MacRumors

Apple is already working on its second-generation AR headset, which will feature a lighter design, adopt a new battery system, and a faster processor, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in an investor note obtained by MacRumors.

Apple is widely expected to launch its first-generation AR-focused device in 2022. That device has been previously reported to feature a processor with Mac-level computing power and will be usable independent from an iPhone, according to Kuo.

Highlighting Apple's long-term goals in AR and the "metaverse," Kuo said today that the development of the second generation of the headset is already underway and destined for launch in 2024. It will feature a lighter design compared to the first headset, as well as a new battery system, according to the analyst.

Apple has begun planning for the second-generation AR/MR headset, and the shipment schedule will likely be in 2H24. Improvements for the second generation include the lighter weight, form factor design, battery system, and processor compared to the first model, which will go to mass production in late 4Q22.

In his note today, Kuo also shared some new details about the first generation of Apple's AR headset, including that it will weigh around 300 to 400g and that it will be able to "seamlessly switch between AR and VR to provide an innovative headset experience."

Apple's first AR headset is expected to be a somewhat niche product aimed largely towards developers with a focus on communication, media consumption, and gaming. Apple's AR headset product line could ultimately replace the iPhone in 10 years, according to Kuo.

The first generation of Apple's AR headset is one of multiple new products Apple is expected to announce in 2022, including five new Macs, three new Apple Watches, updates to the ‌iPhone‌ lineup, and more. Catch up on everything we know about Apple's AR headset using our roundup.

With the launch of iOS 15.2, Apple is adding a new "Parts and Service History" section to the Settings app that will let users see the service history of their iPhones and confirm that components used for repairs are genuine.

As outlined in a new support document, iPhone users who have iOS 15.2 or later installed can go to Settings > General > About to access Parts and Service History. The Parts and Service History section will only be available if repairs have been conducted on your ‌iPhone‌.

Apple will provide different information on components depending on ‌iPhone‌ version.

• For ‌iPhone‌ XR, XS, XS Max, and later, including ‌iPhone‌ SE (2nd generation), you can see if the battery has been replaced.
• For ‌iPhone‌ 11 models, ‌iPhone‌ 12 models, and ‌iPhone‌ 13 models, you can see if the battery or display have been replaced.
• For ‌iPhone‌ 12 models and ‌iPhone‌ 13 models, you can see if the battery, display, or camera have been replaced.

If a fix was done with genuine Apple parts and tools, repairs in this section will have a "Genuine Apple Part" listing next to the repaired component.

An "Unknown Part" message will be displayed if a part installation is incomplete, the part was replaced with a non-genuine component, the part was already used or installed in another ‌iPhone‌, or if the part is not functioning as expected. In prior versions of iOS, customers are only able to see if a replacement part is identified as an Unknown Part.

Apple says that the messages in the Service History section will not affect the ability to use the ‌iPhone‌, its battery, display, or camera. The information is collected and stored on device, with Apple using it for service needs, safety analysis, and to improve future products.

The addition of the "Parts and Service History" to the ‌iPhone‌ comes alongside a change that Apple is making to ‌iPhone‌ 13 models. At release, it was discovered that replacing a broken display on an ‌iPhone‌ 13 without specialized tools and components from Apple disables Face ID.

After backlash from the repair community, Apple said that it would introduce a software update that would allow for display repairs that do not affect Face ID. iOS 15.2 removes the specific pairing requirement that caused Face ID not to work when a display repair is performed by a repair shop without Apple-certified equipment.

Apple has previously introduced repair restrictions for Touch ID, True Tone functionality, and ‌iPhone‌ 12 cameras, but the company always faces blowback when limiting ‌iPhone‌ repair options and disabling ‌iPhone‌ features. Apple has settled for informing customers if components are non-genuine while leaving ‌iPhone‌ functionality intact, and this new section streamlines repair component messaging.

In November, Apple announced plans for a new Self Service Repair program that will allow users to complete their own device repairs using instruction manuals and components provided by Apple. This will join the Apple Authorized Service Program and Apple's Independent Repair Provider Program, which provides Apple parts and tools to independent repair shops that are not AASPs.

