Apple today seeded the release candidate version of the upcoming tvOS 15 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming one week released the ninth beta.
Developers can download the new tvOS 15 beta by downloading a profile onto the Apple TV using Xcode.
Apple shared little about tvOS 15 when it was unveiled, but there are some new features that are coming to the operating system. SharePlay, a FaceTime feature that lets multiple users watch TV shows or movies together, will integrate with tvOS, and there's a new "For All of You" recommendation engine that suggests shows everyone might enjoy.
A Shared With You section also displays movies and shows that were shared with you through the Messages app so you remember to check them out. When paired with AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, the Apple TV supports Spatial audio for a theater-like surround sound experience, and there's a new feature for automatically connecting your AirPods through Smart AirPods routing.
Hey Siri commands can be used to launch Apple TV+ shows, and two HomePod mini speakers can be paired with the Apple TV 4K for stereo sound. If you have HomeKit cameras, you can also now view multiple cameras at the same time on the Apple TV.
With the launch of the new iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max, Apple has refined its iPhone lineup and has discontinued the iPhone XR and the iPhone 12 Pro.
The iPhone 12, iPhone 11, and iPhone SE are still around as lower-cost options, with all models getting a price drop. Apple's full lineup continues to be priced starting at $399:
The iPhone 13 models feature 128GB of starting storage, which is up from 64GB, with no increase in the price. The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max can be ordered with up to 1TB storage. The new iPhones will be available for preorder this Friday and will officially launch on September 24.
iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15 will be released on Monday, September 20, Apple announced today during its "California streaming" event.
iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 include a number of improvements and features, including redesigned notifications, Focus mode, Live Text, and more. iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15 were previewed in June and have been in beta testing over the summer.
Apple today did not announce a release date for macOS Monterey, given we're likely to see its release later on in the fall alongside new Apple silicon Macs.
Apple today announced that the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max will all be available to pre-order this Friday, September 17 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, and all four devices will launch one week later on Friday, September 24. These dates apply to customers in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, the UK, and more than 30 other countries and regions.
All of the iPhone 13 models will subsequently be available in Turkey on Friday, October 1, followed by Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, and select other countries and regions beginning Friday, October 8, according to Apple.
Starting prices are the same as they were for the iPhone 12 lineup, including $699 for the iPhone 13 mini, $799 for the iPhone 13, $999 for the iPhone 13 Pro, and $1,099 for the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Notably, the Pro models will be available with up to 1TB of storage, which is the largest storage capacity ever offered in an iPhone.
Key features across the iPhone 13 lineup include a faster A15 Bionic chip, camera improvements, longer battery life, and a smaller notch. The two Pro models also feature a ProMotion display with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz.
Apple today announced that the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini start with 128GB of storage, which is double the base 64GB offered for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.
The storage capacities available for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini include 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB, while the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max also have a new 1TB storage option. Pricing continues to start at $699 for the iPhone 13 mini, $799 for the iPhone 13, $999 for the iPhone 13 Pro, and $1,099 for the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Key features across the iPhone 13 lineup include a faster A15 Bionic chip, camera improvements, longer battery life, and a smaller notch. The two Pro models also feature a ProMotion display with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz.
Apple continues to offer a 64GB storage option for the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone SE, which remain available to order on its website.
Apple today announced the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max at its "California Streaming" event, featuring brighter Super Retina XDR displays with ProMotion, improved rear cameras, a more powerful variant of the A15 Bionic chip, up to 1TB of storage, a new Sierra Blue color option, and more.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max come in the same 6.1 and 6.7-inch display sizes as the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The new devices feature a 20 percent smaller notch for more display area, a brighter Super Retina XDR display, and ProMotion for refresh rates from 10Hz to 120Hz.
The stainless steel frame has a custom finish that is resistant to abrasion and corrosion. There is also a new Sierra Blue color option, along with Graphite, Gold, and Silver.
Both devices sport the A15 Bionic chip with a six-core CPU and a five-core GPU for a significant performance improvement. This variant of the A15 chip contains one extra GPU core than the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13's A15 chip.
Due to the efficiency improvements of the A15 Bionic chip and larger batteries, the iPhone 13 Pro's battery life lasts 1.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max lasts 2.5 hours than iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The rear array contains new Telephoto, 77mm Ultra Wide, and Wide lenses with larger sensors and apertures, and sensor-shift stabilization for reduced camera shake. The iPhone 13 Pro features a 6x optical zoom range thanks to a new 3x Telephoto camera. The Ultra Wide camera also now features autofocus and offers a new macrophotography mode that can take close-ups up to 2cm away from an object.
A new "Cinematic mode" is able to blur the background of video in real-time, track objects and people, and rack focus. Night Mode is also now available on all of the rear cameras.
