MacRumors

Some users are noticing more blooming on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro's Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display than expected, despite Apple's claims that the effect is minimized.

According to recently published Apple Support documents, the ‌iPad Pro‌'s Liquid Retina XDR display is designed to improve on "the trade-offs of typical local dimming systems, where the extreme brightness of LEDs might cause a slight blooming effect," suggesting that the effect should be minimized.

The Liquid Retina XDR display improves upon the trade-offs of typical local dimming systems, where the extreme brightness of LEDs might cause a slight blooming effect because the LED zones are larger than the LCD pixel size. This display is designed to deliver crisp front-of-screen performance with its incredibly small custom mini-LED design, industry leading mini-LED density, large number of individually controlled local dimming zones, and custom optical films that shape the light while maintaining image fidelity and extreme brightness and contrast.

In spite of this, some ‌iPad Pro‌ owners are noticing more blooming than expected and highlighting their experience on social media.

Thanks to the adoption of mini-LED display technology, the ‌iPad Pro‌ features 2,500 local dimming zones. Local dimming allows some areas of an LED screen to dim almost off for darker, truer blacks, while preserving the bright parts of the screen. The technology can increase the contrast ratio of images significantly and enable the intense highlights of HDR content.

On a display with local dimming, if a zone is lit up and an adjacent zone is not, there may be an artifact toward the part of the screen that becomes brighter than its neighboring zone called "blooming."

OLED displays, such as those used on the iPhone 12 lineup, do not need local dimming since they are able to turn off individual pixels to achieve true blacks, all with no blooming effect. Local dimming can be a way to get near-OLED levels of picture quality, but it struggles to achieve the same level of contrast.

Blooming on the new 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ is therefore to be expected to some extent, but users seem to be divided about how bad the effect actually is.

Some MacRumors Editors experienced blooming with the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌'s XDR display, but others found that blooming was not noticeable at all.

Where blooming is visible, especially on HDR content with isolated bright shapes on a black background, it is most prominent on the ‌iPad Pro‌ when viewing the display from an off-axis angle and in a darkened environment. That being said, MacRumors Editors believe that the effect of blooming on the ‌iPad Pro‌ looks less severe in person than it does in images, likely due to exposure and image processing.

Although mini-LED display technology is expected to come to new MacBook Pro models later this year, other rumors suggest that the company is looking to use OLED displays for iPad and MacBook devices from 2022.

Apple has filed the unreleased "Beats Studio Buds" in the FCC or Federal Communications Commission database under model numbers A2512 and A2513. The new filings come after the reveal of the new earbuds last week within the release candidates for iOS and tvOS 14.6.

The new earbuds feature a smaller design with no stem, much in line with what we're expecting to be a similar design language for the second-generation AirPods Pro. In addition, according to code found within the latest iOS release candidate, the new Beats Studio Buds will feature Active Noise Cancellation, currently a feature exclusive to Apple's ‌AirPods Pro‌ and AirPods Max.

Today's new FCC filings reveal nothing new about the design or the feature set of the upcoming earbuds; however, its filing indicates that a release should be imminent.

Apple's second-generation redesigned Siri Remote features a touch-sensitive clickpad that can be used to navigate menus as well as fast-forward and rewind video.

When you first start using the ‌Siri‌ Remote, touch surface tracking is on by default, but if you can't get on with the sensitivity or you're just not comfortable using touch controls on a remote, you can always customize it or turn it off.

Change Siri Remote Clickpad Functionality

1. Launch the Settings app on your Apple TV.
2. Select Remotes and Devices.
3. Select ClickPad.
4. Select Click and Touch to allow both clicking and touch surface tracking, or Click Only to turn off touch surface tracking.

Change Siri Remote Tracking Sensitivity

1. Launch the Settings app on your ‌Apple TV‌.
2. Select Remotes and Devices.
3. Select Touch Surface Tracking.
4. Select Fast to make smaller thumb movements move farther on the ‌Apple TV‌ screen, or Slow to reduce tracking sensitivity.

If you're having trouble scrubbing through video when playback is paused, check our mini guide to make sure you're using the correct clickpad gesture.

Apple is intensely researching all aspects of car engineering and manufacturing, but there are growing questions around what form Apple's vehicle project may take, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Peter Fintl, the director of technology and innovation for Capgemini Engineering Germany, explained that Apple's movement in vehicle supply chains is noticeable.