At the beginning of October when device production typically ramps up, Apple cut iPhone and iPad assembly for several days because of supply chain constraints and "restrictions on the use of power in China," reports Nikkei.

In a detailed report on Apple's ‌iPhone‌ production woes, Nikkei says that Foxconn, Pegatron, and other Apple suppliers ramped down on production for the first time in more than a decade, with workers getting time off rather than overtime hours as is typical.

"Due to limited components and chips, it made no sense to work overtime on holidays and give extra pay for front-line workers," a supply chain manager involved told Nikkei Asia. "That has never happened before. The Chinese golden holiday in the past was always the most hustling time when all of the assemblers were gearing up for production."

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, supply constraints around the time of the ‌iPhone‌ launch cost Apple more than $6 billion. Cook cited chip shortages as one of the reasons for the supply issues, and while Apple uses leading edge nodes that are not affected by ongoing issues with chip availability, other manufacturers that create components for Apple devices have been impacted.

October reports said that Apple cut its 2021 ‌iPhone‌ production goals by more than 10 million units after Broadcom and Texas Instruments were unable to deliver enough components. The lack of even a single tiny component for the ‌iPhone‌ can impact production, and there are a lot of moving parts for Apple to deal with.

Nikkei did a deep dive into Apple's supply issues, interviewing more than 20 industry executives to see what went wrong. Apple reallocated components from iPads and older iPhones like the ‌iPhone‌ 12 to the new ‌iPhone‌ 13 models, but production was still 20 percent short of where Apple wanted to be because of power restrictions in China, lockdowns in Vietnam and Malaysia, and supply bottlenecks caused by skyrocketing demand for chips.

The reallocation hit ‌iPad‌ production hard and Apple produced 50 percent fewer devices than planned, with shortages on the tablets lasting well into November. With many ‌iPad‌ models in short supply, customers who order now won't be able to get a device in time for Christmas as delivery already extends into January.

According to Bloomberg, Apple recently informed its suppliers that interest in the ‌iPhone‌ is slowing ahead of the holidays, which could be due to the long wait times for new devices in September and October. Apple planned to make up for the supply constraints in early 2022 when manufacturing issues were ironed out, but Bloomberg claims Apple may not end up getting the necessary orders from customers.

Sources that spoke to Nikkei painted a different picture, and said that Apple has asked suppliers to reaccelerate ‌iPhone‌ production in November, December, and January. An Apple component supplier told Nikkei that Apple has reassured them that demand has persisted and that Apple has postponed orders to a later period because of supply constraints, so it's not clear which take is accurate.

Nikkei's full exploration into Apple's supply chain and what led to the company's current situation with chip shortages and production delays is well worth reading.

Apple shares closed at a new all-time high today, rising 3.5% to finish the regular trading day at $171.18. Shares have also gained another 1% in after-hours trading, touching $173.

Apple's stock is up over 32% this year and almost 14% in just the past month, with the company reaching a market capitalization of $2.8 trillion.

It's mostly been a fairly steady march upward for Apple shares over the past several months, with only a couple of significant dips including one last week following word that Apple has warned suppliers of weakening iPhone demand.

Apple's stock quickly rebounded from that dip, and today's high comes as prominent Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty raised her price target for Apple's shares from $164 to $200, citing the potential of augmented reality and autonomous vehicles for Apple.

macOS Monterey 12.1, which is set to be released to the public in the near future, addresses several significant bugs that Mac users have been complaining about for weeks.

According to Apple's release notes, it fixes a bug that could cause the trackpad to become unresponsive to taps or clicks. We reported on the Tap to Click bug earlier this month after receiving dozens of complaints from MacRumors readers who were seeing Tap to Click fail on a regular basis.

On 2021 MacBook Pro models, there has been an ongoing YouTube problem that can result in HDR content from YouTube causing the machines to panic and crash, an issue that is addressed in macOS Monterey 12.1.

14 and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ users have also been dealing with an issue that could cause charging to stop when the lid of the machine is closed, which Apple has fixed in the update.

