MacRumors

Apple today released a second revised version of the AirTags firmware that was first provided to AirTags owners in late August. The new internal build number is 1A291e, up from 1A291c from the prior revision.

There's no word on what's included in the new firmware and no new features were found following the first release, so it likely focuses on bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements.

Apple does not provide an option to force an AirTag update, as it's something that's done over-the-air through a connected iPhone. To make sure the update happens, you can put your ‌AirTag‌ in range of your ‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌, but you have to wait for the firmware to roll out to your device.

For ‌AirTag‌ firmware releases, Apple appears to have a system that limits the number of people who see the update with each deployment to meter the rollout of the software. Today's firmware update jumps to a 25 percent rollout level, up from 10 percent with the prior version of the firmware.

You can check your current ‌AirTag‌ firmware version using the Find My app, with instructions available in our how to.

Hulu today informed customers that it is planning to raise the price of its ad-supported and ad-free on-demand plans by $1, an increase that will impact both new and existing subscribers.

The ad-supported plan, which costs $5.99, is going up to $6.99 per month, while the ad-free plan will be priced at $12.99, up from $11.99. The pricing changes are set to go into effect on October 8.

Pricing on the Disney Bundle that includes access to Hulu ad-supported content, Disney+, and ESPN+ is not changing, and it will continue to be available for $13.99. The Disney Bundle with ad-free Hulu is still $19.99.

Now that there's a $1 price difference between the ad-free Hulu subscription and the lower tier Disney Bundle, customers may be more willing to choose the Disney bundle to get access to all three Disney streaming services. As Variety points out, the bundle now provides a 36 percent discount compared to separate subscriptions.

The Hulu + Live TV plans are also not changing in price at this time and continue to start at $64.99 per month.

Hulu has never before raised the price of its ad-supported tier, and in 2019, dropped the cost from $7.99 per month to $5.99 per month. Hulu is still competitively priced with Netflix, which is priced starting at $8.99 for a basic plan and goes all the way up to $17.99 per month for the premium tier.

Apple this morning announced a digital-only event that will be held on Tuesday, September 14, and if you view the event webpage on an iPhone, you can tap on the logo to open up Apple's Safari AR viewer and you'll see the three-dimensional logo move in real-time in the real world.

Just open up the event site on an ‌iPhone‌ or iPad and tap right on the logo to open up the AR version. The graphic Apple is using for the event reflects the shining outline of the Apple logo seen in the event invite, and you can use AR to tunnel through it, where a starry night lake scene and the event date are revealed.

Apple often creates graphical experiences for its events, with AR being at the center of recent efforts. In the past, it also had an October iPad event where it created dozens of different Apple logos, and people often analyze event art designs to decipher possible signs of what to expect when it comes to product announcements.

Apple's September event will focus on the new iPhone 13 lineup and is also expected to unveil the Apple Watch Series 7 and possibly AirPods 3. New iPads, AirPods, and MacBook Pros are expected launch in the coming months.

Apple today announced that it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, September 14 at 10:00 a.m. The event will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California.

As with WWDC and last year's fall events, this new event will be held digitally with no members of the media invited to attend in person. Apple will likely provide pre-taped segments for each new product that's announced.

Last year's September event focused on the Apple Watch after the iPhone was delayed until October, but this year, things are back to normal. We're expecting Apple to announce new ‌iPhone‌ 13 models, the Apple Watch Series 7, and possibly the AirPods 3.

New MacBook Pro models and new iPads are also on the horizon, but Apple is expected to hold multiple fall events this year so we're not likely to see everything come out in September.

Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 13 models will be similar to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models with few design changes. Apple is planning to release a 5.4-inch ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini, a 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ 13, a 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro, and a 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max.

The general design will be the same, but we are expecting a smaller notch. There will also be some improvements to the cameras, with Apple bringing sensor-shift optical image stabilization to the whole ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup, introducing a better Ultra Wide camera for the Pro models, and improving the cameras of the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro to bring it in line with the Pro Max.

A faster A15 chip is coming, along with faster 5G technology, and perhaps the biggest change might be the 120Hz ProMotion display expected for the Pro models. There have also been rumors of an always-on display, so that's a possibility, as are larger batteries and more maximum storage space. We have details on all of the rumors that we've heard about the iPhone 13 in our roundup, so check that out to see exactly what to expect.

As for the Apple Watch Series 7, we're expecting the first redesign that we've seen in years. The new Apple Watch could have a flat-edged design that better matches the ‌iPhone‌ models, and it could be thinner with more available display space.

