MacRumors

Following months of developer and public beta testing, Apple today announced that macOS Monterey will officially launch on Monday, October 25.

macOS Monterey maintains the same design as macOS Big Sur but includes several enhancements across the system. macOS Monterey consists of a completely redesigned Safari, Shortcuts for the Mac, Quick Note, and Universal Control, which will be coming in a future update. macOS Monterey also includes new features from iOS and iPadOS 15, such as Live Text, Focus modes, and SharePlay, also coming in a forthcoming update.

macOS Monterey is compatible with all of the same Macs that run macOS Big Sur, with the expectation of some older MacBook Air and iMac models from 2013 and 2014. Apple released iOS and iPadOS 15, alongside tvOS 15 and watchOS 8 last month, but macOS Monterey's release was held until later in the fall to coincide with the release of new Mac computers. Learn everything you need to know about macOS Monterey and all its new features using our roundup.

Apple today announced redesigned MacBook Pro models and AirPods 3 and orders for the new devices are available starting today. Apple is accepting orders from the online Apple Store and the ‌Apple Store‌ app in multiple countries around the world.

Pricing on the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch models and $2499 for the 16-inch models, while the AirPods 3 are priced at $179.

The ‌MacBook Pro‌ models feature a complete design overhaul with a larger mini-LED display that has slimmer bezels, additional ports, MagSafe, a new Apple silicon chip, and more. The AirPods 3 feature an AirPods Pro-like design, spatial audio support, adaptive EQ, and more.

Those who want to be one of the first with one of the new devices should make sure to pre-order right away, as we do not know what available supply looks like and there could be constraints.

Apple today announced that 14-inch MacBook Pro pricing will start at $1,999 ($1,849 for education), while the new 16-inch MacBook Pro will start at $2,499 ($2,299 for education). The new MacBook Pro models were revealed during today's Apple event, and are powered by the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.

The new models feature Liquid Retina XDR displays with ProMotion, HDMI ports and SDXC card readers, the return of MagSafe, and a notch that includes a 1080p webcam. There's the model with a 14.2-inch display that weighs 3.5 pounds, and the model with a 16.2-inch display that weighs 4.7 pounds.

Apple enhanced the amount of ports available on each model, including a MagSafe 3 port, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, a headphone jack, HDMI, and the SDXC card reader. The company also removed the Touch Bar and replaced it with a traditional function key row.

The notebooks can be ordered on Apple.com starting today and will be available on October 26. Be sure to visit our coverage post on the new MacBook Pro models to read more details about the latest Apple notebooks.

In addition to introducing third-generation AirPods with a similar design as AirPods Pro, Apple today announced that the AirPods Pro now come with a MagSafe charging case, with pricing remaining set at $249 in the United States.

With a MagSafe charging case, the AirPods Pro case can magnetically attach to Apple's MagSafe Charger or MagSafe Duo while wirelessly charging.

As expected, Apple did not announce second-generation AirPods Pro at its "Unleashed" event today. Rumors suggest the second-generation AirPods Pro will be announced next year with a more compact design like Google's Pixel Buds and Samsung's Galaxy Buds.

The full AirPods lineup now includes the second-generation AirPods with a wired charging case for $129, third-generation AirPods with a wireless charging case for $179, and the AirPods Pro with a MagSafe charging case for $249.

For more details about the third-generation AirPods, read our announcement coverage.

Apple today announced that iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, watchOS 8.1, tvOS 15.1, and macOS Monterey will all be released as free software updates next week. Apple revealed this timing in a press release for the third-generation AirPods.

Apple has since updated its website to confirm that macOS Monterey will be released on Monday, October 25, following over four months of beta testing.

macOS Monterey‌ will enable Universal Control, allowing for a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard to be used across multiple Mac or iPad devices, but the feature is not coming until later this fall, according to Apple. Other new features include AirPlay to Mac, a Safari redesign with new features, a Shortcuts app, spatial audio in FaceTime, and a SharePlay function that lets Apple users watch TV, listen to music, and share their screens with one another.

Apple today announced its long-awaited major redesign for the MacBook Pro, featuring configurations with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chip, a mini-LED display with ProMotion, an HDMI port and SDXC card reader, charging with MagSafe 3, a notch housing a 1080p webcam, and more.