We have seen enough echoes in the supply chain that we know Apple is really looking into every detail of car engineering and car manufacturing. But nobody knows if what Apple creates will be a car or a tech platform or a mobility service.

The report suggests that Apple's car project may not actually culminate in a consumer-purchasable complete vehicle. Instead, Apple may be looking to leverage its software and chip design expertise to create a kind of next-generation vehicle platform for other manufacturers to use.

That being said, this option conflicts with Apple's general desire to vertically integrate the full stack "whenever possible" and "control every aspect of the user experience." Even so, according to the ‌Wall Street Journal‌, there is "no clear indication" that Apple intends to use its philosophy of vertical integration for its vehicle project.

If Tesla is the model here, it's unclear why Apple's executives would want to endure the tortuous process of building the manufacturing, testing and service capacities this path would require.

If making a vehicle platform is unlikely to fit in with the company's ethos or objectives, and making an entire car is impractical and likely to be subject to fierce competition, the other option that the report suggests is an Apple mobility company, such as a self-driving taxi service.

Johannes Deichmann, a partner at management consulting firm McKinsey whose expertise is software and electronics in automobiles, suggested:

Apple and others could design and commission vehicles that bear their branding, and operate as part of a service they provide, with no trace of the actual manufacturer on them.

Such a service would allow Apple to capture market share while the robot-taxi service industry is still in its infancy, and compete with the likes of GM's Cruise and Amazon's Zoox.

While it is highly speculative, the report indicates that Apple's vehicle project has not yet penetrated the supply chain deeply enough to reveal the nature of the car itself, and concludes with the comment that "it's quite possible that Apple will end up spending billions on attempts to develop an electric car without ever releasing a product."

Verizon today announced that customers with unlimited, "Play More," or "Get More" plans will receive up to a year of Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass for free.

Starting May 25, new and existing Verizon customers will be eligible to get six months of ‌Apple Arcade‌ or Google Play Pass for free with any unlimited plan, or 12 months of ‌Apple Arcade‌ or Google Play Pass with "Play More" or "Get More" plans. The new perk comes with Verizon's Mix and Match Unlimited, which already includes services such as Apple Music.

‌Apple Arcade‌ is Apple's premium subscription gaming service that lets users download and play included games ad-free and with no added costs. There are now over 180 games in ‌Apple Arcade‌'s library, and a subscription works across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, with many titles working with popular Bluetooth controllers, such as the Xbox Series X controller and the PS5 DualSense controller.

As reported by 9to5Mac, AirTag Hermès is currently unavailable for purchase from Apple or directly from the Hermès website. The reasoning behind the unavailability remains unknown.

Apple's AirTags Hermès line features three separate styles, an ‌AirTag‌ with a Hermès keyring, bag charm, and luggage tag. All styles feature the standard ‌AirTag‌ with a removable backplate but engraved with "Hermès Apple ‌AirTag‌." Each style of ‌AirTag‌ holder is made with high-quality leather and starts at $299 and goes up to $449 for the luggage tag.

In a new ad, Samsung is poking fun at the iPhone 12 Pro Max's lack of 100x zoom compared to its flagship Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.

In an ad posted late last week titled "Space Zoom," an ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra can be seen taking a photo of the moon in total darkness. The ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ zooms in at its max 12x ability, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra gets a closer shot thanks to its 100x digital zoom feature.

In a second ad titled "108 MP," Samsung targets the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ 12MP wide camera, compared to the Galaxy S21 Ultra 108MP main camera. The video features both flagship devices zooming into a burger, concluding that the photo taken with the Galaxy Ultra 21 allows users to see "pin-sharp details," while the photo taken with the iPhone does not.

Samsung starts both ads by saying, "Your smartphone upgrade shouldn't be a downgrade," insinuating that an upgrade to an ‌iPhone‌ is a downgrade rather than an upgrade.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra features a wide array of camera features, including a 108MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a telephoto lens. The 100x zoom featured in the Galaxy S21 Ultra is, however, only digital. Compared to optical zoom, the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro and ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ features up to 2.5x zoom-in, while the Galaxy offers up to 3x.

With the new Apple TV 4K now in customers' hands, some users are reporting issues when trying to control video with the redesigned Siri Remote.