Photographic Styles bring individual preferences to local photo edits in real-time. Styles work across scenes and subject types and users do not need to define it every time they shoot. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max can shoot also video in ProRes up to 4K at 30fps for high color fidelity and efficient encoding.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max can connect to more 5G bands using custom antennas and radio components. Both devices also feature up to 1TB of storage, the most ever offered in an iPhone.
The iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max starts at $1,099. iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max pre-orders open on Friday 17 September, with devices first arriving to customers on Friday, 24 September.
Apple today announced that its subscription-based Fitness+ workout service will be launching in 15 additional countries later this year, including Austria, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.
"We are excited to be introducing new workouts that bring Fitness+ users more options to stay active and motivated, plus immersive guided Meditation experiences that are approachable for all and easy to fit into your day," said Jay Blahnik, Apple's senior director of Fitness Technologies, in a press release accompanying the announcement.
Apple Fitness+ first launched in December 2020 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. The service provides access to a library of workout videos updated on a weekly basis through the Fitness app on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. The service is priced at $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year in the United States, with pricing varying in other countries.
Apple has announced several new features coming to its Apple Fitness+ subscription service, including new workout types, group workouts, and more.
Apple is adding pilates workouts as a new workout type, as well as guided meditations. Not only that, Apple is bringing group workouts to the service that will function via SharePlay, allowing users to join in the same workout over iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV via AirPlay.
Apple is also adding seasonal themes to its workouts, beginning with workouts to people get ready for the snow season, based on skiing and snowboarding.
Apple Fitness+ videos are also getting a service-wide resolution upgrade, with 4+ as an streaming option. Apple is also bringing Fitness+ to 15 new countries, with workouts in English and subtitles.
Apple today announced the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13, both featuring a smaller notch, repositioned rear-cameras, improved performance, and more while maintaining the same 6.1-inch and 5.4-inch sizes of their respective iPhone 12 predecessors.
The new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, as rumored, includes a smaller notch allowing for more display area. In specific, Apple said that the notch is 20% smaller. Staying on the front, the new Super Retina XDR display is 28% brighter with 1200 nits peak brightness.
Inside, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini are powered with the brand new A15 Bionic chip. Built on the 5nm process, the A15 Bionic chip features a 6-core CPU with two high-performance and four high-efficiency cores. Embedded into the A15 Bionic chip is a new 16-core Neural Engine, capable of 15.8 trillion operations per second.
On the back, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini include a new and more advanced dual-camera system. The wide 12MP sensor allows for 47% more light, a 26mm focal length, and on the Ultra Wide camera, the new iPhones include sensor-shift technology from the "Pro" iPhones.
With video, Apple is introducing "Cinematic mode," which uses the power of A15 to automatically blur the background during a video, allowing the subject to stay in focus. During filming, users can tap on different subjects to shift focus.
Carrying over from the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini features Ceramic Shield, IP68 water resistance, and five new colors, including pink, blue, midnight, starlight, and red. The iPhone 13 mini starts at $699 with 128GB of base storage, up from the previous 64GB. The iPhone 13 starts at $799, and both will be available for pre-orders on Friday, September 17, and will begin shipping on September 24.
Apple today announced the Apple Watch Series 7 at its "California Streaming" event, featuring a new larger design, a new Retina display, thinner borders, better durability, faster charging, and more.
The Series 7 comes in 41mm and 45mm size options, up from 40 and 44mm of previous models, and features a new casing that has a flat base and "softer, more rounded corners," while the screen uses 50% stronger crack-resistant crystal, its strongest ever. Apple says the narrower borders allow the display to maximize screen area, while minimally changing the dimensions of the watch itself.
The touch sensor has been integrated into the OLED panel to reduce display thickness and borders, and Apple says a "subtle wraparound effect" is created by refracted light at the edge of the display for a more seamless integration with the case. Aside from offering greater readability and ease of use, the Series 7 also includes two unique watch faces — Contour and Modular Duo — designed specifically for the new device.
Apple says it has completely reengineered the display to reduce borders by 40%, which allows for nearly 20% more screen area than the series 6, and over 50% more screen area than Series 3. The screen borders alone are just 1.7 mm — 40 percent smaller than those on Apple Watch Series 6. Apple also says the always-on display is 70% brighter indoors when your wrist is down.
The Apple Watch Series 7 also has an IP6X certification, which makes it dust and water resistant, with a WR50 swim proof resistance.
Apple says the Series 7 charges up to 33% faster than previous models, thanks to an updated charging architecture and fast-charging USB-C cable, allowing it to go from zero to 80% charge in 45 minutes, providing eight hours of sleep tracking.
Interface wise, Apple says buttons have been redesigned to take advantage of the larger display, while a new QWERTY keyboard lets you tap or slide from letter to letter with QuickPath.
