AirTag pre-orders only went live on Friday, but some customers who placed orders have already seen those orders shift over to "preparing to ship" status over the course of the weekend.
Orders that are preparing to ship are no longer able to be canceled, and soon those orders should be able to be tracked using methods like UPS My Choice and track by reference number in the United States. The first customers who ordered on Friday will see their devices arriving on Friday, April 30.
Priced at $29 each or $99 for a four pack, users can attach an AirTag to things like a wallet, keys, purse, or backpack and then keep track of the item's location in the Find My app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Initial supplies of AirTags began to dwindle in the first hours that pre-orders opened on Apple's website – shipping estimates for single AirTags quickly slipped into May, while engraved AirTags won't deliver until late May or early June.
As of writing, 1-pack AirTag orders without engraving are listed as shipping within five to seven business days in the U.S., while engraved AirTags ship within five to six weeks. Meanwhile, a 4-pack of AirTags ships within five to six weeks with or without engraving.
Third-party retailers are also offering AirTags and it's possible orders could ship out close to the AirTag release date. Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in a new purple color also began on Friday. Many configurations still remain available for April 30 delivery.
Apple's "Spring Loaded" media event this week was certainly loaded with announcements, headlined by colorful all-new iMac models, AirTags item trackers, and a new M1-powered iPad Pro, but there were lots of other announcements during the jam-packed event.
We also saw an updated Apple TV 4K set-top box with an all-new remote, a new purple color option for the iPhone 12 and 12 mini, new podcast subscriptions, and an Apple Card Family feature, just to name a few, so read on for all of the details from a busy week!
Everything Announced at Apple's Spring Event in Just 6 Minutes
Apple also announced that iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and tvOS 14.5 will be available starting "next week." The software updates are packed with new features, including the ability for iPhone users who are wearing an Apple Watch to unlock the iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask. iOS 14.5 is also the minimum software version required for the AirTag.
We've recapped other news from the Apple Event in the stories below.
Apple Announces Redesigned iMac With M1 Chip and Seven Color Options
For the first time in over a decade, the iMac has received a substantial redesign. The new iMac is just 11.5mm thick and will be available in up to seven vibrant colors depending on the configuration, including green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver.
The front of the new iMac has white bezels with a color-matched metal chin below the 24-inch display, and notably, there is no more Apple logo on the front of the machine. For video calls, the new iMac has a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, "studio-quality" microphones, and a six-speaker sound system.
Powered by Apple's custom M1 chip with an 8-core CPU and up to an 8-core GPU, the new iMac can be configured with up to 16GB of unified memory and up to 2TB of SSD storage. There's also a minimum of two combo Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, with an additional two USB 3 ports on higher-end models. The headphone jack has been repositioned to the side of the computer.
The new iMac will be available to order on Apple.com starting Friday, April 30, and it will begin arriving to customers in the second half of May. Pricing starts at $1,299 in the United States. Apple also continues to sell an Intel-based 27-inch iMac, which was released in August 2020.
Apple Announces AirTag Item Tracker Starting at $29 Each
Following just over two years of rumors, the AirTag is finally an official product. The small Tile-like accessory lets you easily track things like your keys, wallet, purse, backpack, luggage, and more in the Find My app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
AirTag is equipped with the Apple-designed U1 chip using Ultra Wideband technology, enabling Precision Finding for iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 users. This technology can more accurately determine the distance and direction to a lost AirTag when it is in range.
AirTags have a white side and a polished stainless steel side, with IP67-rated water and dust resistance. Apple says the AirTag is designed for over a year's worth of battery life with everyday use, and it uses a widely available CR2032 watch battery that is user-replaceable.
AirTag is designed with privacy and security in mind, with no location data or location history physically stored inside the AirTag and built-in features that discourage unwanted tracking, according to Apple.
Apple Introduces Next-Generation iPad Pro With M1 Chip, Thunderbolt, 5G, XDR Display, and More
Following months of rumors, a new iPad Pro is finally here, and it's powered by the same M1 chip as the latest Macs for up to 50 percent faster performance than the A12Z chip in the previous iPad Pro.