Specifically, some users are complaining that using the circular gesture on the new clickpad ring to fast-forward or rewind paused video isn't working as expected. Rather than scrubbing through video continually in the direction of the gesture, the video scrubs back and forth in opposite directions.

From what we've been able to work out, the problem seems to relate to a subtle additional gesture that users are missing out, either because it isn't very intuitive or Apple doesn't demonstrate it particularly well in the marketing material.

Try following these steps to get it working. We've italicized the crucial gesture that users appear to be omitting.

1. First, pause the video by pressing the Play/Pause button, or by pressing the center of the clickpad ring. (A small preview thumbnail will appear above the playback timeline at the bottom of the screen.)
2. Swipe left or right across the clickpad to scrub backward or forward in time. For more granular control, rest your finger on the outer edge of the clickpad ring until a ring icon appears on-screen, then trace a circle with your finger around the clickpad ring in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
3. To begin playback at the new position, press the center of the clickpad.

You should find this method works with Apple's own apps, but we've found inconsistencies in its functioning with third-party apps, especially those that don't use Apple's native playback UI. For instance, it worked for us in Netflix, but the Disney+ app had persistent issues responding to the circular gesture.

It could be that some third-party apps need updating before they recognize the new clickpad ring on the second-generation ‌Siri‌ Remote, so hopefully any niggles will be smoothed out soon.

The new iPad Pro started arriving to customers on Friday, and Apple has since shared additional details about the device in a series of support documents, covering topics like the Liquid Retina XDR display, Thunderbolt and USB4 support, 5G networking on cellular models, and the new Center Stage front camera feature for video calls.

In addition to up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness, Apple said the Liquid Retina XDR display supports a peak brightness of 1,600 nits for highlights in up to 40 percent of the screen area when the rest of the image is black or at a brightness of up to 600 nits:

To achieve Extreme Dynamic Range required an entirely new display architecture on iPad Pro. The all new 2D mini-LED backlighting system with individually controlled local dimming zones was the best choice for delivering the extremely high full-screen brightness and contrast ratio, and off-axis color accuracy, that creative professionals depend on for their workflows.

The Liquid Retina XDR display can support up to 1000 nits of full-screen brightness. It can also support up to 1600 nits for highlights in up to 40 percent of the screen area when the rest of that image is black or at brightness up to 600 nits.

Apple said the M1 chip is the engine behind the new display:

Additionally, custom algorithms run on the advanced display engine of the M1 chip, working at the pixel level to control the mini-LED and LCD layers of the display separately, treating them as two distinct displays. These proprietary algorithms coordinate the mini-LED and LCD layers across transitions to deliver the optimal visual experience. Transitional characteristics of local dimming zones, such as a slight blur or color change while scrolling against black backgrounds, are normal behavior.

As for Thunderbolt 3 and USB4 support, Apple said some accessories can request higher power from the iPad Pro, so the company has reminded customers to disconnect these accessories from the device when they aren't being used:

iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation) also support a wide ecosystem of high-performance Thunderbolt and USB4 accessories. Some accessories can request higher power from your iPad, which might affect battery life. To extend battery life, remember to disconnect these accessories from iPad Pro when you aren't using them. Refer to your accessory manufacturers’ specifications for more information.

In line with iPhone 12 models, Apple confirmed that iPadOS updates over cellular are supported on the new iPad Pro when "Allow More Data on 5G" is enabled:

Allow More Data on 5G: Enables higher data-usage features for apps and system tasks. These include higher-quality FaceTime, high-definition content on Apple TV, Apple Music songs and videos, and iPadOS updates over cellular. This setting also allows third-party apps to use more cellular data for enhanced experiences.

The new iPad Pro features a new Ultra Wide front camera enabling Center Stage, a new feature that automatically keeps users perfectly framed during FaceTime video calls. Apple goes over the feature's settings in a support document.

A list of the new or updated support documents:

• About the Liquid Retina XDR display on iPad Pro
• Charge and connect with the USB-C port on your iPad
• Use 5G with your iPad
• Use Center Stage on your iPad Pro

The iPad and iPadOS sections of the MacRumors forums are also helpful resources.

Apple today shared a new support document confirming that the HomePod and HomePod mini will gain lossless audio support for Apple Music in a future software update, and the document also reveals some other tidbits.