The new Apple Watch is available in five aluminum colors including midnight, starlight, green, blue, and (PRODUCT)RED. Stainless steel models are available in silver, graphite, and titanium is also available in multiple colors. Apple Watch Series 7 is also compatible with existing watch bands.
"Apple Watch Series 7 delivers significant improvements — from our largest and most advanced display, to enhanced durability and faster charging — making the world's best smartwatch better than ever before," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. "Powered by watchOS 8, Apple Watch brings useful new capabilities to help customers stay connected, track activity and workouts, and better understand their overall health and wellness."
Apple Watch Series 7 prices start from $399 and will be available later this fall.
Apple today announced the sixth-generation iPad mini, featuring a massive redesign with a larger display, an embedded Touch ID sensor in the Power Button, improved performance, a USB-C port, and 5G.
The new iPad mini features a completely new design, dismissing the Home Button in favor of a full-screen design with an 8.3-inch display. The display features wide color, an antireflective coating, 500 nits of brightness, and True Tone. Featuring an A15 Bionic chip, the new iPad mini is up to 40% faster in CPU performance compared to the previous generation, with an even bigger 80% increase in GPU power.
iPad mini gets a huge performance boost from the new A15 Bionic chip, with its incredibly efficient design that delivers all-day battery life.1 The 6-core CPU delivers a 40 percent jump in performance, and the 5-core GPU delivers an 80 percent leap in graphics performance compared to the previous generation of iPad mini. A15 Bionic on iPad mini handles even the most demanding tasks — from graphically rich games to pro apps used by designers, pilots, doctors, and more. With its powerful performance and compact design, iPad mini is the ultimate tool users can take anywhere.
For the first time for iPad mini, the new iPad features 5G technology, offering customers even faster performance, with download speeds of up to 3.5Gbps. Even with 5G, Apple says the new iPad mini still features "all-day battery life."
The new iPad mini also features a USB-C port rather than Lightning. Borrowed from the iPad Air, announced last year, the new iPad mini features a Touch ID sensor embedded into the Power Button.
On the front, the new iPad mini features a new Ultra Wide front camera with a 12MP sensor, allowing for Center Stage from the iPad Pro. With Center Stage, the iPad mini will automatically keep users in the frame as they move around. The back camera also features a 12MP sensor with Focus Pixels and a larger aperture.
Compatible with the second-generation Apple Pencil, the new sixth-generation iPad mini starts at $499 and will be available for pre-orders starting today and will be available on Friday, September 24.
Apple today announced a new ninth-generation iPad at its "California Streaming" event, which features an A13 Bionic chip offering up to 20% faster performance, a True Tone display, an upgraded front camera, and more.
The new iPad features an upgraded 12MP ultra-wide front camera with Center Stage, which uses machine learning to automatically detect people in the frame, panning and zooming to keep them in view during FaceTime calls. The feature recognizes when other people join or exit a call, adjusting the camera position to fit everyone in.
With the A13 Bionic chip, Apple claims the new iPad is up to three times faster than the top-selling Chromebook and six times faster than the top-selling Android tablets.
All models will ship with iPadOS 15, which introduces a new Home Screen design with integrated widgets and the App Library, system-wide fast note-taking with Quick Note, new features for FaceTime calls, a redesigned Safari experience, new tools to reduce distractions, and more.
The new iPad starts at $329 or $299 for education customers, while the Wi-Fi plus cellular model starts at $459. Additionally, the iPad now starts with 64GB of storage, and there's also a new 256GB storage option available. All models can be ordered starting today on the Apple online store with availability starting on Friday, September 24.
The Unicode Consortium today released the list of new emojis that are coming in the Emoji 14 update, giving us a look at the new characters that we can expect to see introduced on Apple devices later this year.
As outlined by Emojipedia, the finalized list includes 37 new emoji along with 75 skin tone additions for a total of 112 new characters.
New faces include melting face, saluting face, face with open eyes and hand over mouth, face with peeking eye, face with diagonal mouth, and dotted line face, while new emojis include biting lip and bubbles.
There are several new hand emojis, such as heart hands, rightwards hand, leftwards hand, palm down hand, palm up hand, hand with index finger and thumb crossed, index pointing at the viewer, along with an update to the handshake emoji.
Nest with eggs, empty nest, x-ray, crutch, playground slide, wheel, ring buoy, hamsa, mirror ball, jar, identification card, and low battery are new items, while plants and animals will include coral and lotus. As for fantasy characters, we can expect a new troll emoji, and eggs, beans, and pouring liquid make up new food items.
Now that the emoji candidates are finalized and have been released, Apple is free to implement the new characters in a future iOS update. The images above are interpretations of what the emoji can look like, but Apple will design its own.