The ‌MacBook Pro‌ features a new design and is available with 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch display sizes. The 14.2-inch model is 15.5mm thick and weighs 3.5 pounds, while the 16.2-inch model is 16.8mm thick and weighs 4.7 pounds. The all-new aluminum enclosure also contains a completely new thermal design. It continues to be available in Silver and Space Gray.

There are now more ports available, with the right side of the machine offering an HDMI port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and an SDXC card reader. The left side of the machine features a ‌MagSafe‌ 3 port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a headphone jack. The keyboard now has a full-height function key row in place of the Touch Bar and the entire keyboard area is black.

The ‌MacBook Pro‌ features significantly reduced display borders that are 3.5mm thick, with a notch out of the top of the display for the webcam. The webcam now offers a 1080p resolution with a wider aperture, a larger image sensor, and benefits from an improved image signal processor.

The display itself is a mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display, which also features ProMotion for refresh rates up to 120Hz. The Liquid Retina XDR display offers 1,000 nits of sustained brightness, 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and a million to one contrast ratio.

The new ‌MacBook Pro‌ also features improved studio-quality mics and speakers that support Spatial Audio, with the 16-inch model containing a six-speaker system.

The ‌MacBook Pro‌ now features magnetic charging with ‌MagSafe‌ 3, which gives the device fast charging for up to 50 percent charge in 30 minutes. It remains possible to charge using the Thunderbolt ports. When playing back video, the 14.2-inch model offers up to 17 hours of battery life, while the 16.2-inch model can deliver up to 21 hours of video playback.

The redesigned ‌MacBook Pro‌ features configurations with two new Apple silicon chips. Apple's The ‌M1 Pro‌ chip is a scaled-up, more powerful variant of the M1 chip. The ‌M1 Pro‌ chip features an 8-core or 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, a more capable Media Engine, more Thunderbolt controllers, support for up to 32GB of unified memory, and more. The ‌M1 Max‌ chip features the same 10-core CPU as the ‌M1 Pro‌, but includes a 24-core or 32-core GPU with support for up to 64GB of unified memory.

The new ‌MacBook Pro‌ is available to pre-order today, with the first orders arriving to customers next week.

Additional Coverage:

• Apple Announces M1 Pro and M1 Max Chips Designed for New MacBook Pro
• First Geekbench Score Surfaces for MacBook Pro M1 Max With 2x Faster Multi-Core Performance Compared to M1
• M1 Max Supports Up to Three Pro Display XDRs and a 4K TV All at the Same Time
• New MacBook Pro Finally Features a 1080p Webcam Within a Notch
• Maxed Out High-End 16-Inch MacBook Pro Costs $6,099
• New MacBook Pros Offer Up to 10 Hours Longer Battery Life Than Prior-Generation
• New MacBook Pro Features 120Hz ProMotion Display Similar to iPad Pro
• New MacBook Pro Models Include HDMI 2.0 Port Instead of HDMI 2.1

Apple at its "Unleashed" event today announced the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors, two custom-built successor chips to the original M1 Apple silicon chip. The new MacBook Pros are powered by the new chips, which deliver up to 70% faster CPU performance than the ‌M1‌.

The ‌M1 Pro‌ features up to 10 CPU cores, with eight high-performance and two energy-efficient cores. In terms of graphics, the ‌M1 Pro‌ has a 16-core GPU, which is up to twice as powerful as the ‌M1‌. It has up to 200GB/s of memory bandwidth, using 33.7 billion transistors, and supports up to 32GB of unified memory.

The ‌M1 Max‌ builds on the ‌M1 Pro‌ and starts by doubling the memory interface, delivering up to 400 GB/s memory bandwidth, and supports up to 64GB of unified memory with 57 billion transistors. It has the same 10-core CPU, but a 32-core GPU that's up to seven times faster, and is similar performance to discrete graphics while using 70% less power.

"M1 has transformed our most popular systems with incredible performance, custom technologies, and industry-leading power efficiency. No one has ever applied a system-on-a-chip design to a pro system until today with M1 Pro and M1 Max," said Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Technologies. "With massive gains in CPU and GPU performance, up to six times the memory bandwidth, a new media engine with ProRes accelerators, and other advanced technologies, M1 Pro and M1 Max take Apple silicon even further, and are unlike anything else in a pro notebook."

The efficient architecture of ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ means they deliver the same level of performance whether MacBook Pro is plugged in or using the battery, says Apple. The ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ also feature enhanced media engines with dedicated ProRes accelerators specifically for pro video processing.