A new lamination technique will bring the display closer to the front cover, and casing sizes are expected increase to 41mm and 45mm, up from 40mm and 44mm. A faster S7 chip is expected, and there could be a bigger battery, but there are no new health sensors coming this year.

Apple's manufacturing partners are reportedly having production difficulties with the new watch, so we could see a bit of a delay in availability or very tight supplies at launch.

The third-generation AirPods that are in the works are expected to have a design that's closer to the AirPods Pro, and silicone tips are a possibility.

The new AirPods will have shorter AirPods Pro-like stems, but will continue to be a more affordable option without Active Noise Cancellation.

Apple plans to stream the fall event live on its website, on YouTube, and on the Apple TV through the ‌Apple TV‌ app. Apple today made the YouTube livestream available ahead of the event date.

For those unable to watch, MacRumors will be providing full event coverage both on MacRumors.com and the MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

Only six percent of iPhone users in the United States who have Apple Pay set up actually use the feature, according to a detailed study by PYMNTS.

Seven years after ‌Apple Pay‌ launched in September 2014, 93.9 percent of consumers with ‌Apple Pay‌ activated on their ‌iPhone‌ do not use it to pay for in-store purchases, meaning that only 6.1 percent do.

In 2015, the year following ‌Apple Pay‌'s launch, PYMNTS found that ‌Apple Pay‌ usage was just 5.1 percent among those that had the feature activated. This means that ‌Apple Pay‌ usage has only increased by one percentage point in six years.

The growth of ‌Apple Pay‌ in this time may be attributed to more contactless terminals in stores and more users having ‌iPhone‌ models with an NFC coil to facilitate ‌Apple Pay‌, rather than increased usage. Since 2015, the total amount of ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions at U.S. retail stores has increased from an estimated $5 billion to $90 billion this year.

In 2015, 19 percent of U.S. merchants were able to accept contactless payments, but in 2021, this rose to 70 percent. Likewise, in 2015, only 36 percent of consumers had an ‌iPhone‌ that offered ‌Apple Pay‌, but now 96 percent of users have access to the feature. ‌Apple Pay‌ support from banks has also ballooned. This has all led to the number of ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions growing overall, but it is still unused by the vast majority of those that have the feature enabled.

The main reason behind the lack of usage may be attributed to the continued dominance of plastic cards. In addition, in the time since ‌Apple Pay‌'s launch, banks have issued an increasing number of contactless debit and credit cards, which most users have preferred to ‌Apple Pay‌. According to PYMNTS, Apple has struggled to persuade users that ‌Apple Pay‌ is valuable enough to replace the more familiar plastic card, which does not require additional button presses and authentication steps such as Touch ID or Face ID.

"But to be successful, innovation must solve a problem, fix a source of friction or improve an experience that is so painful that consumers or businesses are motivated to switch," the report explained. The study suggested two options for Apple to bolster ‌Apple Pay‌ usage:

Path one is for Apple, the smartphone, to take share from Android to make the eligible Apple Pay pie bigger and to ride retail's continued growth. Currently, Apple has a 52% share of smartphones in the U.S., up from 47% in 2019. That seems hard, if not pretty unlikely.

Path two is for Apple to get more iPhone users to use Apple Pay in the store.

That's something that Apple has failed to do over the last seven years – including over the last two years, when contactless payment in-store was its (and every Pay's) oyster.

Seven years in, Apple Pay just hasn't lived up to its potential for transforming the point-of-sale experience in the store. Maybe there is a grand plan that goes beyond offering users discounts to use it at checkout. But unless it does, its past is likely to be prologue – and its usage will likely be stuck at around 6% of iPhone users who like to wave their phones in the store when they buy.

Nevertheless, of the various mobile wallets, such as Samsung Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal, ‌Apple Pay‌ has generally been the most popular with a 45.5 percent share of mobile wallet users in 2021.

PYMNTS's findings are based on a study of 3,671 respondents in the United States between August 3 and August 10, 2021 and identical studies from previous years.

The UK mobile carrier Sky is today teasing the launch of "the next generation," in what may be a hint at the seemingly impending launch of the iPhone 13 lineup.

The company's webpage says that "the next generation is about to land" in an "upcoming big announcement," and encourages customers to sign up before Tuesday, September 14, to get access to an exclusive Sky Mobile offer.

The promotion has attracted interest since all indications are pointing to Apple planning to hold a digital event on September 14 to announce the ‌iPhone‌ 13, Apple Watch Series 7, and third-generation AirPods, which is the same day that the early-bird Sky Mobile offer ends. There is no other sign from Sky that the offer relates to the ‌iPhone‌ 13.

