Apple to ship its devices worldwide.

"A mechanical failure has caused a delay" is the message several customers are being told when they track their new MacBook Pro shipment. Customers on the MacRumors Forum are also reporting that UPS is sending emails to customers informing them of unknown mechanical failures and that estimated delivery dates will vary depending on the conditions on the ground.

The mechanical failures, possibly about aircraft, are causing shipments of MacBook Pros, and presumably, other consumer electronic devices, to be left stationary on the ground in cities in China. Some shipments are still on-the-ground in Shanghai and Seoul, South Korea, and publicly available flight records show few UPS flights scheduled to depart either city today, at the time of writing.

Cologne, Germany, serves as one of UPS' main hubs in Europe and is where ‌MacBook Pro‌ shipments are likely to arrive from Asia before being sent to customers across Europe. One UPS flight from Seoul to Cologne that was scheduled for later today has been canceled, as noted on Reddit. Customers are also sharing their frustrations on Twitter.

"Your shipment is currently within the UPS network; however, an unforeseen event has occurred which could result in a change to the scheduled delivery date" is another message being broadcast to customers. Customers awaiting delivery for their new MacBook Pros should keep an eye out on their tracking page for any updates. Customers can also keep a close tab on the MacRumors Forums for updates.

It remains unclear if other Apple shipments, such as the newly launched third-generation AirPods, are also being impacted.

If you bought a new MacBook Pro and you're having a hard time acclimatizing to the notch at the top of the screen in the middle of the menu bar, there's an app for that.

The inclusion of a display notch on the redesigned MacBook Pros was a surprise to most observers and was one of the few last-minute rumors that surfaced ahead of their unveiling.

Some have since criticized Apple's design choice of adding a notch, but Apple has pushed back against criticism by saying that it's a "smart way" of giving users more room for their content, because it allowed the bezels to be made thinner for added screen real estate.

If that logic doesn't pass your scrutiny, the following apps are available. While they don't outright cancel the notch, they at least make its existence less obvious by forcing a black menu bar, similar to how macOS Monterey adds a black bezel to the top of the display when apps are in fullscreen mode, only by adapting your chosen wallpaper instead, like so.

Forehead (free): Besides letting you switch between your default wallpaper and a black notchless one, Forehead includes options to round the corners of the screen, similar to the rounded top corners of the new MacBook Pros. The ability to simulate a notch on older Macs is coming in an update.

TopNotch (free): Offers the same features as Forehead, and also supports Dynamic Wallpapers, works with multiple displays and spaces, and remains in the background and detects for wallpaper changes.

De-Notch-ifier (€9.95): Offers the same features as TopNotch, just in the form of a dropdown menu in the menu bar. De-Notch-ifier isn't a completely new app, rather it's a pre-configured version of Boring Old Menu Bar that gives you a boring old non-transparent menu bar on macOS Big Sur and later. If you buy one app, you get the other for free.

Own a new MacBook Pro? What do you think of the notch now that you've spent some time with it? Let us know in the comments.

Russia's FAS, or Federal Antimonopoly Service, has launched a formal investigation into Apple over alleged violation of antitrust laws about the App Store and Apple's restrictions that do not allow developers to link to third-party payment methods outside of the platform.

In August, FAS issued a warning to Apple to "stop violating antimonopoly legislation" by not inhibiting developers from directing users to make in-app purchases from outside the ‌App Store‌, such as on the web. Apple "did not comply with the warning," according to a press release from the agency, and therefore a case has been opened against Apple on the grounds of violating antitrust laws.

"If Apple is found to be in violation of the Competition Law, it could face a turnover penalty on the amount of market revenue," the agency added. FAS stopped short of specifying how much a fine would be or under what timeframe.

Apple is no stranger to being scrutinized in Russia and by the FAS. This past April, the Cupertino tech giant was fined $12 million for violating anti-monopoly rules with the ‌App Store‌. Just a month earlier, Apple had agreed to comply with the Russian government's request that users be shown government-approved apps to download during initial device setup.