First, the document indicates that the Apple TV 4K "currently doesn't support Hi-Res Lossless," with only the standard Lossless tier ranging from 16-bit at 44.1 kHz to 24-bit at 48 kHz to be available on the Apple TV 4K at launch. Apple's use of the word "currently" leaves the door open to a future software update with Hi-Res Lossless support for the device, but Apple has not confirmed this at this time.

Second, the document says that Apple Music "will not be completely lossless" during wired playback with the AirPods Max:

The Lightning to 3.5 mm Audio Cable was designed to allow AirPods Max to connect to analog sources for listening to movies and music. AirPods Max can be connected to devices playing Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless recordings with exceptional audio quality. However, given the analog to digital conversion in the cable, the playback will not be completely lossless.

Lossless audio refers to a form of compression that preserves all of the original data, which can result in an improved listening experience, although to what extent is debated. Apple's support document acknowledges that the difference between Apple Music's standard audio and lossless audio will be "virtually indistinguishable."

Lossless audio will be available in June for all Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost on devices running iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, macOS 11.4, and tvOS 14.6 or later, according to Apple. Apple Music will have 20 million tracks available with lossless audio at launch, and Apple said 75 million tracks will be supported by the end of the year.

Apple Music will also be gaining support for Spatial Audio in June. Based on Dolby Atmos, this feature will provide an immersive three-dimensional audio experience that will make music sound like it is coming from all around you. Thousands of Apple Music tracks will support Spatial Audio at launch, with more added regularly.

Apple continued to clear the decks of non-developer announcements ahead of WWDC this week, not only shipping the new iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple TV introduced at last month's "Spring Loaded" event but also revealing several other upcoming launches like new Lossless and Spatial Audio support for Apple Music and some new accessibility features.

There was also no shortage of rumors this week, including details on the upcoming MacBook Pro redesign, several other future Macs, and the Apple Watch Series 7. Apple itself has even leaked some upcoming Beats earbuds, so read on for details on all of these stories and more from the past week!

Apple Music Launching Spatial Audio With Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio in June at No Extra Cost

As was rumored, Apple this week announced that Apple Music will be gaining support for two new audio formats in June, including Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos support and lossless audio.

Spatial Audio, based on Dolby Atmos, is an immersive three-dimensional audio format that enables musicians to mix music so it sounds like the instruments are all around you in space. A similar version of Spatial Audio with head tracking has been available when listening to certain content like Apple TV+ shows on AirPods Pro and AirPods Max since last year.

Lossless audio refers to audio recordings that have been compressed without any reduction in the overall quality of the audio, which can result in an improved listening experience, although the difference between standard and lossless audio is not always obvious. Apple Music will have two lossless tiers, including "Lossless" and "Hi-Res Lossless."

Spatial Audio will be available for thousands of tracks at launch, with more to be added regularly. Lossless audio will be available for 20 million tracks at launch, and this will rise to 75 million by the end of the year.

Spatial Audio and lossless audio will be available in June for all Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost on devices running iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, macOS 11.4, and tvOS 14.6 or later, according to Apple. However, we've learned that some Apple devices will not support lossless audio, including the HomePod and HomePod mini.

New iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4K Now Available at Apple Stores

Apple's new iMac and iPad Pro models powered by the M1 chip, as well as the updated Apple TV 4K with a faster A12 chip and redesigned Siri Remote, are now available for purchase at Apple Store locations as of Friday, May 21 in launch countries.

Inital online orders have also started arriving, including a few lucky individuals have received their shipments early.

The new iMac is on display at most Apple Store locations in all seven colors, including green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. Only the green, pink, blue, and silver models are available for purchase in store, with the remaining colors sold through Apple's online store.

Reviews were shared this week for the new iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4K:

• iMac Reviews: Impressively Fast With Long-Awaited Redesign
• iPad Pro Reviews: Mini-LED Display Looks Great, M1 Performance Held Back by iPadOS
• Apple TV 4K Reviews: A12 Chip is Noticeably Faster, Redesigned Siri Remote is Much Welcomed

Redesigned MacBook Pro Models With 10-Core Apple Silicon Chip Said to Launch as Early as This Summer

Apple plans to launch 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with an improved iteration of the M1 chip as early as this summer, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The new chip is said to include a 10-core CPU with 16-core or 32-core GPU options.