Some carriers have been known to provide discounted offers to customers who sign up to a contract for a next-generation ‌iPhone‌ model before it is officially announced, and this marketing appears to be in line with those similar promotions in the past. It is also possible that the announcement relates to something else entirely, but the September 14 date is sufficient proof for some observers that it relates to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup.

If the ‌iPhone‌ 13 is set to be unveiled next week on September 14 as rumors suggest, invites would likely be sent out later today.

WhatsApp is working on giving users the option to adjust the visibility of their "Last Seen" status on a contact-by-contact basis, according to a new report from forthcoming-feature specialist WABetaInfo.

As regular WhatsApp users will know, the "Last Seen" status of a contact sits atop the conversation thread, informing you when that contact last opened and was active on the app.

Currently, you can disable your "Last Seen" status so that other contacts can't see when you were last online, but the setting's options are limited to "Everyone," "My Contacts," and "Nobody," and there's no way to make exceptions for individual contacts.

However, that looks set to change, based on options unearthed by WABetaInfo in a beta version of WhatsApp. In the Privacy settings, the messaging platform is adding the option "My Contacts Except..." which will let you select specific contacts so that they don't see when the last time was that you were active on the messaging network.

Although it's worth noting that if you disable your last seen status for specific contacts, you won't be able to see theirs either.

The new "My Contacts Except..." option is also evident in the privacy settings for a user's profile picture and "About" information, indicating WhatsApp's intention to bring more granular settings to the app's privacy options as a whole.

As usual, it's unclear when the new options will go live, but given they were discovered on iOS, expect them to appear on iPhone first, with the Android version to follow.

Last October, Anker debuted its 20-watt Anker Nano power adapter, a high-speed charger only slightly larger than Apple's standard 5-watt adapter. Ahead of the iPhone 13 launch, Anker today is introducing a refresh for its Anker Nano, which arrives under the name of Anker Nano Pro and comes in four color options: black, white, blue, and purple.

The Anker Nano Pro has a single USB-C port and essentially the same baseline specs as the Anker Nano, but some of the internals have been tweaked to optimize performance and Anker's ActiveShield safety system features advanced temperature monitoring and power output control to help protect your device while it's fast charging.

The color options for the Anker Nano Pro are part of what Anker says is a "new direction" for the company that will see it expanding beyond the basic black and white options it's used on most of its products over the years. Other recent colorful product additions for Anker include the lavender grey and mint green versions of the original Anker Nano, several color options for its PowerLine cables, and even the MagSafe-compatible PowerCore Magnetic 5K.

For those looking for a bit more versatility in Anker's lineup of diminutive power adapters, the company is also working on a Nano Pro Dual that will feature 40 watts of charging power and two ports. More information and a launch date for that model will be coming at a later date.

The single-port Anker Nano Pro is available now from Amazon and is priced at $19.99.

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

Apple has referenced four unreleased iPhones in an updated FCC filing for its MagSafe charger, while at the same time referencing the currently released iPhone 12 lineup as "legacy" iPhones.

The new filing doesn't reveal any details about a possible update to the ‌MagSafe‌ charger; instead, the filing only includes updated testing based on new equipment. In the equipment section of the filing, Apple lists four "New Phone" items while also listing A2176, A2172, A2341, and A2342, which correspond to the iPhone 12 mini, ‌iPhone‌ 12, ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, respectively, as "legacy" devices.

Earlier in the summer, Apple registered four new ‌iPhone‌ models in the EEC database, providing us with model IDs for the upcoming iPhones. However, today's new filing doesn't include any model numbers for the "New Phone" items, making it difficult to tie a connection between the filing and the EEC entry.

Amongst the features expected for the ‌iPhone‌ 13, Apple is expected to be improving the strength of the MagSafe magnets on the back of the new iPhones. While the filing doesn't confirm that, Apple may have needed to retest the charger as per FCC regulation on the new iPhones, given their stronger ‌MagSafe‌ system than the 2020 lineup.

Apple is widely expected to be holding an all-digital event next week on Tuesday, September 14, where it will announce the ‌iPhone‌ 13 as well as the Apple Watch Series 7. Apple may confirm the event as early as Tuesday.

In a video broadcasted to staffers days before Labor Day, Apple's retail and people chief Deirdre O'Brien addressed the growing number of Apple employees voicing their opinions about workplace issues like pay inequality.

