MacRumors

Apple is researching a MacBook keyboard that features a removable key to be used as a precision mouse, according to a newly published patent application.

The patent application, first spotted by Patently Apple, is titled "Deployable Key Mouse" and was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The filing envisages a standard-looking MacBook scissor-system keyboard that features a hidden removable key. This key would contain a position sensor to be used as a pointing device. Apple describes the system as providing a "comfortable, portable, and precise pointer input for a computer input system."

The filing explains that some precise tasks, such as graphic design, computer-assisted design and modeling, and editing large and complex documents, are better suited to a handheld mouse than a trackpad. Apple acknowledged that carrying a separate mouse with the computer can be a burden and may be "redundant when the computer already has built-in pointing devices."

The removable key is a viable solution to this issue, according to Apple. In some embodiments, the key would be able to work as normal on the keyboard when it is not deployed and feature a small battery.

Apple outlined various mechanical systems to facilitate the removable key, including sliding a single or set of multiple keys out of the housing vertically, as well as sliding a key out from the side of the machine horizontally. The patent's illustrations showed the deployable key located toward the edge of the keyboard so that it would not be a key that sees frequent use.

Patent filings cannot be taken as evidence of Apple's immediate plans, but they do indicate areas of interest for the company and what it is considering developing behind the scenes. While the prospect of a removable key may seem like an outlandish potential MacBook feature, it may be less obtrusive than other unusual features such as the Touch Bar and could appeal to certain pro-users who require maximum portability but could still benefit from occasional precise input.

An email from Steve Jobs surfaced as part of evidence of Apple's ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, has confirmed that in 2010, the company had internal plans of working on an "iPhone nano," a possible miniature version of the ‌iPhone‌ 4.

The email, spotted in a trove of evidence by The Verge, was sent by late Apple CEO Steve Jobs to fellow executives in October of 2010, months after the company had released the ‌iPhone‌ 4. The email consists of several different business plans for 2011, including Jobs wanting Apple to find its identity, its best selling points, and Apple's "Holy War with Google."

One section of the email, labeled "‌iPhone‌ - Joz & Bob," referring to current Apple executive Greg Joswiak and former Apple executive Bob Mansfield, aimed to lay out the roadmap for the ‌iPhone‌. Jobs notes in the email that for 2011, Apple would want to release a "plus" version of the ‌iPhone‌ 4 with improved antennas, a point likely inspired by antennagate, improved performance, camera, and software. Apple did ultimately follow through with that plan with the ‌iPhone‌ 4S.

The last point of the email is perhaps the most interesting, where Jobs lists "‌iPhone‌ nano plan," with a "cost goal" and "show model (and/or renderings) - Jony" sub-bullet points. Rumors were swirling between 2009 and 2011 about Apple planning to release an "‌iPhone‌ nano," which never came to fruition.

In the email, Jobs also listed wanting to create a "low-cost ‌iPhone‌ model based on iPod touch to replace 3GS". However, as The Verge notes, it's unclear if the ‌iPhone‌ nano referenced in the email is that low-cost ‌iPhone‌ Jobs was envisioning or an entirely different device.

Apple, up until 2014, had only offered one sized ‌iPhone‌. With the ‌iPhone‌ 6 in 2014, the company introduced the ‌iPhone‌ 6 Plus, introducing the "Plus" nomenclature into the ‌iPhone‌ for the first time. The company has since drastically altered its ‌iPhone‌ strategy, offering a wide range of ‌iPhone‌ sizes, hoping to target customers who enjoy larger and smaller handsets.

Apple is scaling back its work on a critical internal initiative within its health department, possibly presenting a significant setback to the company's long-term health goals, as well as the departure of multiple staff members, according to a report from Business Insider.

The initiative in question is an internal app used by employees called "HealthHabit" that allowed them to monitor and log a wide range of health metrics, such as fitness goals, management of hypertension, and gain direct access to clinicians in the AC Wellness group, a doctors group that has Apple has partnered with.