There are several other notable bug fixes in macOS Monterey 12.1 as well. It addresses an issue that could cause the Desktop and Screen Saver to appear blank after selecting photos from the Photos library, and it fixes an issue that could cause external displays to not charge some ‌MacBook Pro‌ and MacBook Air computers when connected to Thunderbolt or USB-C. There's also a fix for an issue that could cause menu bar extras to be obscured by the camera housing on 2021 ‌MacBook Pro‌ models.

macOS Monterey 12.1 is available to developers and public beta testers at this time and we're expecting to see an official release next week ahead of the Christmas holidays.

Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of both iPadOS 15.2 and macOS Monterey 12.1, making it clear that the long awaited Universal Control feature is not coming in the software updates that are expected to launch sometime next week.

There is no mention of ‌Universal Control‌ in the release notes for macOS Monterey 12.1 or iPadOS 15.2, and the feature has not been introduced in any of the betas nor is it present in the release candidate versions. The RCs that we got today represent the final version of the software that's expected at release.

Apple sometimes releases second RC versions to address bugs, but new features are not typically added at this stage.

First announced at WWDC, ‌Universal Control‌ is an iPad and Mac feature that's designed to allow a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard to be used across multiple Mac and ‌iPad‌ devices.

Apple's macOS Monterey page continues to list the ‌Universal Control‌ feature as "available later this fall," but "fall" in the United States ends on December 21, which is when it swaps over to winter.

With macOS Monterey 12.1 and iPadOS 15.2 expected to launch next week ahead of the Christmas holiday, it is looking increasingly unlikely that we're going to see ‌Universal Control‌ before the end of 2021.

Apple today provided the release candidate version of iOS 15.2 to developers for testing purposes, and in the release notes, Apple says that the new Apple Music Voice Plan is set to launch alongside the update.

Introduced in October, the Voice Plan is a new tier for ‌Apple Music‌ that is priced more affordably than a standard ‌Apple Music‌ plan. It's $4.99 instead of $9.99, and is designed around Siri.

With the Voice Plan, users can access and play songs, playlists, and albums on their Apple devices solely through ‌Siri‌ requests. The plan does not offer the standard ‌Apple Music‌ user interface, instead offering a customized in-app experience with suggestions based on music preferences.

Though ‌Apple Music‌ Voice Plan is limited to voice-based song playback, it provides access to all ‌Apple Music‌ songs, playlists, and stations. A Just Ask ‌Siri‌ feature suggests music based on listening history and likes or dislikes, and Play it Again allows users to access a list of their recently played music.

iOS 15.2 is likely to see an official release next week, and it is available to developers and public beta testers at this time.

Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.1 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming a week after the fourth beta and a month after the official release of macOS Monterey.

Registered developers can download macOS Monterey 12.1 beta profile through the Apple Developer Center and after the appropriate profile is installed, the beta will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.

macOS Monterey 12.1 brings SharePlay to Macs for the first time. SharePlay is a new feature that's designed to let you watch TV, listen to music, and play games with friends and family members over FaceTime.

SharePlay allows all kinds of apps to work with ‌FaceTime‌, with content synced for all people who are part of the ‌FaceTime‌ call. You can listen to music with Apple Music and access shared playlists, watch synced TV shows and movies together, work out together, and even share your screen for things like group trip planning or device troubleshooting.

Apple designed SharePlay to work with first-party app options like Apple TV, Apple Fitness+, and ‌Apple Music‌, but there's also an API for developers so third-party apps can also use SharePlay ‌FaceTime‌ features for games and other experiences.

SharePlay is already available in the release versions of iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and tvOS 15.1, so the Monterey 12.1 update brings Macs in line with other Apple devices.

The full release notes for macOS 12.1:

macOS Monterey 12.1 adds SharePlay, an entirely new way to have shared experiences with family and friends in FaceTime. This update also includes the Apple Music Voice Plan, new safety features for children and parents in Messages, redesigned Memories in Photos, and other features and bug fixes for your Mac.