Exclusive to the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro is an all-new Liquid Retina XDR display, with up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness, up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The display uses mini-LED backlighting with over 10,000 LEDs to deliver true-to-life HDR content.
The new iPad Pro is available with up to 2TB of storage, which is double the previous limit, and up to 16GB of RAM.
Newly added support for Thunderbolt and USB4 provides up to 40Gbps total bandwidth. Thunderbolt supports 10Gbps Ethernet, high-performance accessories, and high-resolution displays like Apple's Pro Display XDR. And on cellular models, Apple has added support for 5G.
Pricing starts at $799 for the new 11-inch iPad Pro, while the new 12.9-inch model with the XDR display starts at $1,099. Orders begin Friday, April 30, with availability in the second half of May.
Apple has also made the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro available in a white color. Current 12.9-inch iPad Pro users who own a Magic Keyboard should be aware that the new model is officially not compatible with last year's Magic Keyboard model due to the increase in thickness of the device.
New Apple TV 4K Announced With A12 Bionic Chip and Redesigned Siri Remote
There's also a completely redesigned Siri Remote with a physical clickpad that offers five-way navigation, and the clickpad is touch enabled for users who prefer to navigate tvOS with swipe gestures. The remote also has power and mute buttons for a TV, while the Siri button has been moved to the right side of the remote, consistent with modern iPhones.
Apple TV is also getting a new Color Balance feature. Starting with tvOS 14.5 and iOS 14.5, users will be able to hold an iPhone with Face ID near their TV and the front-facing camera and ambient light sensor will begin color measurements and automatically tailor the Apple TV's video output to deliver more accurate colors and improved contrast. Apple says this process will result in improved picture quality without adjusting the TV's settings.
The new Apple TV 4K can be ordered beginning Friday, April 30, with availability beginning in the second half of May. The new Siri Remote is included in the box, and it will also be sold separately for $59 for use with any Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD model released in 2015 or later.
Apple Launches iPhone 12 and 12 Mini in New Purple Color
Another smaller announcement at this week's Apple Event was the introduction of Apple Podcast subscriptions, allowing users to unlock additional podcast benefits such as ad-free listening, access to additional content, and early or exclusive access to new series, with pricing starting as low as 49 cents per month.
There's also a new Apple Card Family feature that will be available in May, allowing spouses to share accounts and build credit together, and enabling families with members over thirteen years old to share a single Apple Card. Apple's credit card remains limited to the United States.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
In April, Apple introduced an iPhone-based color balance feature for Apple TV that can improve the overall picture quality of your television set when you're using Apple's set-top box.
Using the iPhone's light sensor, the feature compares the color balance to industry-standard specifications, and automatically adjusts your Apple TV's video output to deliver more accurate colors and improved contrast.
Follow the steps below to try it out. For best results, Apple suggests avoiding the use of bright or highly saturated picture modes on your TV like "vivid" or "sports."
With your iPhone unlocked and nearby, launch the Settings app on your Apple TV.
Select the Video and Audio menu.
Under "Calibration," select Color Balance. If the option says "Not Required," your smart TV doesn't need adjusting. It also is unavailable with Dolby Vision.
When the notification appears on your iPhone, follow the onscreen instructions: Turn your iPhone around so the front-facing camera is pointing at your TV, hold it centered inside the displayed frame within one inch of the screen, and keep it there until the progress icon fills up (it should only take a few seconds).
Select View Results to see how your TV has been adjusted.
The results show you a side-by-side comparison of the original colors that your TV was displaying and the balance-adjusted colors. The calibrated version should look more natural and perhaps warmer.
FCC filings for Apple's newly released AirTags have revealed that the Cupertino tech giant began regulatory testing and preparing to seek regulatory approval for the product nearly two years before they were officially announced.