Compared to a powerful discrete GPU for PC notebooks, ‌M1 Pro‌ delivers more performance while using up to 70 percent less power, according to Apple. As for the ‌M1 Max‌, Apple says the GPU delivers performance comparable to a high-end GPU in a compact pro PC laptop while consuming up to 40 percent less power, and performance similar to that of the highest-end GPU in the largest PC laptops while using up to 100 watts less power.

The ‌M1 Pro‌ includes dedicated acceleration for the ProRes professional video codec, allowing playback of multiple streams of high-quality 4K and 8K ProRes video while using very little power. Meanwhile, the ‌M1 Max‌ delivers up to 2x faster video encoding than the ‌M1 Pro‌, and features two ProRes accelerators. With ‌M1 Max‌, the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ can transcode ProRes video in Compressor up to 10x faster compared with the previous-generation 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌.

Both the ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ feature a 16-core Neural Engine for on-device machine learning acceleration and improved camera performance, a new display engine that drives multiple external displays, additional integrated Thunderbolt 4 controllers, Apple's custom image signal processor and Neural Engine, as well as Apple's latest Secure Enclave, hardware-verified secure boot, and runtime anti-exploitation technologies.

The new ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ power the new 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro, both of which are available to pre-order from Apple starting today.

Apple today announced that the third-generation AirPods are available to order starting today, with pricing set at $179 in the United States. Apple also said the second-generation AirPods with a wired charging case are remaining available for $129, down from $159.

The third-generation AirPods will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, October 26, according to Apple.

The third-generation AirPods feature a similar design as the AirPods Pro, but without noise cancellation or silicone ear tips. Newly added Adaptive EQ tunes sound in real time based on how the AirPods fit in the user's ear for an optimal listening experience. Other new features include spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, IPX4-rated water and sweat resistance, longer battery life, and a MagSafe-compatible charging case.

To learn about more third-generation AirPods features, read our announcement coverage.

Apple today announced the third-generation AirPods, featuring an updated design, improved sound quality, and more. The new third-generation AirPods builds on features such as Spatial Audio in Apple Music and more.

The new AirPods, as rumored, features a design similar to the AirPods Pro but without silicone eartips or Active Noise Cancelation. The new AirPods includes Adaptive EQ, which adjusts frequencies in real-time based on what a user is listening to deliver even improved sound quality.

For an optimal listening experience with rich detail, the new AirPods feature Adaptive EQ that tunes sound in real-time based on how AirPods fit in the user’s ear. An inward-facing microphone monitors for sound, and then Adaptive EQ, powered by computational audio, tunes the low and mid frequencies to account for what may be lost due to variances in fit.

Unlike the second-generation AirPods, the third-generation AirPods is sweat and water-resistant, featuring a new contoured design that's meant to fit a wide varify of ear sizes.

The new design of AirPods is lightweight and contoured, sitting at just the right angle for comfort and to direct audio into the ear. For a more subtle appearance, the stem is shorter than the previous generation and features the same intuitive force sensor as AirPods Pro for media control. The new AirPods are resistant to both sweat and water, with an IPX4 rating for both the earbuds and the charging case.

In battery life, Apple is promising that the new third-generation AirPods will deliver up to an extra hour of battery life compared to the second-generation model. Apple claims that just five minutes of charging provides enough battery for an hour of use. ‌AirPods Pro‌ and the new AirPods now also support MagSafe. The new AirPods start at $179, and are available starting today.

Apple today revealed a new subscription tier for Apple Music, called the "Voice Plan" and priced at $4.99/month. This plan has been designed around the power of Siri and offers subscribers access to the service's catalog of 90 million songs only through ‌Siri‌, hence the name.

This means that users on this tier can only access and play songs, playlists, and albums in ‌Apple Music‌ through their voice on devices like iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and HomePod mini. Users will be able to subscribe to the Voice Plan by saying "Hey ‌Siri‌, start my ‌Apple Music‌ Voice trial, or by using the ‌Apple Music‌ app. The trial lasts seven days.

This plan is available for one person, similar to the regular $9.99/month Individual Plan, but essentially lacking all of the regular app-based UI in the ‌Apple Music‌ app. Apple says that users will still have full playback control including unlimited song-skipping through ‌Siri‌.

Instead of the regular Music app UI, Voice Plan users will get a "customized in-app experience" with suggestions based on their music preferences and a queue of music that was recently played through ‌Siri‌. There will also be a section called "Just Ask ‌Siri‌" where subscribers can learn tips to optimize the voice assistant.