Gurman said the next-generation Apple silicon chip will also support up to 64GB of memory compared to the current maximum of 16GB with the M1 chip. The new chip is also said to support additional Thunderbolt ports for expanded connectivity.

As previously rumored, Gurman said the new MacBook Pro models will feature a redesigned chassis with the return of more ports, including an HDMI port, SD card slot, and a MagSafe magnetic charging cable.

Gurman said Apple is also working on a revamped MacBook Air with up to 10 graphics cores for as early as the end of the year, in addition to an all-new Mac Pro, a higher-end Mac mini with four Thunderbolt ports, and an Apple silicon successor to the Intel-based 27-inch iMac.

New 'Beats Studio Buds' Leaked in iOS 14.6 and tvOS 14.6

While not announced yet by Apple, the Release Candidate versions of iOS 14.6 and tvOS 14.6 have revealed new "Beats Studio Buds" earbuds.

Based on imagery discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser, the "Beats Studio Buds" will have a compact, stemless design, similar to Samsung's Galaxy Buds and Google's Pixel Buds. This design has also been rumored for Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro.

Similar to many other Beats and AirPods models, the "Beats Studio Buds" are expected to feature Active Noise Cancellation.

It's unclear when the "Beats Studio Buds" will be released, but given they are showing up in the iOS 14.6 and tvOS 14.6 Release Candidates, the earbuds could be announced within the coming weeks.

Apple Watch Series 7 Might Feature Flat-Edged Design, New Green Color Option

The upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 will feature a flat-edged design, similar to the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, and the addition of a new green case color option, according to leaker Jon Prosser.

Prosser said his source informed him that the flat-edged design isn't guaranteed to be for the Series 7, and could end up being for the Series 8, but it appears that Apple has prototyped a new flat-edged model at a minimum.

Apple Watch continues to evolve into an all-in-one health tool on the wrist, with features like heart rate tracking, the ECG app, and blood oxygen monitoring, and previous rumors have suggested that future Apple Watch models might be able to measure blood pressure, glucose, and alcohol levels.

If this rumor proves to be accurate, it would represent the first major design overhaul of the Apple Watch since its release in 2015.

You'll Soon Be Able to Control an Apple Watch Using Hand Gestures

Apple this week previewed a long list of new accessibility features coming soon, including AssistiveTouch for the Apple Watch, which will allow users to control an Apple Watch using hand gestures, without ever having to touch the display or controls.

Aided by on-device machine learning, the Apple Watch's gyroscope, accelerometer, and heart rate sensor will be able to detect subtle differences in muscle movement and tendon activity, and these movements will allow users to navigate a cursor on the Apple Watch's display through a series of hand gestures, like a pinch or a clench.

Apple said AssistiveTouch for the Apple Watch will be available with a software update. The feature will likely be part of watchOS 8, which is expected to be unveiled alongside iOS 15, macOS 12, and tvOS 15 at WWDC next month.

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.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

The HomePod and HomePod mini will gain support for playing back Apple Music Lossless audio in a future software update, according to a newly published Apple Support document.

At launch, the ‌HomePod‌ and ‌HomePod mini‌ will not support Apple Music Lossless but will instead feature support for Dolby Atmos for Apple Music. Dolby Atmos, otherwise known as Spatial Audio, creates an immersive three-dimensional experience that simulates music all around the listener. ‌Apple Music‌ Lossless provides listeners with higher quality audio.

In June, Apple will offer ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers a "Standard" ‌Apple Music‌ Lossless tier with audio up to 48kHz, and "Hi-Res Lossless" with audio between 48kHz and 192kHz. Hi-Res Lossless requires external equipment like a USB digital-to-analog converter.

Despite support for ‌Apple Music‌ Lossless in a future software update for ‌HomePod‌ and ‌HomePod mini‌, the AirPods and AirPods Pro will not be gaining support. In the support document, Apple explains that current Bluetooth doesn't support the higher quality format that ‌Apple Music‌ Lossless provides. AirPods Max will also not support Lossless wirelessly, but Apple says that when used with a cable, the $550 over-ear headphones will play back Lossless audio, although not completely:

The Lightning to 3.5 mm Audio Cable was designed to allow AirPods Max to connect to analog sources for listening to movies and music. AirPods Max can be connected to devices playing Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless recordings with exceptional audio quality. However, given the analog to digital conversion in the cable, the playback will not be completely lossless.