A series of documentssubmitted to the Federal Communications Commission indicate that AirTag underwent testing for official certification between July and November of 2019. Despite testing being conducted in mid-2019, official reports for regulatory certification were only issued in September and October of last year.
Like all consumer products, Apple devices must undergo extensive and rigorous testing with the FCC in the United States and regulatory agencies of countries where the device will be sold before they can reach the market. What makes this case particularly interesting is that AirTags were the subject of rumors for a full two years, with a launch seemingly imminent for much of that time.
With the FCC filings indicating that AirTags were far enough along that they were undergoing regulatory testing in 2019, it suggests that Apple may indeed have pushed back the AirTags launch by as much as a year. While the exact reasoning behind Apple's delay for AirTags remains a point of mystery, an educated guess could be that the company wanted to build out its Find My network before its launch to avoid accusations of anti-competitive behavior.
As AirTags were rumored to be in development, Tile, which creates a line of similar item trackers, began to ring the alarm bells that certain features in iOS would make it harder to compete with the eventual Apple item tracker. At the time, companies such as Tile had no real platform or network on Apple devices that would render their item trackers mainstream or particularly easy to use compared to an Apple-made accessory.
That all changed earlier this month when Apple announced it's opening up the Find My network to third-party accessory makers. AirTag is built off of the Find My network that consists of more than a billion Apple devices that use encrypted signals to crowdsource the location of other Find My compatible devices and items.
By opening up the network to third-party companies ahead of the launch of AirTags, Apple may have felt it would be avoiding scrutiny and anti-competitive accusations given that its own item tracker would no longer have an advantage on Apple devices compared to those made by other companies.
Tile doesn't use Apple's Find My ecosystem, and it's unclear if the company plans to adopt the network in the future. Others, however, such as Belkin, VanMoof, and Chipolo, have announced plans to adopt the Find My network for their own products, including wireless earbuds, bikes, and an item tracker, respectively.
Apple's own AirTags became available for pre-order earlier today and will begin arriving to customers on April 30.
Apple is launching a program that will provide COVID-19 vaccinations to its employees at Apple offices, reports Bloomberg. Apple is teaming up with Walgreens Boots Alliance to provide the shots, and employees will be able to sign up on a website that Apple will soon roll out.
Apple in March promised time off for employees who need to recover from getting vaccinated, but at the time said that it did not have a way to provide vaccinations. With vaccine availability expanding widely in the United States, Apple is now able to provide additional help to employees who still need the vaccine.
In California, where Apple's main corporate campuses are located, all individuals over the age of 16 have been eligible for a vaccine since April 15. Demand in the Bay Area is high, however, and it can be difficult for individuals living in and around Cupertino to conveniently get vaccinated.
Apple's vaccination program is voluntary, and Apple is offering sick leave for employees who need time to recover from symptoms after receiving the vaccine.
With employees able to be vaccinated, Apple may also be able to get them back in offices sooner, though Bloomberg says the company has not asked employees to return nor has it set a firm date for employees to return after getting vaccinated. Apple CEO Tim Cook has, however, told employees that a large number of them will begin returning in June.
Back in March, Cook said that he "can't wait" for employees to return to the office as person-to-person interactions are essential for generating new ideas. "Innovation isn't always a planned activity," Cook said. "It's bumping into each other over the course of the day and advancing an idea that you just had. And you really need to be together to do that."
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 seeded the first betas of new iOS and iPadOS 14.6 updates to public beta testers for testing purposes, with the new software coming one day after the the betas were provided to developers and just ahead of when Apple plans to release iOS and iPadOS 14.5.
Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the iOS and iPadOS 14.6 updates over the air after installing the proper certificate from the Public Beta website on an iOS device.
If you're already on the release candidate version of iOS 14.5, Apple has added a new feature that makes it easy to choose to upgrade to the new beta or stay with the release track, and you'll see the update listed under a new "Also Available" section.