‌Apple Music‌ is also adding hundreds of new mood and activity playlists, which were created by ‌Apple Music‌'s editorial team and are optimized for the Voice Plan. Some examples Apple gave are asking ‌Siri‌ to "Play the dinner party playlist," "Play something chill," or "Play more like this."

These new playlists will be available to all subscribers on any ‌Apple Music‌ plan. Those on the Voice Plan will also still have access to ‌Apple Music‌'s entire lineup of playlists, like New Music Daily, Today's Hits, Today's Country, A-List Pop, and more.

The ‌Apple Music‌ Voice Plan will launch later this fall in 17 countries and regions, including: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Apple today announced that the HomePod mini will be available in three new colors next month, including yellow, orange, and blue.

Apple said the new HomePod mini colors will be available in November alongside the existing White and Space Gray colors, with pricing remaining at $99 in the United States. Apple did not share a specific release date.

The new HomePod mini colors will be available in the United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

In addition, Apple said Siri's multi-user voice recognition is expanding to all regions where the HomePod mini is available later this year.

Apple's virtual "Unleashed" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, with the headline announcement expected to be redesigned MacBook Pro models based on Apple silicon. We will almost certainly also be hearing a release date for macOS Monterey and may see a few other announcements such as third-generation AirPods and a new high-end Mac mini.

Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across its platforms. We will also be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today's announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.

As usual, Apple's online store is currently down in advance of the event.

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Apple's virtual "Unleashed" event coincides with two major Apple product anniversaries this week, including the 20th anniversary of the original iPod being announced and the 30th anniversary of the original PowerBook's introduction.

Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPod on October 23, 2001 at a small press event at Apple's former Infinite Loop headquarters. Jobs famously pitched the iPod as offering "1,000 songs in your pocket" and compared the device's "ultra-portable" size to a standard deck of cards, which was impressive at the time.

"With iPod, Apple has invented a whole new category of digital music player that lets you put your entire music collection in your pocket and listen to it wherever you go," said Jobs in a press release. "With iPod, listening to music will never be the same again."

Alongside the iMac and the iPhone, the iPod was one of a few key products that helped Apple become successful again after the company flirted with bankruptcy in the late 1990s. The device has since become a niche product for Apple, though, with the iPod touch being the only remaining model available for purchase today following the discontinuation of the iPod classic in 2014 and the iPod nano and iPod shuffle in 2017.

Fittingly with Apple expected to unveil redesigned MacBook Pro models today, this week also marks the 30th anniversary of the original PowerBook models being unveiled on October 21, 1991 at the COMDEX trade show in Las Vegas. By modern day standards, these PowerBook models were Apple's first true laptops with a hinged form factor still familiar today.

Apple has discussed launching a cloud-based gaming service to rival the likes of Xbox Cloud Gaming and Google Stadia, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Apple has considered launching a cloud-based game streaming service like its competitors (emphasis our own):

Apple's gaming service is somewhat unique, relying on games that run on its devices natively rather than from the cloud. Microsoft Corp., Nvidia Corp., Google and others have launched gaming services that run from the cloud. That allows support for a wider range of games and creates a "Netflix for games"-like experience. Oddly, Apple doesn't allow those rivals to join Apple Arcade on the App Store. The company says that's not because they're competitors, but simply because it doesn't allow all-you-can-eat cloud gaming services on its devices. Despite that, the company in the past has internally discussed the prospects of launching such a service, I'm told. I just hope that if Apple does, it then greenlights its rivals' participation too.

Thus far, Apple has focused on games that have to be downloaded and run natively, rather than games that stream from the cloud. The company launched Apple Arcade‌‌ in September of 2019 as an ad-free mobile game subscription service with no in-app purchases. ‌‌‌Apple Arcade‌‌‌ is available across the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, and Mac for $4.99 per month, or as part of the Apple One bundle.

One explanation for why Apple has not moved forward with cloud gaming as far as we know may be because it seems to prefer using powerful local hardware rather than depending on an internet connection to stream games being processed elsewhere. It also seems unlikely that the company would risk an obligation to allow competing cloud gaming services by Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, Amazon, and Netflix onto the App Store, which have otherwise been forced to use browser-based solutions. Nevertheless, the company may have been sensitive to the growing interest in cloud gaming from its rivals.