According to Business Insider, Apple is "scaling back" HealthHabit, which had a dedicated team of 50 employees working on the app. The report notes that employees who previously worked on the app will be dismissed unless they find another role within the company.

More than 50 employees were spending a significant amount of time working on the app. Some of them will be laid off with severance if they're unable to find other roles inside Apple in the next few weeks, two of the people said. The people requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Their identities are known to Insider.

At its original inception, Apple had hoped that HealthHabit would allow for experimentation of possible new health services. HealthHabit is one project part of Apple Health, a division within Apple that consists of hundreds of engineers, scientists, doctors, designers, and more that oversee Apple's health features, such as the ones inside the Apple Watch.

Despite the cutback on staff and resources, the report notes that HealthHabit may continue internally at a much smaller scale or possibly shut down entirely. A report in June by The Wall Street Journal detailed how Apple has piloted the idea of launching a healthcare service based on a subscription model with "Apple Doctors." That project, spearheaded by Dr. Sumbul Desai of Stanford University, has, however, stalled.

Over the past few years, Apple has continued to build health features into the iPhone and Apple Watch. In the years to come, Apple is looking to expand the capability of the Apple Watch itself by adding new sensors, such as temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood alcohol monitoring.

Apple today highlighted that the Apple Card and Goldman Sachs has been ranked top for customer satisfaction in the midsized issuer credit card segment, according to J.D. Power.

The J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study showed that the ‌Apple Card‌ ranked highest with a score of 864.1, across all of the surveyed categories including interaction, credit card terms, communication, benefits and services, rewards, and key moments. Apple's vice president of Apple Pay, Jennifer Bailey, said:

It is exciting to be recognized with this first J.D. Power win, just two years after introducing Apple Card in 2019 and the first time being included in this study. We designed Apple Card to help our customers lead healthier financial lives, so it's incredibly meaningful to see that our customers are valuing this. Being recognized as the leader in this category this year is an honor, and we look forward to continuing to deliver this product, service, and support with our award-winning issuer as Apple Card expands to more and more customers across the U.S.

The ‌Apple Card‌ launched in 2019 as a no-fee credit card designed for the iPhone and supported by Goldman Sachs, featuring Apple Wallet integration and Daily Cash rewards with up to three percent cashback. The card is only available in the United States.

Images of an aluminum cutout allegedly based on the upcoming sixth-generation iPad mini have surfaced online. The cutout is largely in line with rumors of what we can expect in the ‌iPad mini‌ 6, including a larger display in lieu of a Home button, a thinner body, and flat edges.

The images originated from the website techordo.com in cooperation with a leaker named xleaks7, whose track record for accurate leaks isn't very well established. The cutout showcases a design much in line with renders of the upcoming ‌iPad mini‌ shared by Apple leaker Jon Prosser earlier in June.

One interesting new change the images depict is the relocation of the volume buttons. The volume buttons on iPads have always been on the right side, however, the images show the buttons relocated to the top, on the opposite side of the power button.

The new ‌iPad mini‌ will take inspiration from the updated iPad Air and iPad Pro by ditching the Home Button in favor of an all-screen design. Apple is unlikely to provide users with Face ID embedded into the bezel and is expected instead to integrate Touch ID into the power button, similar to the ‌iPad Air‌. It's also expected to feature a faster processor and possibly USB-C.

Reliable Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has reported that the new iPad mini is on track to be released this fall, alongside new iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and MacBook Pros.

An international coalition of more than 90 policy and rights groups published an open letter on Thursday urging Apple to abandon its plans to "build surveillance capabilities into iPhones, iPads, and other products" – a reference to the company's intention to scan users' iCloud photo libraries for images of child sex abuse (via Reuters).

"Though these capabilities are intended to protect children and to reduce the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), we are concerned that they will be used to censor protected speech, threaten the privacy and security of people around the world, and have disastrous consequences for many children," the groups wrote in the letter.

Some signatories of the letter, organized by the U.S.-based nonprofit Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), are concerned that Apple's on-device CSAM scanning system could be subverted in nations with different legal systems to search for political or other sensitive content.