We don't yet know what's included in the iOS and iPadOS 14.6 updates, and there were no new features discovered in the developer beta that went out yesterday. Apple may add new features to iOS 14.6 in a later beta, or it may focus on under-the-hood improvements and bug fixes for issues unable to be addressed in iOS 14.5.
Apple has also seeded a new public beta of tvOS 14.6 to public beta testers, which 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.
Apple today opened up orders for the AirTags and iPhone 12 in Purple, and now we're seeing a few carrier deals for the latest version of the iPhone. At places like AT&T and Verizon, you can save up to $700 on the new iPhone 12. T-Mobile is offering up to $830 off, but with a more limited scope of trade-in options.
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.
Shoppers should note that delivery dates vary between each carrier. Check before you order to get an estimate of when the smartphone will ship, but most orders in the United States should arrive within the next week, and in-store pick-up is also available for most carriers.
AT&T
AT&T's offer requires you to purchase the Purple iPhone 12 on a qualifying installment agreement, along with a $30 activation fee. You'll also have to add a new line of service or upgrade an existing line, and trade in an eligible smartphone within 30 days of activation.
Afterwards, you'll get up to $700 in bill credits applied to your account in equal amounts over 30 monthly installments. Eligible iPhone 12 devices include the 64GB at $800, 128GB at $850, and 256GB at $950. Of course, all new iPhone models like iPhone 12 Pro and 12 mini are also included in this offer.
Eligible trade in iPhone devices include: iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max.
Verizon
Similarly, Verizon has up to $700 off the Purple iPhone 12 when you trade in and add a new line on select Verizon Unlimited plans. You'll have to trade in your old device within 30 days of purchasing the new iPhone, and then get promo credit over 24 or 30 months.
Verizon's deal can be applied to the Purple iPhone 12 (and other colors), the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. You'll also get access to Verizon Stream TV at no extra cost with the purchase of these devices for a limited time.
T-Mobile/Sprint
T-Mobile's offer requires you to activate a new line of service on an eligible plan, then purchase the new Purple iPhone 12 on a monthly payment plan, and trade in an eligible device.
When these conditions are met you'll get up to $830 back through monthly bill credits over 24 months. For this amount, you'll have to trade in an iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max. You can get up to $415 back in bill credits when trading in: iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max.
Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.
Shipping estimates for Apple's AirTags are already slipping in to May directly from Apple's site, but third-party retailers are also offering AirTags and it's possible orders could ship out close to the AirTags release date.
AirTags can be preordered on Amazon, and while it mentions the AirTags release date of April 30, it does not seem to guarantee a delivery date. "Order now and we'll notify you by email when we have an estimated delivery date for this item," the site reads.
Best Buy also has AirTag preorders and the Best Buy listings do say that the AirTags will "ship by release day," which is not a release day delivery guarantee.
B&H Photo and Adorama are accepting preorders, but do not list release or shipping dates. On Target's website, AirTags are available to preorder but there's no release date listed.
AirTags purchased from third-party retailers are plain, and those hoping for an engraved AirTag will need to order directly from Apple. Unengraved AirTags from Apple ship out in May, while engraved AirTags won't deliver until late May or early June.
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.
Apple TV+ today announced "1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything," described as an immersive docuseries that will explore the musicians and soundtracks that shaped the culture and politics of 1971. The eight-part docuseries will premiere May 21 on Apple TV+ and hails from Universal Music Group's Mercury Studios and On The Corner Films.
The docuseries will provide a closer look at the most iconic artists and songs that we still listen to 50 years later, including The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed, and more, according to Apple.
"An immersive, deep-dive rich with archival footage and interviews, '1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything,' will show how the musical icons of the time were influenced by the changing tides of history; and, in turn, how they used their music to inspire hope, change and the culture around them," said Apple.
Apple's new AirTag item trackers are ideal for attaching to things like bags and luggage cases, which makes it likely they'll become popular with travelers and backpackers who want to keep tabs on their personal possessions abroad.
For this reason, it's worth remembering which AirTag features work wherever you are, which ones depend on you being nearby the AirTag, and which functions aren't supported in certain countries and regions.