For those unaware, over the last few weeks, some Apple employees have taken to Twitter to share their workplace frustrations, sparking the "AppleToo" movement. Created by a group of employees, the "Apple Too" initiative is pushing for Apple to "fulfill its promise of inclusion, diversity, and equity," as the website states.

In the video, which was seen by MacRumors, Deirdre O'Brien tells staff who are experiencing workplace issues to talk to their managers and "business relations partner." She says that Apple has a "confidential process to thoroughly investigate, in a way that treats everyone with dignity and respect."

Now, I want you to hear this directly from me. First, if you ever have a concern about your pay at Apple, please talk to your manager or your people business partner. And second, if you ever want to report a concern about your work environment, please come and talk to us, please. And know that we have a confidential process to thoroughly investigate in a way that treats everyone with dignity and respect.

According to employees, O'Brien's suggestion to consult a manager has not worked for some employees. "The system is not working... it's set up to work against you from the beginning," one employee told MacRumors, requesting to stay anonymous.

That employee said that workers are often told by their managers that their pay is "within range" for their field, leading to ambiguity about why their salary might not be on par with another employee. The person also said that escalating complaints to Apple's people team can lead to manager retaliation.

In the video, O'Brien doesn't mention "AppleToo" by name, but she notes that she is aware of a "few" employees that "have asked questions about pay equity." The executive says that Apple is "deeply committed" to pay equity and uses industry-wide standards to reach it.

We use industry-standard methodology, and we have a dedicated team of experts that runs a comprehensive process to monitor and maintain pay equity. And we partner with an independent third party that analyzes our compensation each year. If this work identifies a gap, we close it. And our approach is considered best in class.

O'Brien said that based on data from the United States, Apple has already "achieved pay equity," but she says that it is still an "ongoing effort."

As of when this article was published, the AppleToo movement is still collecting stories from Apple employees and sharing their experiences on Twitter. We've contacted Apple for comment and will update if we hear back.

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

Apple will need to pay more for the chips in its devices and may pass rising costs on to its customers, according to sources speaking to Nikkei Asia.

TSMC, Apple's main chip supplier, is in the process of increasing its prices following wider inflation in the industry caused by the global chip supply shortage. The company's planned price rises are said to be the most substantial chip price hikes in a decade.

TSMC's chips were already around 20 percent more expensive than those from its direct rivals, but smaller foundries have ramped up their own prices due to higher material and logistics costs, and TSMC has committed to $100 billion in new investment over the next three years, motivating the company to increase its prices to maintain its premium and pass these added costs on to clients.

TSMC is reportedly also keen to stop its clients from ordering more chips than needed in the hope of securing production line space and additional support from contract chipmakers, which has made it difficult for the company to understand real demand. Clients will need to negotiate specific terms for manufacturing before the price rises officially take effect from October 1.

The company is still working through existing orders, meaning that the impact of the price rises will be felt much more acutely next year when production capacity has expanded and existing orders have been completed. Sources speaking to Nikkei said that chip developers such as Qualcomm will pass TSMC's price increases onto device makers such as Apple. TSMC also supplies Apple directly with the likes of the A14 and M1 chips.

The effect on retail prices for devices such as smartphones and computers is expected to be "noticeable." It is speculated that consumer electronics brands will increase the retail prices of their high-end models next year to offset the impact on mid-range and entry-level devices.

Chip prices are expected to remain high while clients push for smaller fabrication and more advanced chip production processes. Other sources said that the market should correct once demand falls since chipmakers will need to lower prices "to lure more clients and maintain utilization rates."

Late last month, DigiTimes reported that these price rises could hit sooner than expected, with the iPhone 13 lineup being more expensive due to increased chip costs. Even so, it appears that the effect of increased chip prices will not fully impact Apple until next year.

Smartphone makers like Apple and Google should be required to provide security updates and spare parts for their mobile devices for at least seven years, according to new environmental responsibility proposals from the German government to the European Union (via Heise Online).

The European Commission recently proposed that mobile device manufacturers should provide software updates and spare parts for five years, with tablet spare parts available for six years. It also wants to force manufacturers to publish the prices of the spare parts and ensure they don't increase, and deliver said parts in no more than five working days.

However, Germany wants the EU to go further by demanding seven years of updates and spare parts availability. In addition, it wants manufacturers to offer spare parts at "a reasonable price," and faster delivery of spare parts, a point it wishes to discuss further with the Commission.

The German government also supports the European Commission's push to introduce ecodesign rules, including an energy label and a repairability index for smartphones and tablets. The production of the equipment accounts for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the EC, and only part of the raw materials can be recovered during recycling.