Apple has already announced steps it plans to take early next year to ease ‌App Store‌ restrictions. As part of a deal to close an investigation in Japan, Apple announced in September that it would allow "reader" apps to link to external websites in their apps. These links to external websites can help users set up or manage an account.

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.

When Apple unveiled the new MacBook Pro models with a notch to house the camera in the thinner display bezel, many observers pointed out potential problems for third-party apps that place additional content across the menu bar, in the form of dropdown menus that extend from the left or menu items that extend from the right.

The concern was that extended menus or menu items in the menu bar would be inadvertently hidden behind the notch. Based on new video evidence, that at least appears to be the case for non-updated apps that make extensive use of menu items, but not the case for apps that have extended dropdown menus.

Snazzy Labs YouTuber Quinn Nelson shared two videos on Twitter bemoaning the impact that the notch has on versions of two third-party apps that have not been updated to make way for the notch. In the first video, menu bar items for popular app iStat Menus are shown as being partially concealed behind the notch but still accessible using the mouse pointer.

By contrast, in the second video, when Nelson launches an old version of DaVinci Resolve, he discovers that the video editing app's extended dropdown menus avoid the area of the menu bar concealed by the notch, and that the mouse pointer is blocked from entering the concealed space.

The latter behavior is an intentional move by Apple. By disabling the active space under the notch area and blocking off the mouse pointer, this ensures that older versions of apps can't display menus in that space. At a system level, on the other hand, the mouse pointer can enter the notch area, where it can be hidden. This behavior also applies in fullscreen mode.

In the second video, Nelson goes on to complain that the notch is causing DaVinci Resolve's extended menus to take over the menu items of iStat Menus on the right-hand side of the menu bar. This is actually normal behavior in macOS running on any Mac, but the notch does reduce the amount of menu bar space available for both sets of content.

Monterey ensures that app menus are shown on either side of the notch by using a new "compatibility mode" that disables the active display area taken up by the camera housing. For what it's worth, Bjango, the developer of iStat Menus, doesn't believe that adding compatibility mode support to their app would change the behavior of the app's status items when other apps are in the foreground and isn't likely to solve the issue presented in the video.

Apple's 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are finally in the hands of customers, and one Reddit user has opened his up to give us a first look at the inside of the 10-core 14-inch machine.

In addition to sharing some great photos of the internals, Reddit User the_Ex_Lurker shared some thoughts on the process of getting into the new ‌MacBook Pro‌.

Opening up the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ "seems identical" to the 2016-2012 ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, with Apple using pentalobe screws and clips that need to be dealt with to get inside. The batteries are not glued down and are instead held in place with iPhone-style adhesive pull tabs to make battery replacements simpler.

The keyboard deck is part of the unibody so it won't be any easier to replace than existing keyboards, and the I/O ports are modular and should be relatively easy to replace. There is a dual fan setup inside the 14-inch model like the 16-inch model, and the fans are slightly larger than the fans in the old 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ but are smaller than the fans in the 15-inch 2016 model.

Leaker L0vetodream also shared some teardown images of the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ model on Twitter. He said the M1 Max chip is "really large," with the top down view showing off the dual fans and heat pipe. A translation of the original tweet is below with more detail.

MacBook Pro 16-inch with M1 Max first disassembled. The area of ​​the new M1 Max chip is really large (see the comparison of the size of a 1 yuan coin) RAM is divided into four particles stacked on the chip to dissipate heat is a dual fan + single heat pipe overall modularity The design of the internal design is regular and maintenance is relatively convenient. This one we have is the 1T top-equipped version (the highest configuration in the non-customized version).

Both the 14 and 16-inch models look similar inside with the dual-fan setups and a set of six batteries, along with redesigned speaker systems.

We should get a more in-depth teardown later this week from teardown site iFixit, which will give us additional information on the two machines.

Happy MacBook Pro launch day! Apple's new M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pros are now in the hands of customers after what seems like years of waiting for the new machines. We've picked up a 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ and thought we'd share our initial thoughts and first impressions with MacRumors readers.

When it comes to the unboxing experience, there's not a lot new, but Apple did bundle the MacBook Pros with black stickers to match the black keyboard, a departure from the traditional white stickers. There's also a fancy new braided USB-C to MagSafe cable that works with the ‌MagSafe‌ port for fast charging purposes.

Fast charging also works with USB-C too on the 14-inch models, but with this base model that we have here, you need an upgraded power adapter. It comes with a 67W power adapter by default, but you're going to need higher power output to fast charge, aka the 96W power adapter that comes with the higher-end 14-inch machine. If you have the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, you'll get a 140W power adapter and you'll need ‌MagSafe‌ for fast charging.

Design wise, the MacBook Pros are reminiscent of the PowerBook G4 with a thicker, heavier design that brings back an HDMI port and an SD card slot alongside the Thunderbolt 4 ports, ‌MagSafe‌ charging port, and upgraded 3.5mm headphone jack (it supports high-impedance headphones). There's no more "‌MacBook Pro‌" logo under the display, with Apple instead branding the word into the bottom of the machine.

The notch stands out a bit at first glance because it's not something people are used to seeing on a MacBook, but within just a few minutes of using the machine, it kind of blends right into the background like it does on the iPhone and you get used to it.

Apple redesigned the keyboard and made it all black with backlit keys, and it looks great. It feels similar to last year's model, but not quite the same because it's a bit quieter and softer, but still great to type on. There is no more Touch Bar, and Apple has instead implemented a full-sized row of function keys and a nice big Escape key that's easy to press. This is a scissor switch keyboard so you shouldn't run into failure problems like the butterfly keyboards used to have.

The mini-LED display, which supports ProMotion, looks vibrant, crisp, and super bright. It's a definite improvement over prior Intel and M1 Mac models thanks to the display quality and the slimmed down bezels. ProMotion is not as noticeable as it is on the ‌iPhone‌ and the iPad for most tasks, but you can see it when scrolling through websites.

Compared to the ‌M1‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌ we have on hand, the 14-inch model offers double the multi-core performance and double the GPU performance on benchmarks, and that should translate to notable real world usage gains as well.

Apple said that these MacBook Pros have the best audio systems in a notebook, and that wasn't an exaggeration. The speakers in the new MacBook Pros offer clear, full sound and higher volumes than prior ‌MacBook Pro‌ models. There's no distortion at max volume, and these can replace desktop speakers for those who use them now.

We'll have much more ‌MacBook Pro‌ coverage coming, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors. And if you got a new ‌MacBook Pro‌, let us know what you think in the comments.

It's officially MacBook Pro launch day, and customers around the world who pre-ordered after last Monday's event are receiving their devices today. We've already seen reviews of the new MacBook Pro models from media sites, but now first impressions from everyday users are available.

New 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro owners are sharing their opinions on the MacRumors forums and Reddit, and their insights are useful for those awaiting their own MacBook Pros and for those who are still considering a purchase.

MacRumors reader James C received a 16-inch M1 Pro model with 16GB of memory, which is likely to be a popular configuration. He ran several benchmarks comparing it to a M1 MacBook Air, a 2014 iMac, and a 2016 MacBook Pro. His results are useful for those who are upgrading from an older machine and want to see the possible gains.

MacRumors reader Rkuda highlighted how the Menu Bar works with full screen apps on the new models. On older Macs, the Menu Bar would always pop up when you moused up toward it, but on the new MacBook Pro models, that doesn't happen.

For those curious about the weight of the new machines compared to older models, MacRumors forum members are discussing the differences. GrindedDown gave a good overview and said that the weight is more manageable than you might think.

For as big as it is, I was actually shocked at the weight picking it up just now. It's way more manageable than a lot of people seem to be making it out to be. If portability is a high, high priority for you, the 14 is great. The 16 is still plenty portable and because my highest priority is having an optimized workstation laptop for video production, the 16 fits the bill. I'll take the added weight and slightly less portability, for bigger screen, better battery, high power mode and more.

Some readers have been discussing the ProMotion feature of the mini-LED displays on the new MacBook Pro models. Kylo83 said that the ProMotion feature is "really bad" and scrolling in Safari is more choppy than it was on his older 16-inch machine.

Just got the 16 M1 max model and the pro motion is really bad, it's good on the ui like swiping pages but on safari it's actually more choppy than my old 16" i9 also the speakers are not as loud as the older MacBook Pro and it doesn't sound better if anything the highs are better on the last model, also the display is the exact same brightness than the 2019 MacBook and using 4k hdr on YouTube it's only slightly better, so to be honest everything apple said about it is minor I expected a big change with the display but it's just not there; anyone have any views on this

Other readers have also said that there are issues with lag in Safari, so this could be a bug that will be addressed in the future. Still other MacBook Pro owners have had no complaints about the display and the ProMotion.

MacRumors reader LFC2020, who was one of the first to get the new machines in Australia, said that ProMotion is not as noticeable on the MacBook Pro as it is on the iPhone and the iPad, and that the mini-LED screen is "not as good" as the display from the iPad Pro. He also said that the battery life is "awesome" and that overall, it's a great machine.

MacRumors reader Prism, who upgraded from a 2020 MacBook Air with an Intel Core i5 chip, said that the new 14-inch model is "simply night and day" when it comes to responsiveness, display, look, and feel.

I am coming from a 2020 MBA intel i5 and I have to say that responsiveness, display, look and feel are simply day and night.

I am so impressed by the build quality of this "tank" and I am so happy to have chosen silver as it contrasts beautifully with the black keyboard and apple logo! I am also glad of not having purchased the M1 MBA or MBP of last year, I would have felt terrible right about now! All this to say that I am in my element, a happy camper, this machine has pretty much everything I was dreaming of which is why I say good riddance to Jonny Ive, you certainly won't be missed

Over on Reddit, the-cats-pajamas said that the biggest standout on the new MacBook Pro is the display.

The biggest standout so far is the display, I have an LG C8 OLED TV and this easily tops it when it comes to colours and contrast. Using the mouse on the 2012 60hz display almost feels laggy now. Most of my usage has been installing software at this point so I don't have much to talk about performance wise yet, but with regards to the basic user experience it's been nothing but smooth, responsive sailing so far.

Do you have a new MacBook Pro? Let us know your thoughts and first impressions in the comments below.

Apple today released iOS and iPadOS 14.8.1, minor updates to the iOS and iPadOS 14 operating systems. iOS and iPadOS 14.8.1 come more than a month after the release of iOS and iPadOS 14.8, another security fix update.

The iOS and iPadOS 14.8.1 updates can be downloaded for free and the software is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the new software, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

iOS and iPadOS 14.8.1 introduce multiple security updates and the software is recommended for all iPhone and iPad users who are continuing to run iOS 14. According to Apple's security support document, the update addresses a number of vulnerabilities with Sidecar, WebKit, Voice Control, the Status Bar, and more.

Most of these vulnerabilities do not appear to have been used in the wild, and Apple says that just an IOMobileFrameBuffer may have been actively exploited. This issue could allow an application to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

Apple made upgrading to iOS 15 optional, and has allowed people to remain on iOS 14 if they so desire. Apple is continuing to release iOS 14 updates as a result, but these updates will be focused on security fixes and will not be introducing new features. New features will be limited to updates to iOS 15, the newest version of iOS.

Apple is planning to offer its next Apple Watch Activity Challenge on Thursday, November 11 in honor of the upcoming Veterans Day holiday.

Apple says that Apple Watch owners can earn the Veterans Day award by doing any workout for 11 minutes or more on November 11.