Locating AirTags Using Precision Finding
AirTags can be tracked in Apple's Find My app, which uses Bluetooth signals from a lost AirTag to relay its location back to its owner. Apart from Bluetooth, each AirTag is also equipped with a U1 Ultra Wideband chip, and on devices that also have U1 chips, there's a Precision Finding feature that enables you to more accurately determine the distance and direction of a lost AirTag when it's in range, when compared to Bluetooth alone.
If you're aiming to find a lost item and you have an iPhone 11 or 12, Precision Finding will direct you to the exact location of your lost AirTag using input from the camera, accelerometer, and gyroscope, with guidance provided through sound, haptics, and visual feedback. However, Ultra Wideband isn't universally supported worldwide, therefore Precision Finding won't work in the following countries:
Argentina
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Indonesia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Nepal
Pakistan
Paraguay
Russia
Solomon Islands
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Finding Nearby AirTags Using Bluetooth
In countries where Precision Finding isn't available, AirTag owners can still fall back on Bluetooth to locate a missing item if it is approximately 30-40 feet within range. There are built-in speakers to play a sound to find a lost AirTag, and you can either play a sound through the Find My app or ask Siri to find an AirTag with a sound.
However, if your AirTag is out of that proximate range, then you won't be able to find it via your own device's Bluetooth signal. Instead, you'll have to rely on the wider Find My Network of Apple devices.
Finding AirTags using the Find My Network
You can still track the location of an out-of-range AirTag in Apple's Find My app, but you won't be relying on the Bluetooth signals of your own device. Instead, the Find My Network takes advantage of nearly a billion Apple devices out in the world to help you locate your AirTag, with the associated item showing up on the map when it's located by someone else's device.
However, if you're traveling in a remote region, be aware that if an AirTag isn't nearby and there are no Apple devices in the area in which it's located, Find My will only be able to tell you where it was last seen on the map.
AirTags are available to pre-order now and the first orders are estimated to arrive Friday, April 30. For more information about Apple's AirTag item trackers, be sure to check out our dedicated guide.
The brand new 12.9-inch iPad Pro will not be compatible with the older generation Magic Keyboard due to a marginal increase in device thickness, according to iGeneration.
Citing a document given to Apple Stores, the report notes that the new iPad Pro is 0.5mm thicker than the previous 12.9-inch model. Due to the increase in thickness, the new iPad will not work with the older generation Magic Keyboard. While a 0.5mm increase in thickness is small, it is enough for the new iPad Pro not to close properly when put with an older generation keyboard.
The new 11-inch iPad Pro remains compatible with previous generation Magic Keyboards.
With the new iPad Pro, Apple is selling a compatible Magic Keyboard, and besides compatibility with the newer and thicker iPad, and the availability of a new white option, the new keyboard is believed to be the same as the previous generation.
The new 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro which comes with a faster M1 processor, 5G, and the new 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display will be available for order on April 30, but will not begin shipping until the second half of May.
Apple's new AirTag item tracker became available to pre-order today at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, and shipping estimates are already beginning to slip from Friday, April 30 launch day delivery into the first week of May or later.
In the United States, for example, a single AirTag is now estimated for delivery on May 3-5, but the four-pack option is still available for delivery on April 30 as of writing. AirTag accessories are also estimated for delivery in May, while the AirTag Hermès keychain and luggage tag are estimated for delivery in June.
Engraving an AirTag with letters or emoji also results in extended shipping estimates, so take that into consideration when ordering.
Priced at $29 each or $99 for a four pack, users can attach an AirTag to things like a wallet, keys, purse, or backpack and then keep track of the item's location in the Find My app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. AirTags are similar to Tile trackers, but they have a U1 chip for Ultra Wideband that enables improved location accuracy when tracking items with iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 models. (Tile is reportedly working on its own Ultra Wideband tracker.)