"Once this backdoor feature is built in, governments could compel Apple to extend notification to other accounts, and to detect images that are objectionable for reasons other than being sexually explicit," reads the letter.

The letter also calls on Apple to abandon planned changes to iMessage in family accounts, which would try to identify and blur nudity in children's messages, letting them view it only if parents are notified. The signatories claim that not only could the step endanger children in intolerant homes or those seeking educational material, it would also break end-to-end encryption for iMessage.

Some signatories come from countries in which there are already heated legal battles over digital encryption and privacy rights, such as Brazil, where WhatsApp has been repeatedly blocked for failing to decrypt messages in criminal probes. Other signers are based in India, Mexico, Germany, Argentina, Ghana and Tanzania. Groups that have also signed include the American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Access Now, Privacy International, and the Tor Project.

Apple's plan to detect known CSAM images stored in iCloud Photos has been particularly controversial and has prompted concerns from security researchers, academics, privacy groups, and others about the system potentially being abused by governments as a form of mass surveillance. The company has tried to address concerns by publishing additional documents and a FAQ page explaining how the image-detection system will work and arguing that the risk of false detections is low.

Apple has also said it would refuse demands to expand the image-detection system beyond pictures of children flagged by recognized databases of child sex abuse material, although as Reuters points out, it has not said that it would pull out of a market rather than obeying a court order.

As the back-to-school season kicks in, Apple plans to update its baseline iPad this fall with a new ninth-generation model tailored towards students, sporting a thinner design and an improved processor, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In September of last year, Apple updated the baseline iPad with the faster and more powerful A12 Bionic chip starting at $329, or $299 for education customers. The baseline update sits at the lower end of the ‌iPad‌ lineup and is tailored for customers needing an affordable ‌iPad‌ for day-to-day use.

For the 9th generation model, Apple is likely to continue with the current design featuring Touch ID and a Home Button. The updated model will feature a faster processor with improved performance and graphics and a thinner form factor.

The updated ‌iPad‌ joins a busy fall season for Apple, as the company is also expected to be preparing a more significant update to the iPad mini. The new iPad mini is rumored to feature a larger display with smaller bezels, improved performance, and an updated overall design. Apple is also preparing new iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and MacBook Pros for launch in the coming months.

Apple this evening began offering refurbished versions of the 24-inch M1 iMac in its U.S. online store, one day after starting to sell refurbished ‌M1‌ iMacs in the UK.

Apple has over a dozen ‌M1‌ iMacs available at the current time, and this is the first time the ‌M1‌ iMacs have been available through the refurbished store in the U.S. since the machines launched in April.

The entry-level model with 8-core GPU, 7-core GPU, and 256GB SSD is available for $1,099, which is a $200 discount from the regular price of $1,299.

Apple also has higher-end refurbished models available for purchase, up to an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU option with a 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM, which is available for $1,779. At full price, the machine would cost $2,099.

There are multiple color options and configurations available at the current time, though stock will fluctuate going forward based on the machines that people are sending Apple for repairs and returns.

Apple's refurbished ‌M1‌ iMacs are sold with the same one-year warranty offered with a new ‌iMac‌, plus they come with all manuals and accessories. Apple uses a rigorous testing, repair, repackaging, and cleaning process to ensure refurbished devices are identical to new devices.

Back in November, Universal Electronics announced the launch of a third-party Apple TV Remote that was meant to be provided to cable, satellite, and MVPD customers. At the time, there was no word on which cable companies might offer the remote, but now it appears that it's available through T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom.

According to Universal Electronics, Deutsche Telekom will be providing the remote to German customers who subscribe to its MagentaTV service, which comes with an Apple TV 4K. Deutsche Telekom allows customers to get the ‌Apple TV‌ 4K as either a rental or purchase device to access the MagentaTV service.

Deutsche Telekom's website for MagentaTV says that the remote control was "developed for MagentaTV" and has been certified by Apple. The Bluetooth-enabled remote can be used to get directly to MagentaTV's content, and it offers similar functionality as Apple's own Siri Remote.