Earn this special award on November 11 by doing any workout for 11 minutes or more. Record your time with the Workout app or any app that adds workouts to Health.

As with all of Apple's Activity Challenges, the 2021 Veterans Day challenge will be accompanied by an award that can be viewed in the Fitness app and a series of animated stickers that can be used in the Messages app.

Apple has hosted a Veterans Day Activity Challenge for many years now, and the challenge is also often accompanied by other Veterans Day content that Apple highlights in the App Store, Apple TV app, Books app, and more.

Native Union this week announced the launch of AirPods Beanies, a new carrying case for the AirPods that's modeled after the iconic iPod Sock. AirPods Beanies come just after the 20th anniversary of the iPod, and will be appealing to iPod fans.

Apple began selling iPod Socks in 2004, offering a set of six for $29. When they were introduced, Steve Jobs jokingly referred to them as a "revolutionary new product" and they became a favorite of Apple users as they were able to fit several devices, even early iPhones.

AirPods Beanies feature a two-tone knit design, similar to the iPod Sock, and they're available in four pastel colors: Glacier, Peach, Indigo, and Sage. The Beanies are sized to fit all AirPods models, including the original AirPods, AirPods 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods Pro.

The Beanies are close to identical to the original iPod Socks, though they're shorter to fit the AirPods and come in a series of fresh colors. The Beanies can be slipped off for wireless charging purposes or when in use, and they offer protection for the AirPods while they're tucked in a bag or a pocket.

Native Union is selling the AirPods Beanies in a set of four for $19.99 and they can be purchased from the Native Union website.

Shortly after the launch of the new iPhone 13 models in September, Google came out with the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro, its latest flagship devices, which are feature rich and priced at $599 and $899 respectively. We picked up the Pixel 6 Pro, which has the most advanced lens system, and thought we'd compare it to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max to see the similarities and differences between the two smartphone cameras.

The ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max includes a 12-megapixel Wide, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto lenses for a total of three lens options, which is similar to the lens setup offered by the Pixel 6 Pro. It features a 50-megapixel wide angle camera, a 12-megapixel ultra wide angle lens and a 48-megapixel telephoto lens that supports 4x optical zoom, a wider range than the 3x optical zoom offered by the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max.

With smartphone cameras this advanced, both the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max and the Pixel 6 Pro take incredible photos and there's often not a lot of difference in quality just because they're both offering excellent camera options. There are some small differences that might make you prefer one over another, but even from image to image, these differences can vary.

You'll notice that at times, the Pixel 6 Pro is warmer and more natural looking than the ‌iPhone‌, which primarily factors in with the sky. Apple tends to make the sky very blue, which looks striking, but not always true to life. There are also differences in the highlights and the shadows, with the ‌iPhone‌ tending to lose a bit of the black tones and the Pixel trending towards higher exposure for the highlights.

There's not a lot of difference with the ultra wide lenses, and for the telephoto, Google's Pixel 6 Pro can be a bit sharper (and it can zoom in further), but it does not let in as much light as the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max's telephoto lens so when taking photos of light sources, there's too much flare.

The ‌iPhone‌ wins out when it comes to Night Mode photos, and in our testing, it was just much better at preserving detail and accurately recreating color. It also didn't have quite as much of a light source flare issue as the Pixel 6 Pro.

As for Portrait mode, the Pixel 6 Pro is producing better photos. Subjects are sharper and more in focus, with more detail preserved, and it produces great bokeh. That's not to say that ‌iPhone‌ Portrait mode images aren't nice, but Google still seems to have better software algorithms for edge detection.

Apple's iPhones almost always have superior video compared to Pixel smartphones, and that's still true, but Google has made improvements to image quality and stabilization. The Pixel 6 Pro can take decent video, but the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max is better, especially with Cinematic Mode and ProRes support.