Apple Music Lossless and Dolby Atmos will be available in June with more than 20 million tracks supporting Lossless audio and thousands of tracks supporting Dolby Atmos.

Today is the official launch day of the new M1 iMac, ‌M1‌ iPad Pro, and second-generation Apple TV 4K. We picked up one of each, and we're starting with a quick hands-on and overview of the ‌iMac‌.

Our 24-inch ‌iMac‌ is in orange, which is one of the colors that Apple isn't selling in its stores (stores only have stock of blue, green, silver, and pink models). We have the $1,499 model that comes with an ‌M1‌ chip, 8-core GPU, 256GB of storage, and 16GB RAM.

All of Apple's new iMacs come with matching accessories, so we've got an orange Magic Trackpad, an orange Magic Mouse, and an orange keyboard, not to mention the braided orange cable to go along with it.

Apple also provides unique colored stickers with each model, so we have a set of orange stickers, and when you boot up the ‌iMac‌, it has a whole orange theme.

In person, the new 24-inch ‌iMac‌ is super light thanks to its thin design, and the white bezels aren't too noticeable in day to day usage, but the chin is large and sticks out quite a bit.

The ‌iMac‌ has four USB-C ports, two of which are Thunderbolt, a 3.5mm headphone jack at the side, and a MagSafe cable and port.

We've already heard a lot about the ‌M1‌ chip so we'll test out the ‌iMac‌'s performance in a later video, but the new machine does have a new 4.5K Retina display, which looks as good as you might expect. Other standout features include a six-speaker system that has Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos support, and the new webcam, which has an improved sensor and advanced image signal processor enabled by the ‌M1‌ for better camera quality.

Did you get a new ‌M1‌ ‌iMac‌? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Apple has been promoting the new M1 iMac, ‌M1‌ iPad Pro, and second-generation Apple TV 4K following their announcements, and Apple's vice president of product marketing for home and audio Tim Twerdahl today did an interview with MobileSyrup to discuss the revamped ‌Apple TV‌ 4K and the updated Siri Remote.

Prior to the release of the new ‌Apple TV‌ 4K, there were rumors that the updated remote would include Find My functionality, which didn't happen. Twerdahl said that it was not a priority because the ‌Siri‌ Remote is thicker and won't get lost as easily.

With the changes we've made to the Siri Remote - including making it a bit thicker so it won't fall in your couch cushions as much - that need to have all these other network devices find it seems a bit lower.

He said that Apple shifted to a new remote design because Apple is always aiming to deliver "richer experiences to people at home," and the kinds of content and how people are getting Apple TVs has changed. In some cases, the ‌Apple TV‌ is being used as a total cable box replacement, necessitating new remote functionality like a mute button.

We recognize that because a lot of people were moving to the Apple TV as the one box they have, having one remote that did it all in terms of powering up and down your system, would be important, so we wanted to add that as well. We knew that there was a group of customers who really had grown up on or historically used five-way controls -- up down left right select -- and just felt comfort with that. We knew that there was a lot of power in the swiping, but we thought that maybe something that delivered on the best of both worlds was a great way to enhance the experience of customers.

The new ‌Siri‌ Remote ditches the gyroscope and accelerometer that were included in prior versions, so the remote no longer serves as a game controller. There was a time that Apple required all ‌Apple TV‌ games to support the ‌Siri‌ Remote, but there's been a major change in thinking at Apple.

Twerdahl says that Apple believes that if you want to play a game, "a dedicated game controller is the best experience."

Twerdahl also further discussed the design of the remote, gaming on the ‌Apple TV‌, and he highlighted eARC and the option to have other sources connected to the TV use ‌Apple TV‌ to output to HomePods, with his full interview available over at MobileSyrup.

Apple CEO Tim Cook testified in the Epic Games v. Apple trial today, and some of the final questioning by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers did not appear to go in Apple's favor.

She spent several minutes grilling Cook on Apple's App Store policies and some of the statements that he made. "You said you want to give users control, so what's the problem with allowing users to have a cheaper option for content?"

Cook clarified that by control, he meant control over data, and he told the judge that customers can choose between Android phones and the iPhone.

Rogers was not satisfied with that answer, and asked again what the issue is with Apple allowing customers to buy cheaper V-Bucks (Fortnite's in-game currency) either in-app or by linking out to a website.