The MagentaTV button goes to the electronic content guide for the service, and there are dedicated channel up/down buttons for browsing. A ‌Siri‌ button activates ‌Siri‌ on the ‌Apple TV‌, and there are also buttons for controlling content playback.

Universal Electronics says that its remote features an ergonomic form factor with hard-capped keys for enhanced tactile feedback, along with an accelerometer and ambient light sensor to power backlit keys in low light environments. It includes Apple's Made for iPhone authentication chip to ensure secure connectivity to the ‌Apple TV‌.

There is no way to purchase the Universal Electronics remote on a standalone basis, though Universal Electronics does offer it to other cable providers. Spectrum offers a similar version of the remote, as does France's Free internet provider.

This is not the first time that an alternative ‌Apple TV‌ remote has been made available for cable customers. Swiss telco Salt in 2019 launched a third-party remote control option for the ‌Apple TV‌, for example.

Apple in April 2021 refreshed the Apple TV 4K and introduced a revamped version of the ‌Siri‌ Remote that's larger and thicker, with an aluminum body. The new version of the remote does away with the touch surface that was at the top of the prior remote and instead adopts a touch-enabled clickpad that has gesture support.

Netflix is rolling out support for Spatial Audio on the iPhone and the iPad, based on reports shared by MacRumors readers and on Reddit. A Netflix spokesperson also confirmed to MacRumors that the rollout is underway.

When playing compatible content in Netflix, Spatial Audio will be available as an option in the Control Center on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ for those running iOS 14 and iOS 15.

Watching Netflix content with Spatial Audio requires the AirPods Pro or the AirPods Max.

Spatial Audio may not be immediately available to all users as it is still in the process of being released. Available for music and video content, Spatial Audio is designed to create an immersive audio experience by using directional filters to make sound feel as if it's coming from multiple directions at once.

Apple says that Spatial Audio creates a movie theater-like experience that takes advantage of the gyroscope and accelerometer in the ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and compatible Apple headphones.

iOS 15 users can also access a Spatialize Stereo option for content that is not compatible with Spatial Audio, something that works in the Netflix app.

Developer Asuhariet Yvgar this morning said that he had reverse-engineered the NeuralHash algorithm that Apple is using to detect Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) in iCloud Photos, posting evidence on GitHub and details on Reddit.

Yvgar said that he reverse-engineered the NeuralHash algorithm from iOS 14.3, where the code was hidden, and he rebuilt it in Python. After he uploaded his findings, another user was able to create a collision, an issue where two non-matching images share the same hash. Security researchers have warned about this possibility because the potential for collisions could allow the CSAM system to be exploited.

In a statement to Motherboard, Apple said that the version of the NeuralHash that Yvgar reverse-engineered is not the same as the final implementation that will be used with the CSAM system. Apple also said that it made the algorithm publicly available for security researchers to verify, but there is a second private server-side algorithm that verifies a CSAM match after the threshold is exceeded, along with human verification.

Apple however told Motherboard in an email that that version analyzed by users on GitHub is a generic version, and not the one final version that will be used for iCloud Photos CSAM detection. Apple said that it also made the algorithm public.

"The NeuralHash algorithm [... is] included as part of the code of the signed operating system [and] security researchers can verify that it behaves as described," one of Apple's pieces of documentation reads. Apple also said that after a user passes the 30 match threshold, a second non-public algorithm that runs on Apple's servers will check the results.

Matthew Green, who teaches cryptography at Johns Hopkins University and who has been a vocal critic of Apple's CSAM system, told Motherboard that if collisions "exist for this function," then he expects "they'll exist in the system Apple eventually activates."

"Of course, it's possible that they will re-spin the hash function before they deploy," he said. "But as a proof of concept, this is definitely valid," he said of the information shared on GitHub.