Google also built in some neat little features to its Pixel 6 Pro camera. There's a Magic Eraser that can use the Tensor chip inside to erase objects that you don't want from a photo, and it works super well so it's a great option to have available natively.

So both the Pixel 6 Pro and the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max have their pros and cons when it comes to camera quality, and realistically, the differences are minor. These are incredibly advanced smartphone cameras and you're not going to be disappointed by either one. Make sure to watch the video up above for our full comparison, and let us know which images you preferred in the comments below.

watchOS on the Apple Watch Series 7 is optimized for its larger display. Now, Apple executives Alan Dye and Stan Ng have explained some of the rationale behind watchOS's tweaks for the Series 7 in an interview with CNET.

Alan Dye is Apple's vice president of interface design and Stan Ng is the company's vice president of product marketing. They explained that Apple chose to increase the display size of the Apple Watch with the Series 7 due to a need for easier-to-read text to improve accessibility:

We had the opportunity to allow users to increase the point size [for text] even larger than we've allowed for in the past. That was very much motivated by the new display... [it will be] far more useful and accessible to a lot of users who just need the larger point size.

Ng said that the refractive border of the Apple Watch Series 7's front crystal drove the company's design decisions for watchOS and explained how the refractive edge works:

This refractive edge creates this very subtle wraparound effect. And it makes the screen appear to bend downward, right toward the watch housing. Really, it's an optical effect, it's due to the way the light from the OLED refracts at the edges of the front crystal. We redesigned that crystal to be more of a dome shape, which also contributed to the thicker crystal and the greater durability. So it was kind of a twofer for both.

The decision to create watch faces that emphasize the curvature of the display's edges apparently came after the development of the new front crystal. Dye said that "Once we started to play with this new crystal and the display, that's where all those subtle design decisions were made to push those ticks out to the very edge of the display to highlight some of these effects."

The Apple Watch offers a full on-screen keyboard for the first time with the Series 7 that also works with QuickPath. According to Dye, Apple chose not to add distinct areas for each key to make the keyboard less cramped, but also to suggest to users that "precision isn't totally critical with your taps because we have that intelligence built-in."

Dye said that despite the extra screen space, Apple still views the Apple Watch as a device intended to be used briefly, just like the original 2015 model:

I think a lot of those core foundational values around how we manage to watch the news remain the same. Despite the fact that we are able to allow for more content on the display, we still see it as a glanceable, smaller, shorter-interaction type of a product versus something like a phone or certainly an iPad.

Ng added that he sees the larger screen of the Apple Watch Series 7 mainly as a tool to "consume that information faster and easier."

It isn't about the 30 minutes you're spending looking at your phone and social media, or the hour on your Mac working on a document. The power of Apple Watch is in those hundreds of glances a day that might give you information that you need right at that moment.

Dye suggested that Apple still sees watchOS as distinct from iOS and iPadOS, with the fundamental concept of the Apple Watch working well. Looking to the future, he said that "we're always thinking about the future, we're always looking at and challenging the language we have."

The initial design we spent a great deal of time on. I think we got a lot of things right, especially as a wearable device that was really built for comfort on the wrist. We're pretty pleased with where it's at from the design perspective.

CNET asked Dye and Ng why Apple has chosen not to create a watch face store on the Apple Watch, despite partnerships with companies like Nike and Hermés. Dye suggested that Apple has no immediate plans for a watch face store:

As critical as the hardware is at playing the role distinguishing Apple Watch as Apple Watch, we think the watch faces play a pretty big role there as well, which is why we've been so careful over the years, despite the fact that there's wide variety, to have a lot of consistent design elements. If you look closely, the watch hands are always drawn exactly the same way, despite the fact that they show up in different colors. We think we struck a really good balance. The watch faces themselves, they provide a canvas for third parties for sure, and a template that they can [use to] create multiple complications and turn a watch face into their watch face, and that becomes the interface in some ways for their application.

See the full interview for more information about the design decisions around the Apple Watch Series 7's larger display.