The DigitalEurope Industry Association, representing manufacturers including Apple, Samsung, and Huawei, believe the Commission's proposals go too far, and have suggested that makers provide security updates for three years and OS updates for two years.

The association also believes that it should only be required to offer replacement batteries and displays to consumers, since these parts have the highest failure rate. In contrast, components like camera sensors, microphones, and connectors "rarely fail," and therefore should not come under the mandate.

Following additional negotiations between all parties involved, the European Union plans to introduce the proposals by 2023.

Apple has often been criticized for disproportionate repair prices, such as the $79 fee to service the $99 HomePod mini, as well as arbitrary limits on repairs, such as barring repair of the iPhone 12's camera without access to Apple's proprietary cloud-linked System Configuration app.

The European Parliament last year voted to support the recommendations of the EU Committee on the "Right to Repair," including a system of mandatory labelling on consumer electronics to provide explicit information on the repairability and lifespan of products.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has said it is "pleased" with Apple's decision to delay the launch of of its controversial child safety features, but now it wants Apple to go further and completely abandon the rollout.

Apple on Friday said it was delaying the planned features to "take additional time over the coming months to collect input and making improvements," following negative feedback from a wide range of individuals and organizations, including security researches, politicians, policy groups, and even some Apple employees.

The planned features include scanning users' iCloud Photos libraries for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), Communication Safety to warn children and their parents when receiving or sending sexually explicit photos, and expanded CSAM guidance in Siri and Search.

In its response to the announced delay, the EFF said it was "pleased Apple is now listening to the concerns" of users, but "the company must go further than just listening, and drop its plans to put a backdoor into its encryption entirely."

The statement by the digital rights group reiterated its previous criticisms about the intended features, which it has called "a decrease in privacy for all ‌‌iCloud Photos‌‌ users, not an improvement," and warned that Apple's move to scan messages and ‌‌iCloud Photos‌‌ could be legally required by authoritarian governments to encompass additional materials.

It also highlighted the negative reaction to Apple's announced plans by noting a number petitions that have been organized in opposition to the intended move.

The responses to Apple's plans have been damning: over 90 organizations across the globe have urged the company not to implement them, for fear that they would lead to the censoring of protected speech, threaten the privacy and security of people around the world, and have disastrous consequences for many children. This week, EFF's petition to Apple demanding they abandon their plans reached 25,000 signatures. This is in addition to other petitions by groups such as Fight for the Future and OpenMedia, totalling well over 50,000 signatures. The enormous coalition that has spoken out will continue to demand that user phones—both their messages and their photos—be protected, and that the company maintain its promise to provide real privacy to its users.

The suite of Child Safety Features were originally set to debut in the United States with an update to iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, and macOS Monterey. It's not clear when Apple plans to roll out the "critically important" features or how it intends to "improve" them in light of so much criticism, but the company still appears determined to roll them out in some form.

Drake's latest album "Certified Lover Boy" is Apple Music's most-streamed album in 24 hours in the services' history, Apple revealed to Billboard over the weekend.

The album was released at midnight EST on Friday, September 3, and is the sixth studio album from the artist. It features a number of prominent rappers, including Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Future, Rick Ross, and Lil Baby.

"Certified Lover Boy" is a 21-track album and features Apple's pregnant woman emojis on its album cover. The cover notes describe the album as "a combination of toxic masculinity and acceptance of truth which is inevitably heartbreaking," and is executive produced by Drake, Noah “40” Shebib, Oliver El-Khatib and Noel Cadastre.

The album had already reportedly broke the record for the most-streamed album in 2021 in under 12 hours on the service.

The new record comes just three days after Kanye West's "Donda" broke Apple Music's day-one streams record for 2021 with 60 million plays in the United States.

Taiwan's Railways Administration (TRA) has officially announced support for using Apple Pay when purchasing train tickets with the service's e-booking mobile app.

In a press release on its website, the country's railway operator said it was making the new "‌Apple Pay‌ ticketing service" available from September 7 in order to improve convenience for passengers when booking tickets via the official mobile app.

After passing the initial verification, the payment procedure will be completed via ‌Apple Pay‌, saving users the time it takes to enter their credit card number, said the operator.

Alongside ‌Apple Pay‌ support, the TRA's new membership system is launching a reward scheme where passengers can accumulate redeemable points for using the mobile ticket purchasing mechanism.

Every 50 NT dollar spent is converted into 1 point, and every 2 points points can be redeemed to earn up to a 30% discount on the price of a ticket. Originally, the scheme was only open at the physical ticket windows where points could be used to buy train tickets, but the mobile app now supports the feature, too.