"If we allowed developers to link out like that, we would give up our monetization," said Cook. "We need a return on our IP. We have 150,000 APIs to create and maintain, numerous developer tools, and processing fees."

Judge Rogers said that Apple could monetize in other ways, pointing out that games make up most of the in-app purchases. "It's almost as if they're subsidizing everyone else," she said. Rogers used the example of banking apps on the ‌App Store‌. "You don't charge Wells Fargo, right? But you're charging gamers to subsidize Wells Fargo."

Games are transacting on the platform, said Cook in explanation. He also explained that having a large number of apps available for free increases the traffic to the ‌App Store‌, creating a much larger audience for gaming apps than would be available if there weren't free apps available.

Judge Rogers said that taking a cut of in-app purchases for games while not charging other apps is a "choice." "There are clearly other options," said Cook. "We think overall, this is the best one." Rogers said that she understands that Apple brings users to the games, but after the initial interaction, game developers are keeping their customers. "Apple's just profiting off of that it seems to me," she said."

"I view it differently. We're creating the entire amount of commerce on the store and we do that by getting the largest audience there. We do that with a lot of free apps, those bring a lot to the table," Cook argued.

"You have no in-app competition on in-app purchases," said Rogers. Cook explained that people can purchase games on other platforms, something that's up to the developer to explain.

Judge Rogers said that she did not believe that Apple lowered its ‌App Store‌ fees for developers making under $1 million because of COVID, instead suggesting that Apple's motivation was the litigation that it is facing. "It was because of COVID," said Cook. "Of course, I had the lawsuit in the back of my mind." Google changed its practices due to competition, argued the judge, referencing Google's decision to also cut Play Store pricing. "You didn't change because of competition," she added.

Rogers then asked Cook about a survey that found 39 percent of developers are dissatisfied with the ‌App Store‌, which led to some of the most damning questioning of the trial. Cook said he wasn't aware of the survey, but the fact that 40k apps are rejected per week leads to some friction because sometimes developers and users don't have incentives that align with one another.

"It doesn't seem to me like you have competition or feel much incentive to work for developers," Rogers told Cook. She said she hadn't seen evidence that Apple conducts surveys regarding developer satisfaction or makes changes for developers. Apple and Epic will give closing statements on Monday, May 24, which will mark the conclusion of the trial.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Softorino to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a fully upgraded iPad Air and a copy of WALTR PRO to go along with it.

WALTR PRO is the third iteration of the popular WALTR app that's designed to make it easy to get any file from your computer onto an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. It's fantastic for transferring photos, videos, music, and more with an intuitive drag and drop format.

Priced at $29.99, WALTR PRO is available for both Windows and macOS. It supports files of any kind and has a built-in converter so you don't even need to think about file types -- WALTR PRO handles everything for you, turning files into Apple-compatible versions.

File conversion happens automatically when uploading something to an ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌, but you can also drag and drop to convert media files locally and save them to your internal or external drive in an Apple-friendly format.

The new version of the app includes an upgraded version of the Automatic Content Recognition tool, which is designed to scan your files and add appropriate metadata like album names or movie titles. Users can now manually edit all metadata before files are transferred so everything's perfect the first time.

The original WALTR app has been great for transferring music and videos to an iOS device, but WALTR PRO takes it a step further and offers up control over where files are transferred, so you can choose specific apps. If you import a video, for example, you can choose to transfer it right to VLC. Holding down the Option key will let users choose a target app after dragging a file into the WALTR PRO window.

WALTR PRO can be used to add music files to Apple Music, and with iCloud enabled the content uploaded is backed up and able to be played directly from the HomePod or HomePod mini.

WALTR PRO has always been a useful alternative to iTunes for getting content from a Mac or PC to an iOS device, and now that iTunes has been retired, it's even more useful. It's easily one of the most hassle-free ways to initiate file transfers for those who need to manually transfer movies, videos, documents, PDFs, and more to the ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌.

Softorino is providing a 256GB ‌iPad Air‌ in the color of the winner's choice, with the winner able to choose a WiFi or a WiFi + Cellular model and engraving if desired. The winner will also get a free copy of WALTR PRO Family Pack for either macOS or Windows.

To enter to win, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (May 21) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on May 28. The winner will be chosen randomly on May 28 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.