Pre-orders also began today for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in a new purple color. Many configurations remain available for April 30 delivery.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuohad previously stated that Apple's mixed reality headset would debut in the middle of next year, and in a new note today obtained by MacRumors, the highly-respected analyst is once again doubling down that Apple plans to showcase its mixed reality headset in 2022.
The information we know on Apple's headset is somewhat scarce, but according to one report, the headset will feature more than a dozen cameras for tracking hand movements and two 8K displays equipped with eye-tracking technology. It's important to note that Apple's mixed reality headset is not its more long-rumored AR glasses, being dubbed Apple Glasses which is set to launch in 2025.
Last month, Bloomberg'sMark Gurman said that Apple is aiming to announce a mixed-reality headset at an in-person event in the "next several months." While on the surface Kuo and Bloomberg are stating different timeframes for the rumored headset, they could be referencing entirely different products.
Bloomberg had previously indicated that Apple's first mixed reality headset will be a high-end, pricey, and "niche" device aimed primarily at developers.
Much like what the company did for its ongoing transition to Apple silicon, Apple may decide to showcase a development headset meant primarily for developers in order to give them time to prepare their apps, and games for the new mixed-reality experience before they are shipped to customers. Kuo, who says a headset would debut in 2022, is likely referring to a mainstream consumer product, instead of a headset meant for developers.
Apple will be holding its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on June 7 where it will announce updates to all of its operating systems, and although no reports have so far suggested it, new hardware announcements could make a debut as well.
Amazon has discounted every model of Apple's M1 MacBook family today, including the 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, taking up to $149 off these notebooks. All discounts in this article have been automatically applied and do not require a coupon code.
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.
MacBook Air
For the MacBook Air, we're tracking the 256GB model at $899.00, down from $999.00. Over the past few weeks, this model has been stuck at around $949.00 in terms of sales, so today's markdown is the best deal in a while and it's also a match of the best price we've ever tracked.
You can upgrade to more storage with the 512GB model at $1,149.00, down from $1,249.00. This sale is a bit more common, but as of writing it's only available in Silver on Amazon. It's also another all-time low price on this model of the M1 MacBook Air.
Sales on the MacBook Pro line start with the 256GB 13-inch MacBook Pro for $1,149.99, down from $1,299.00. This discount is a match of the lowest-ever price on this version of the M1 MacBook Pro, and it's available to ship today in both Silver and Space Gray. Previously, the best price for this model sat at around $1,199.00.
If you're interested in more storage, you can get the 512GB model for $1,349.99 on Amazon, down from $1,499.00. This is another all-time low price for this model of the M1 MacBook Pro, and it's also available in both Silver and Space Gray.
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.
AirTags are priced at $29 each, with a pack of four available at a discounted price of $99. AirTags are eligible for free engraving, with the space available allowing for up to four letters or three to four emoji characters depending on the size of the emoji. Engraving will delay the shipping estimates for AirTags.
AirTags are Apple-designed Bluetooth trackers that are designed to integrate with the Find My app. You can attach them to items that are easy to lose, such as keys, to track those items right alongside your Apple devices. AirTags have benefits like a U1 chip and Precision Finding for iPhone 11 and 12 models.
There's no indication that AirTags will be in short supply, but it's always a good idea to get orders in early. Apple is also now selling AirTag accessories like the Loop and Leather Key Ring at prices that start at $29.
Alongside the AirTags, Apple is now making the newly announced purple iPhone 12 and 12 mini available for purchase. These devices are identical to the existing iPhone 12 and 12 mini models, just in a lavender shade.
Both the AirTags and the purple iPhone 12 models will be arriving in the hands of customers on Friday, April 30.
AirDrop is a feature that allows Apple devices to securely and conveniently transfer files, photos, and more between each other wirelessly. Users can share items with their own devices, friends, family, or even strangers. The convenience and ease of use, however, may be undermined by a newly discovered security flaw.
Researchers at TU Darmstadt have discovered that the process which AirDrop uses to find and verify someone is a contact on a receiver's phone can expose private information. AirDrop includes three modes; Receiving Off, Contacts Only, Everyone. The default setting is Contacts Only, which means only people within your address book can AirDrop photos, files, and more to your device.