SharePlay

• SharePlay is a new way to share synchronized experiences in FaceTime with content from the Apple TV app, Apple Music, and other supported apps
• Shared controls give everyone the ability to pause, play, rewind or fast forward
• Smart volume automatically lowers the audio of a movie, TV show or song when you or your friends speak
• Screen sharing lets everyone on a FaceTime call look at photos, browse the web, or help each other out

Apple Music Voice Plan

• Apple Music Voice Plan is a new subscription tier that gives you access to all songs, playlists, and stations in Apple Music using Siri
• Just Ask Siri suggests music based on your listening history and likes or dislikes
• Play it Again lets you access a list of your recently played music

Photos

• Memories has been redesigned with a new interactive interface, new animation and transition styles, and multiple image collages
• New Memory types include additional international holidays, child-focused memories, trends over time, and improved pet memories

Messages

• Communication safety setting gives parents the ability to enable warnings for children when they receive or send photos that contain nudity
  

• Safety warnings contain helpful resources for children when they receive photos that contain nudity

Siri and Search

• Expanded guidance in Siri, Spotlight and Safari Search to help children and parents stay safe online and get help with unsafe situations

Apple ID

• Digital Legacy allows you to designate people as Legacy Contacts so they can access your iCloud account and personal information in the event of your death

TV App

• Store tab lets you browse, buy, and rent movies and TV Shows all in one place

This release also includes the following enhancements for your Mac:

• Hide My Email is available in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers to create unique, random email addresses
• Stocks allows you to view the currency for a ticker and see year-to-date performance when viewing charts
• Reminders and Notes now allow you to delete or rename tags

This release also includes bug fixes for your Mac:

• Desktop and Screen Saver may appear blank after selecting photos from the Photos library
• Trackpad could become unresponsive to taps or clicks
• External displays may not charge some MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers when connected using Thunderbolt or USB-C
• HDR video playback on YouTube.com could cause 2021 MacBook Pro computers to panic
• Menu bar extras may be obscured by the camera housing on 2021 MacBook Pro computers
• MagSafe may stop charging on 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro computers when lid is closed and system is shut down

Apple today seeded the RC versions of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 15.2 updates to developers for testing purposes, less than a week after seeding the fourth betas and six weeks after the launch of iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1.

iOS and iPadOS 15.2 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or an iPad.

iOS and iPadOS 15.2 add support for App Privacy Report, a feature that Apple first highlighted back at WWDC. With App Privacy Report, you can see how often apps are accessing sensitive info granted to them through privacy permissions, such as location, camera, microphone, and contacts.

The feature also gives you details on the various domains that apps and websites are contacting, so you can keep an eye on what your apps are doing behind the scenes and where your data might be going.

App Privacy Report can be enabled by opening up the Settings app, selecting the Privacy section, and choosing App Privacy Report. From there, you can toggle it on. After you start using apps, data will begin showing up in this spot. Apple shows seven days worth of data.

iOS 15.2 introduces an updated version of Apple's Messages Communication Safety feature for kids, and it adds a Legacy Contacts feature that lets you set a person who can access your Apple content like photos in the event of your death.

Apple added a new "Items That Can Track Me" option in the Find My app for scanning for nearby items, and the TV app on ‌iPad‌ has a new sidebar to make navigation simpler. In the Mail app, there's also a new option to use the Hide My Email feature when composing or replying to an email.

There's a tweaked Notification Summary that gives summaries more of a card-style look, a toggle in the Camera app for Macro mode on ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro models, and an update to Emergency SOS. The Auto Call feature can now be enabled by pressing on the side button rapidly or holding down the side button and the volume button together. Apple has added a longer eight-second countdown (up from three seconds) to give you more time to cancel an accidental dial.

Apple's release notes for iOS 15.2 are as follows:

OS 15.2 adds Apple Music Voice Plan, a new subscription tier that provides access to music using Siri. This update also includes the App Privacy Report, new safety features for children and parents in Messages, and other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.

Apple Music Voice Plan

• Apple Music Voice Plan is a new subscription tier that gives you access to all songs, playlists, and stations in Apple Music using Siri
• Just Ask Siri suggests music based on your listening history and likes or dislikes
• Play it Again lets you access a list of your recently played music

Privacy

• App Privacy Report in Settings lets you see how often apps have accessed your location, photos, camera, microphone, contacts and more during the last seven days, as well as their network activity

Messages

• Communication safety setting gives parents the ability to enable warnings for children when they receive or send photos that contain nudity
• Safety warnings contain helpful resources for children when they receive photos that contain nudity

Siri and Search

• Expanded guidance in Siri, Spotlight and Safari Search to help children and parents stay safe online and get help with unsafe situations

Apple ID

• Digital Legacy allows you to designate people as Legacy Contacts so they can access your iCloud account and personal information in the event of your death

Camera

• Macro photo control for switching to the Ultra Wide lens to capture macro photos and videos can be enabled in Settings on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

TV app

• Store tab lets you browse, buy, and rent movies and TV Shows all in one place

CarPlay

• Enhanced city map in Apple Maps with road details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks for supported cities

This release also includes the following enhancements for your iPhone:

• Hide My Email is available in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers to create unique, random email addresses
• Find My can locate iPhone for up to five hours when in Power Reserve
• Stocks allows you to view the currency for a ticker and see year-to-date performance when viewing charts
• Reminders and Notes now allow you to delete or rename tags

This release also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:

• Siri may not respond while VoiceOver is running and iPhone is locked
• ProRAW photos may appear overexposed when viewing in third-party photo editing apps
• HomeKit scenes that include a garage door may not run from CarPlay when your iPhone is locked
• CarPlay may not update Now Playing information for certain apps
• Video streaming apps may not load content on iPhone 13 models
• Calendar events may appear on the wrong day for Microsoft Exchange users

For a full list of features that have been added with each beta, we have dedicated guides for the initial beta, the second beta, and the third beta.

Apple today seeded the release candidate version of watchOS 8.3 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming one week after the launch of the fourth beta and over a month after the release of watchOS 8.1.

To install ‌‌‌watchOS 8‌‌‌.3, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, ‌‌‌watchOS 8.3‌‌‌ can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update.

To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌.

watchOS 8.3 introduces support for the Apple Music Voice Plan and App Privacy Report, plus it introduces a fix for an issue that could cause notifications to interrupt Mindfulness sessions.

Razer today announced the launch of the Razer Phone Cooler Chroma, a MagSafe-compatible fan that's designed to attach to the back of an iPhone.

While there's a MagSafe version for the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and 13 models, there's also a second version with a clamp design that's meant for Android phones and that would also work with non-MagSafe iPhones.

Razer says that the Phone Cooler Chroma has a 7-blade fan with up to 6400rpm, and a 30dB noise profile for quiet performance. There's a Bluetooth connection to adjust the fan properties, and it is meant to work with a USB-C power cable as there is no included battery.

According to Razer, the device is meant to provide "advanced cooling technology" for improved gaming performance. The included 12 Razer Chroma RGB lights can also be customized.

The Razer Phone Cooler Chroma can be purchased from the Razer website for $60.

Twitter has rolled out playback of recorded Spaces to all iOS, Android, and web users, the company today announced.

The ability to listen to a recording of a Twitter Space is now available to all users, making the company's live discussion rooms work more like traditional podcasts. Users can only listen back to Spaces that hosts have actively selected to be recorded.

Some hosts on Android and iOS now have the ability to record their Spaces by tapping "Record Space" before selecting "Start a Space," allowing all users to listen to it even once it has finished. Users who join a Space that is being recorded will see a "Rec" button with a red dot at the top of the Space view, and once it has ended, users can share the recording on Twitter.

Previously, Spaces only functioned as live audio discussions with no ability to listen again once it had ended. Twitter has been progressively adding more features to Spaces in recent months, such as Ticketed Spaces that allow creators to charge for access to a live discussion.

Amazon today has Apple's 11-inch iPad Pro Magic Keyboard for $249.99, down from $299.00. This is the 2021 model in White, and it's available for delivery before Christmas as of writing.

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

This is one of the lowest prices we've ever tracked on this model of the Magic Keyboard, and the previous Amazon low was around $284.00. The Magic Keyboard features a trackpad and floating cantilever design, and is also compatible with the fourth generation iPad Air.

Amazon also has the 12.9-inch iPad Pro Magic Keyboard, but stock is quickly dwindling on this model. You can get it for $299.99, down from $349.00. There was a very rare discount on this accessory last month, when it was available for $242.99, but that hasn't returned and at this point isn't likely to resurface.

Shoppers should note that for the 12.9-inch model, the sale price won't be seen until you get to the checkout screen. At that point, Amazon will automatically apply a $29.99 coupon to your order. Similar to the 11-inch, this one is only available in White.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Apple CEO Tim Cook "secretly" signed an agreement worth more than $275 billion with Chinese officials, promising that Apple would help to develop China's economy and technological capabilities, The Information reports.

In an extensive paywalled report based on interviews and purported internal Apple documents, The Information revealed that ‌Tim Cook‌ personally forged a five-year agreement with the Chinese government during a series of in-person visits to the country in 2016. The need to push for a closer alliance with the Chinese government reportedly came from a number of Apple executives who were concerned about bad publicity in China and the company's poor relationship with Chinese officials, who believed that Apple was not contributing enough to the local economy.

Alleged internal documents show that Cook "personally lobbied officials" in China over threats made against Apple Pay, iCloud, and the App Store. Cook set out to use a "memorandum of understanding" between Apple and a powerful Chinese government agency called the National Development and Reform Commission to formally agree to a number of concessions in return for regulatory exemptions. The 1,250-word agreement was written by Apple's government affairs team in China and stewarded by Cook as he met with Chinese officials.

In May 2016, Cook announced that Apple would be investing $1 billion in the Chinese ride-hailing startup Didi Chuxing in a pointed attempt to mollify authorities, the report added. Shortly after, Cook, Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, and government affairs head Lisa Jackson met with senior government officials in Zhongnanhai, the central headquarters of the Communist Party of China.

Cook's negotiations led to the successful signing of the multibillion-dollar agreement, quashing a number of regulatory actions against the company with exemptions and enabling access to the Chinese market, in return for significant investments, business deals, and worker training in the country.

The agreement included a pledge from Apple to help Chinese manufacturers develop "the most advanced manufacturing technologies," "support the training of high-quality Chinese talents," use more components from Chinese suppliers, sign deals with Chinese software firms, collaborate with research in Chinese universities, and directly invest in Chinese tech companies, as well as assistance with around a dozen Chinese government causes. If there were no objections from either side, the deal would be automatically be extended for an additional year until May 2022, according to the agreement.

Apple vowed to invest "many billions of dollars more" than its current expenditure in China, including on new retail stores, research and development facilities, and renewable energy projects. Other internal documents reportedly showed that Apple's pledge amounted to more than $275 billion in spending over a period of five years.

The Information suggests that Apple is heavily reliant on Cook for international negotiations and speculates that it could face difficulties dealing with government affairs when Cook stands down as the company's CEO.

For more information, see The Information's full report.

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.

Amazon has returned Apple's AirPods 2 to their Black Friday price of $99.99 this week, down from $129.00. Since the end of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we've seen nearly all AirPods models briefly return to their best prices of the year, but as of writing all other sales have since ended, proving the importance of striking while the iron is hot in regards to these markdowns.

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

The AirPods 2 with Wired Charging Case currently have a December 12 shipping estimate for free delivery, but they could be delivered as fast as tomorrow in the United States. As it was for all previous post-Black Friday AirPods deals, we aren't sure if this season-best price will return before Christmas, so buy now if you've been waiting.

We track sales for every model of the AirPods in our Best AirPods Deals guide, so be sure to bookmark that page while you shop around for the wireless headphones.

Eve today announced the launch of its third-generation Eve Room, a HomeKit-enabled indoor air quality monitor that now comes with Thread support. Eve Room is designed to track air quality, temperature, and humidity.

Design wise, the updated Eve Room looks similar to the existing second-generation Eve Room, with an e-ink display that shows the current room conditions. The major new addition is Thread integration for better connectivity with other smart home products. According to Eve, it now offers 10 products that work with HomeKit over Thread.

Eve CEO Jerome Gackel said that Thread has been "a spectacular success" for Eve, and in the "not too distant future," a Thread network will be "just as common as Wi-Fi." Eve Room is designed to join a Thread network automatically, and it works with both Bluetooth and Thread. Note that for Thread connectivity, a device that serves as a Thread Border Router is required, such as the HomePod mini.

Eve Room is able to detect volatile organic compounds in the air, which can be harmful to people and pets. It also provides temperature readings and allows users to keep track of humidity. Data can be viewed on the device itself, and it also syncs to the Eve app.

The third-generation Eve Room is available from the Eve website for $99.95.

Google has added the ability to join one-on-one Google Chat voice and video calls from within the Gmail app, the company has announced.

Before now, it was possible to make calls from within the Gmail app on iOS and Android, but users had to send an invite to a Google Meet video conferencing call, which was more convoluted and limiting.

In future, however, users will be able to tap new phone and video icons that appear in the upper right corner of individual one-on-one chat screens in the Google Chat section of the app.

In addition, users who initiate a call from the Google Chat app will now be redirected to the Gmail app, highlighting Google's intention of putting the Gmail app at the center of its communication platforms.

The call feature is rolling out from December 6 for everyone with Google Workspace, G Suite, or personal Google accounts.

(Via The Verge.)

New detailed CT scan images of the first-generation AirPods, AirPods Pro, and third-generation AirPods have revealed in detail what internal design changes Apple had to accomplish to include new features in every generation while continuing to miniaturize internal components.

The first-generation AirPods, announced in 2016, serve as the main design inspiration for the ‌AirPods Pro‌ and third-generation AirPods. The CT scan shows that the internal battery is the largest component in the first-gen AirPods, taking up the entire space of the long stem. In the earpiece, Apple's H1 chip finds its home and, at the bottom, a single downfacing microphone.

With the ‌AirPods Pro‌, Apple's first update to the AirPods since their launch, the company had to completely rethink the internal structure and placement of components. Perhaps the most striking and noticeable change highlighted by the scans is the location of the battery.

The ‌AirPods Pro‌ nixed the long-stem design from the AirPods and Apple's classical EarBuds. Instead, Apple cut the stem to make the entire body shorter, meaning fitting a battery to provide sufficient charge into the smaller stem proved a challenge.

To counter this, Apple placed the battery in the head of the ‌AirPods Pro‌. In the head, which grew in size compared to the first-gen AirPods, Apple also miniaturized different components into a single PCB, or printed circuit board, to allow for a smaller footprint. The ‌AirPods Pro‌ also included Adaptive EQ, which was enabled thanks to a third, new microphone placed in the head of ‌AirPods Pro‌ in front of the speaker.

In the stem, Apple also repositioned the microphones compared to the initial AirPods, now placing them higher and not directly coming out of the bottom of the stem. The removal of the battery from the stem of ‌AirPods Pro‌ allowed Apple to include force touch sensors, allowing users to squeeze the ‌AirPods Pro‌ to pause music, invoke Siri, and more.

The third-generation AirPods announced this past fall takes heavy inspiration from the ‌AirPods Pro‌ design but is a mix between the standard AirPods and the ‌AirPods Pro‌ in how it's internally built. Unlike the ‌AirPods Pro‌, which features a primarily bare stem, the CT scan shows the third-generation AirPods' stem full of components and a few distributed sensors, similar to the first-gen AirPods. Like the ‌AirPods Pro‌, the battery remains in the head of the AirPods alongside new skin-contact sensors.

Moving forward, Apple is expected to adopt an entirely new approach with the next-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌, which will dispense with a stem altogether. The design and engineering lessons Apple has learned thus far with AirPods, such as being able to fit the battery in the head of the AirPods instead of the stem, are likely to come into greater play with the new ‌AirPods Pro‌ destined for launch in 2022.

The CT scan images were provided by "Scan of the Month," a website that takes popular products and puts them under a CT scan to uncover how they're designed and built. This month's AirPods website is a fun and interactive experience for those interested and can be found here.