We can expect the new emoji characters to be introduced in an update to iOS 15 later this year. Apple last debuted new emoji with the iOS 14.5 update released in April.
Just ahead of the Apple Event, two new upcoming games have been announced for Apple Arcade, including NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition and Tiny Wings. Both games are listed as "coming soon," with no specific release dates announced yet.
NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition from 2K Games will feature updated 2022 NBA rosters with stars such as Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, Rui Hachimura, Karl-Anthony Towns, and more. Players will choose from their favorite NBA teams and take on competitors in Quick Match mode, compete with a friend in Online Multiplayer mode, or play three-vs-three street basketball in Blacktop mode.
The basketball game will also feature an Association mode that tasks players with managing an NBA roster by making trades, signing free agents, scouting up-and-coming prospects, and controlling their team's finances, as well as a MyCAREER mode where players can start their own NBA journey with a custom player, position, and jersey number.
First released on the App Store in 2011, the classic game Tiny Wings from developer Andreas Illiger tasks players with outrunning the sun as they fly a bird across procedurally generated islands. Players must tap on the screen at the perfect moment so that the bird slides down the side of a hill and gains momentum to reach the next island before the sun sets, while aiming to complete tricks for score multipliers.
Priced at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, Apple Arcade provides access to a catalog of over 200 games without ads or in-app purchases across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, with additional titles added periodically.
Apple's virtual "California Streaming" event kicked off on Tuesday, September 14th, 2021.
Recap Video of what was announced:
Apple provided a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across its platforms. We updated this article with live blog coverage and issued Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolded.
In line with previously rumored features, TrendForce expects all four iPhone 13 models to be equipped with a faster A15 chip and sensor-shift image stabilization for the rear cameras. For the Pro and Pro Max models, the research firm said the devices will feature up to 1TB of storage, power efficient LTPO displays with support for up to a 120Hz refresh rate, and an upgraded Ultra Wide lens with the addition of autofocus.
In line with information shared by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, TrendForce added that the LiDAR Scanner will remain limited to the Pro models.
In view of the "lackluster sales performance" of the iPhone 12 mini, TrendForce said the iPhone 13 mini is expected to account for less than 10% of total iPhone 13 production, noting that Apple will focus its sales efforts on the larger models. Previous rumors have indicated that the iPhone 13 mini will be the last "mini" model that Apple offers, with the iPhone 14 lineup expected to consist of two 6.1-inch and two 6.7-inch models.
In addition to the iPhone 13, Apple is expected to unveil the Apple Watch Series 7 with a new flat-edge design and third-generation AirPods.
The sixth-generation iPad mini will feature an 8.38-inch display and could launch in October, according to a Japanese accessory listing spotted by Gizmodo Japan.
The now-removed Amazon Japan listing shows an Elecom glass screen protector for an all-screen 8.38-inch "small" iPad, presumed to be the upcoming sixth-generation iPad mini. This appears to be the most specific measurement for the rumored device's display seen so far.
The next iPad mini has been repeatedly said to feature a display in the region of eight to nine inches. The display analyst Ross Young suggested earlier this year that the sixth-generation iPad mini will feature a 8.3-inch display, matching this accessory listing.
An 8.38-inch display would be a significant increase over the current iPad mini's 7.9-inch display, partly facilitated by a new iPad Air-style design with slimmer bezels and no Home Button.
The screen protector was scheduled to go on sale on Wednesday, October 20. While the sixth-generation iPad mini is expected to arrive this fall, there have been no more precise indications about when the updated device could launch. Some observers have speculated that it could arrive alongside redesigned MacBook Pros at an Apple event in October, and the fact that this accessory was set to go on sale next month may give that claim greater credibility.
Wednesday, October 20 mostly aligns with Tuesday, October 19 in the United States. Apple often hosts a special event in October to unveil new products and usually does so Tuesdays, so October 19 would not be an unreasonable guess for an Apple event to launch the new iPad mini.
As with the last several Apple events, today's media event kicking off at 10:00 am Pacific Time will be entirely online and likely a pre-recorded stream from Apple Park. Still, some MacRumors readers who can't follow the event as it's being broadcast are interested in avoiding all of the announcements and waiting until the event has ended and is available for on-demand viewing so as to experience it without already knowing the outcome.
For those individuals, we've posted this news story, which will be updated with a direct link to the presentation once it becomes available from Apple. No other news stories or announcements will be displayed alongside this story.
Apple's recent virtual events have been made available to view almost immediately following the conclusion of the broadcasts, and we expect similar timing for today's event.
Users waiting for the video to be posted are welcome to gather in the thread associated with this news story, and we ask that those who follow the events as they occur refrain from making any posts about Apple's announcements in this thread.