The researchers discovered that the mutual authentication mechanism that confirms both the receiver and sender are on each other's address book could be used to expose private information. The researchers claim that a stranger can use the mechanism and its process within the range of an iOS or macOS device with the share panel open to obtain private information. As the researchers explain:
As an attacker, it is possible to learn the phone numbers and email addresses of AirDrop users – even as a complete stranger. All they require is a Wi-Fi-capable device and physical proximity to a target that initiates the discovery process by opening the sharing pane on an iOS or macOS device.
The discovered problems are rooted in Apple's use of hash functions for "obfuscating" the exchanged phone numbers and email addresses during the discovery process. However, researchers from TU Darmstadt already showed that hashing fails to provide privacy-preserving contact discovery as so-called hash values can be quickly reversed using simple techniques such as brute-force attacks.
To determine whether the other party is a contact, AirDrop uses a mutual authentication mechanism that compares a user's phone number and email address with entries in the other user's address book.
According to the researchers, Apple was informed of the flaw in May of 2019, and despite several software updates since then, the flaw remains.
Apple this week announced a new subscription feature coming to the Podcasts app in May that will let podcast publishers sell subscriptions to an individual show or a group of shows, with pricing starting at 49 cents per month.
Publishers will be able to set their own pricing, but Apple will reportedly take a 30% of subscription revenue that creators generate in their first year on the platform, and after that, Apple will collect 15%. This is the same pricing setup that Apple uses for other subscription options.
According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Spotify will announce a similar podcast subscription feature next week, but in contrast to Apple, the rival streaming service won't be collecting revenue on any of the content it hosts.
The potential announcement from Spotify will pose a dilemma for some content creators looking to monetize their content on Apple devices. On the one hand, Apple's Podcasters Program, which is priced at $19.99 per year, promises a streamlined method of distribution through the Podcasts app, which comes pre-installed on all Apple devices.
On the other hand, Spotify commands a much larger subscriber base and isn't locked into Apple's ecosystem. Spotify has also been making inroads in the podcasting market over the course of the last few years, ramping up its original podcast offerings and making major acquisitions like Gimlet Media, Parcast, and Anchor, as well as scoring key deals such as the rights to the popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast. According to one prediction, Spotify could soon have more podcast listeners than Apple.
How Spotify's announcement goes down will be interesting to watch. Apple won't require podcast creators to create content exclusively for Apple, but it does have a number of partners on board ready to create premium podcast content, including Tenderfoot TV, Pushkin Industries, Radiotopia from PRX, and QCODE, NPR, the Los Angeles Times, The Athletic, Sony Music Entertainment, and more. How many grassroots podcast creators it will be able to attract remains to be seen.
Apple's online storefront is down in preparation for the launch of the AirTags and the new purple iPhone 12 models, which are set to be available starting at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time or 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time in the United States.
Ahead of new product launches, Apple often takes its online store offline in order to get ready for the influx of orders.
Announced at Tuesday's "Spring Loaded" event, AirTags are Apple's long-awaited Bluetooth item trackers that can be attached to wallets, keys, cameras, and more, allowing those items to be tracked in the Find My app.
AirTags are priced at $29 each or $99 for four, and each AirTag can be engraved if desired. AirTags feature a user-replaceable CR2032 battery that lasts for a year, and they have an IP67 dust and water resistance rating.
As for the purple iPhone 12 models, they're identical to the existing iPhone 12 and 12 mini but are available in a new light purple color that joins the existing white, black, blue, green, and (PRODUCT)RED shades. The iPhone 12 mini is priced starting at $699 and the iPhone 12 is priced starting at $799.
There is no indication that the AirTags or the purple iPhone models will be available in limited quantities, but it's always a good idea to order early to get launch day delivery. AirTags and the new iPhone models will deliver to customers starting on Friday, April 30.
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