Because of the human element, though, another researcher, Nicholas Weaver, told Motherboard that all people can do with manipulating non-CSAM hashes into CSAM is "annoy Apple's response team with garbage images until they implement a filter" to get rid of false positives. Actually fooling Apple's system would also require access to the hashes provided by NCMEC and it would require the production of over 30 colliding images, with the end result not fooling the human oversight.

Apple is using its NeuralHash system to match a database of image hashes provided by agencies like the National Center for Missing Children (NCMEC) to images on user devices to search for CSAM. The system is designed to produce exact matches and Apple says there's a one in a trillion chance that an iCloud account can be accidentally flagged.

Apple is planning to implement the NeuralHash CSAM system in iOS and iPadOS 15 as part of a suite of child safety features, and it has been a hugely controversial decision with Apple receiving criticism from customers and privacy advocates. Apple has been attempting to reassure customers and security researchers about the implementation of the system with additional documentation and executive interviews.

Kanye West is planning to hold a third listening party for his upcoming "Donda" album, reports Variety. The listening session will take place at Soldier Field in Chicago on Thursday, August 26.

As with West's prior two listening parties, the third listening party is likely to be livestreamed on Apple Music.

West held a public listening party for the "Donda" album on July 22 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The event was publicized in a Beats Studio Buds ad that aired during the NBA finals.

The initial listening party ended up breaking ‌Apple Music‌ livestreaming records with 3.3 million viewers tuning in. Even more ‌Apple Music‌ listeners participated in the second streaming event, which was held in Atlanta on August 5.

So far, West has been playing dramatically different versions of the album at each event, featuring new songs and new mixes.

West was initially expected to release the album after the August 5 Atlanta event, but that did not happen. There continues to be no release date for "Donda."

Apple today seeded new betas of iOS and iPadOS 15 to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to download and test the updates ahead of their fall release. The fifth public betas come one week after Apple released the fourth public betas.

Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the iOS and iPadOS 15 updates over the air after installing the proper certificate from the Public Beta website.

iOS 15 is adds new features for FaceTime, tools for reducing distractions, updated notifications, and privacy enhancements. ‌FaceTime‌ supports SharePlay for watching TV, listening to music, or screen sharing with friends, while a Shared with You feature keeps track of the songs, website links, pictures, and more that friends send you.

Focus is designed to help keep you on task by cutting out notifications you don't want while you're busy, and there's a new notifications summary feature that prevents you from being inundated with unimportant notifications throughout the day.

Safari has a redesigned look with a compact tab bar that's located at the bottom of the screen (which is optional as of this beta), plus Tab Groups let users save open tabs for later. Maps has a new zoomed out globe view and a new 3D view in select cities, plus there's more road detail and an AR-based walking direction feature.

The Wallet app will support IDs and more kinds of keys in iOS 15, and Photos gains updates to Memories and a new Live Text feature that uses on-device intelligence to recognize the text in an image, making it searchable and copyable. Spotlight is better than ever, and processing for Siri requests is now done directly on device.

Mail Privacy Protection in the Mail app stops senders from seeing your IP address and knowing if you've opened up an email, and an App Privacy Report gives you details on how often apps use permissions like camera and location access.

The newest beta introduces some significant Safari changes that allow users to choose between the iOS 15-style bottom address bar in Safari or the iOS 14-style top address bar, plus it removes the SharePlay feature. Apple is pulling SharePlay for now and plans to reintroduce it at a later date after iOS 15 has launched.

There are a ton of other new features available in iOS and iPadOS 15, with full details available in our roundup.

Apple has also seeded new publics beta of tvOS 15 and watchOS 8 to its public beta testing group. tvOS 15 can be downloaded by opening up the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌, navigating to the Software Updates section under "System," and then toggling on "Get public Beta Updates" after signing up to beta test on Apple's public beta website.

watchOS 8 can be downloaded can be downloaded after upgrading your iPhone to the public beta version of iOS 15. After installing ‌iOS 15‌, the proper ‌watchOS 8‌ profile from Apple's beta software website must also be installed. The software can be accessed by going to General > Software Update in the Apple Watch app on ‌‌iPhone‌‌. To update, ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌.