MacRumors

Samsung earlier this month unveiled the new Galaxy Z Fold 3, its latest flagship foldable smartphone. We thought we'd check out the Z Fold 3 to see the technology improvements that Samsung has made to its foldable smartphone lineup.

Foldable smartphones are still expensive, and as a Samsung flagship, the Z Fold 3 is priced starting at $1,799.99, which is more than you have to shell out for some computers. Of course, this is meant to serve as both a phone and a tablet, so there's a little more versatility than your average smartphone.

Design wise, the Z Fold 3 is Samsung's best foldable device yet because the camera is under the display for an all-display design. It looks great and while it's not entirely hidden, it maximizes available screen space.

The Z Fold 3 is a book-like device where the two sides come together in an inward fold. When folded, the outside display measures in at 6.2 inches, and when unfolded, it has a full 7.6-inch display inside. We found the display to be brighter, sharper, and more vibrant than Samsung's Z Fold 2.

Other than the fold and the in-display camera, the Z Fold 3 is basically on par with other smartphones. It has a 120Hz display, three 12-megapixel rear lenses, and a 10-megapixel front camera. It features IPX8 water resistance, a 4,400mAh battery, and a protective display film that's more durable than Samsung's past foldable devices.

The Z Fold 3 is Samsung's first foldable that supports the S Pen, and Samsung designed an S Pen just for the new smartphone. It has a tip that's designed to retract a bit while you're writing to prevent damage to the display, and it features the same S Pen functionality available with other Samsung devices. The S Pen is an optional add-on, though, so there's no dedicated storage.

As for the folding functionality, Samsung did a better job with the hinge this year and the folding mechanism feels more durable and like it will better hold up to damage.

At this price point, the Z Fold 3 is still a niche device that most people aren't going to want to pay the price for, but it's a definite improvement over the prior Z Fold 2. Samsung now has a few years of foldable device development on Apple, so it will be interesting to see how Apple's foldable iPhone measures up should one ever see a release.

T-Mobile recently suffered a significant data breach that saw sensitive data from more than 50 million current, prospective, and former customers stolen.

John Binns, a 21-year-old American who lives in Turkey, told The Wall Street Journal that he is responsible for the attack. Binns said that he discovered an unprotected router in July after scanning T-Mobile's known internet addresses for weak spots.

He used the unprotected router to access T-Mobile's data center located in Washington, where stored credentials provided him access to over 100 servers. He said he initially panicked because he "had access to something big," and went on to claim that T-Mobile's "security is awful."

It took him about a week to sort through the servers to find the personal data on millions of customers, and he downloaded the data on August 4. On August 13, T-Mobile was informed that someone was selling T-Mobile customer data, and T-Mobile confirmed the breach just days later.

T-Mobile has since said that data from more than 50 million customers was accessed. Stolen data includes customer names, dates of birth, SSNs, ID cards, and licenses. The Wall Street Journal took steps to confirm that the hacker selling the data was Binns, using his IRDev online alias.

Binns told The ‌Wall Street Journal‌ that he hacked T-Mobile to "generate noise" and get attention as he had allegedly been the victim of an illegal kidnapping that saw him taken to a fake mental hospital in Germany. Binns would not say whether he had sold any of the data that he stole, and it is not clear if he had accomplices. The Seattle office of the FBI is investigating the hack.

Affected T-Mobile customers can receive two years of free identity protection services through McAfee's ID Theft Protection Service and can implement Account Takeover Protection features.

Apple today released a new firmware update designed for the AirTag item trackers. The refreshed firmware has a version number of 1.0.291 and a build number of 1A291a, up from 1A287b.

There's no word on what new features the firmware might add, but firmware released back in June added anti-stalking enhancements.

There is no way to force an ‌AirTag‌ update, as it's something that's done over-the-air through a connected iPhone. To make sure the update happens, you can put your ‌AirTag‌ in range of your ‌‌iPhone‌‌, but you have to wait for the firmware to roll out to your device.

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

Classic puzzle game Myst has been revived on the Mac and an optimized version of the title is now available for M1 Macs.

Cyan has undertaken a rework of the game that takes advantage of Metal 2.1 and AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution for a 50 percent performance boost on ‌M1‌ Macs that does not impact game quality.

Myst for ‌M1‌ Macs features improved modeling, textures, and dynamic lighting effects, and Apple's machines are able to run the game at 4K resolution without noisy fans. It's also been reimagined for a VR gaming experience.

Myst is compatible with both Intel and ‌M1‌ Macs. According to the system requirements, it works with the following machines:

• All MacBook Pros released since 2018
• All iMacs released since 2019
• All iMac Pros released since 2017
• All MacBook Airs released since 2018
• All Mac Pros released since 2019
• All Mac minis released since 2018

The updated version of Myst can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $29.99.

Netflix earlier this year confirmed plans to get into mobile gaming, and now the company is testing its gaming experience with Netflix users in Poland.

Netflix's Polish Twitter account today tweeted that the Android Netflix app in Poland is offering access to "Stranger Things 1984" and "Stranger Things 3," two mobile game options.

According to NetflixGeeked, the games are included with a Netflix membership and feature no ads or in-app purchases, similar to how Apple Arcade works. The games are downloaded directly to a mobile device from Netflix and are not streamed from the Netflix app.

As noted by CNET, the games that are being offered have been available for a few years outside of the Netflix app and were created in partnership with Netflix for the second and third seasons of "Stranger Things."

Back in July, Netflix said that it considered gaming to be another new content category, similar to its expansion into original films, animation, and unscripted television.

With its expansion into mobile gaming, Netflix will compete directly with ‌Apple Arcade‌, Apple's $4.99 per month gaming service that allows users to access hundreds of ad-free games on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

Given that the two games Netflix is experimenting with are already existing titles, we may need to wait for some time to see where Netflix plans to take its mobile gaming feature in the future.

The Apple Watch continues to be the most popular smart watch on the market, and in Q2 2021, Apple hit a new user base milestone, according to Counterpoint Research's Global Smartwatch Shipments Tracker.

There are now more than 100 million active Apple Watch users thanks to the device's design, health features, and related services. It's possible Apple hit this milestone even earlier than 2021, as Neil Cybart said in February that based on his estimates, Apple reached 100 million users in December.

In the second quarter of 2021, global smart watch shipments were up 27 percent overall, and Apple was able to maintain its number one position. Apple's market share was at 28 percent, down slightly from 30 percent in the year-ago quarter, but well above competitors like Huawei, Samsung, and Garmin.

The United States continues to be Apple's largest market, responsible for more than half of the Apple Watch user base.

During the quarter, the Apple Watch Series 6 was the most popular smart watch overall, followed by the Apple Watch SE. The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 took the third spot, followed by the Apple Watch Series 3 in fourth and the Imoo Z6-4G in fifth.

Apple in just a few weeks is set to debut its newest wrist-worn device, the Apple Watch Series 7. The Series 7 will feature the first redesign we've seen in years, with Apple adopting a flat-edged design, a larger display, and new 41mm and 45mm case sizes.

We're expecting Apple to debut the new Apple Watch Series 7 models alongside the iPhone 13 lineup, and we could be hearing details on an event date within the next two weeks.

Refurbished M1 Mac mini models with a 10Gb ethernet port are now available from the Apple Store, following the launch of the $100 build-to-order option in April.

The refurbished units were first spotted by Paul Haddad on Twitter. There are currently a range of refurbished ‌M1‌ ‌Mac mini‌ configurations with 10Gb ethernet available with different amounts of storage, although stock appears to be selling out quickly. Going forward, stock will fluctuate based on which machines customers are sending back to Apple for repairs and returns.

Spot checks show that the refurbished ‌M1‌ models with 10Gb ethernet are now available in multiple regions, including the United States, Canada, France, and Japan.

When buying the ‌M1‌ ‌Mac mini‌ new, customers have to use a build-to-order configuration to upgrade from standard Gigabit ethernet to 10Gb ethernet for an additional $100. A refurbished ‌M1‌ ‌Mac mini‌ with 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and 10Gb ethernet sells for $849, which is a $150 saving on the same machine if bought new.

Apple's refurbished ‌‌M1‌‌ Mac minis are sold with the same one-year warranty offered with a new ‌‌Mac mini‌, and they come with all manuals and accessories. Apple uses a rigorous testing, repair, repackaging, and cleaning process to ensure refurbished devices are identical to new devices.

Apple today announced a News Partner Program that will allow publishers who are committed to publishing their content through Apple News to qualify for a reduced 15% commission rate on qualifying in-app subscriptions.

In exchange for maintaining a "robust" presence on Apple News, publishers enrolled in the program will receive 85% of the revenue from readers who subscribe through the publication's own app on the App Store. By comparison, publishers currently receive 70% of revenue from readers who have been subscribed for less than one year and 85% of revenue from readers who have been subscribed for one year or longer.

Publishers may apply for the program starting today worldwide. To be eligible, publishers must maintain an Apple News channel and publish all content to that channel in the Apple News Format. Further details are available on Apple's website.

Apple will also support, fund, and collaborate with additional media literacy organizations around the world, and the company has recommitted support to three leading non-profit organizations that offer independent media literacy programs, including Common Sense Media, the News Literacy Project, and Osservatorio Permanente Giovani-Editori.

Days after celebrating his tenth anniversary at Apple's helm, Tim Cook is poised to receive a whopping $750 million of Apple's stock this week as the final installment of his pay deal with Apple, put in place over a decade ago when he took over the company, Bloomberg reports.

The installment will consist of 5 million shares of Apple's stock, equating to be around worth $750 million, according to Bloomberg. Last year, Cook received restricted stock units worth up to $114 million, ensuring he'll remain CEO until at least 2025.

Cook, aged 60, has a net worth of roughly $1.5 billion according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. Though a billionaire, Cook's compensation for 2020 was among the most modest compared to other high-paid tech CEOs. In 2020, Cook received $14.7 million, according to SEC filings.

The CEO has said in the past he donates a portion of his salary and compensation to charitable organizations and plans to give most of his wealth away.

Some Apple staff feel more confident to speak about their employer amongst themselves, to the press, and on social media due to the company's switch to remote working and increased use of Slack over the past year, The Information reports.

Apple's Slack became a "virtual town square" at the company, providing a platform for employees to protest the return to in-person work, decisions to hire controversial new employees, and more. Until the transition to remote working last year due to the global health crisis, Apple's culture of secrecy limited the opportunities for grassroots employees to organize independently.

Apple employees are asked to sign multiple agreements vowing to not disclose information about their work, including to spouses and other colleagues at the company. When work was conducted in person before last year's changes, the interaction between different parts of the company was heavily limited, with physical access to other departments being restricted to those authorized to be there. A software engineer in Apple's global security team, Cher Scarlett, said:

Before Slack, it was difficult for employees to talk to somebody who works in retail unless you went to the store. It was impossible to talk to someone who works in hardware as I don't work with anyone there. You're giving people a platform that allows them to connect with people they wouldn't ordinarily connect with.

A former Apple procurement manager told The Information that Apple's internal employee directory was so difficult to navigate that it was virtually impossible to find out, for example, who was in charge of iPad marketing in Latin America.

In the fall of 2019, Apple allowed its various teams to start adopting Slack at their own pace. Until the global health crisis prompted the widespread adoption of Slack, the company preferred to use its own software at work, with some exceptions such as Cisco Jabber. Apple's own iMessage platform is reportedly heavily relied upon for internal communication.

There are now believed to be 3,000 internal Apple Slack channels with more than 10,000 members, which has made it considerably easier for employees to communicate with each other and unite around common goals. Last year, channels for a range of topics, including #announcements, #careers, #help-desk-support, #talk-investments, and #talk-trading, were created by employees. A number of channels also center on different religious communities among Apple employees.

The popular channels #remote-work-advocacy and #talk-benefits center on advocacy and are said to contain more than 7,000 members and led employees' push to continue working remotely earlier this year. The channel #women-in-swe contains more than 2,000 female software engineers and advocated the firing of an allegedly misogynistic new employee last year. One former employee said:

People are fully remote now, so what was previously water-cooler chat has become much more candid because the digital environment feels safer and less personalized.

The move toward being more outspoken about the company has also spilled over to social media, with an Apple engineering program manager posting accusations of sexism, discrimination, and other inappropriate behavior on Twitter, even sharing partially redacted internal Apple emails and Slack messages about her case.

In addition, another employee posted a photo of Apple's medical release form on Twitter that asked employees to release their healthcare information to the company as a proviso for the approval of medical leave and remote work. Other posts accused Apple's human resources department of shutting down surveys about pay transparency.

"Slack and social media have been absolutely the biggest catalyst in giving workers the ability to organize," Scarlett said. She added that she feels comfortable speaking on the record to the media about these issues without Apple's approval since "a nondisparagement clause doesn't mean you can't say anything bad about the company. You can openly talk about discrimination."

Apple employees are now said to have started a Discord server to discuss company issues, which has a waiting list of more than 200 applicants, and 15 employees launched a website around the hashtag #AppleToo to collect testimonials about discrimination or harassment at the company.

An image purporting to show a "45mm" Apple Watch band has surfaced online ahead of the expected unveiling of Apple Watch Series 7 models next month.

The small, low-resolution image, shared by "DuanRui" on Twitter, originated from the Chinese social media network Weibo and appears to show the underside of an Apple Watch band, which could be a Saddle Brown Leather Link band. While it is not clear how reliable this image may be, the 45mm sizing lines up with a number of previous rumors around the Apple Watch Series 7.

Alleged CAD renders of the larger Apple Watch Series 7 suggested that it would sport a 45mm display, a 1mm increase from the current 44mm display on the larger Apple Watch Series 6 model. This is expected to be achieved by making the casing's edges flat, which would slightly increase the top surface area of the device for the display, and by reducing the size of the display's bezels.

Another report from the Chinese leaker known as "UnclePan" suggested that the Apple Watch Series 7 will come in larger 41mm and 45mm case sizes, replacing the current 40mm and 44mm options.

Despite these previous leaks, this image is the first time that a potential 45mm Apple Watch sizing has been seen in the wild and the first time that the larger size has been referred to specifically with regards to Apple Watch bands.

41 and 45mm Apple Watch Series 7 models are expected to continue to be compatible with bands from previous generations, in the same way that 38mm Apple Watch bands continued to be functionally compatible with 40mm Apple Watches, and 42mm Apple Watch bands continued to be functionally compatible with 44mm Apple Watches.

CAD renders and renders supposedly based on leaked images have also indicated that the Apple Watch Series 7 will carry over the same mechanical band system. Though the device's display is expected to increase in size by 1mm and the edges are expected to be flat like the iPhone 12 lineup, the height and width of the new models are expected to be the same as previous models, allowing for compatibility with the same Apple Watch bands. The only dimension anticipated to change significantly is the thickness, with new models purportedly set to be 1.7mm thinner than the current Series 6.

The Apple Watch Series 7, featuring a number of improvements such as slimmer bezels, upgraded Ultra Wideband connectivity, and a faster chip, is likely to arrive alongside the ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup at a digital event next month.

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Update: An image of a second alleged Apple Watch Series 7 band has now been shared online. This blue Braided Solo Loop, seemingly with an identical design to previous versions, is for a 41mm Apple Watch model, indicating that previous rumors around the smaller devices also getting a 1mm display size increase may have been correct.

Apple supplier Foxconn is rushing to hire 200,000 more workers by the end of September to manufacture the iPhone 13 models, according to the South China Morning Post.

The 200,000 additional workers are needed at the world's biggest ‌iPhone‌ factory in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, ahead of the expected launch of the ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup next month. Hiring enough manpower has been the "biggest bottleneck" to production at the manufacturing facility, according to the site's deputy general manager, Wang Xue, who was quoted by a local broadcaster. Earlier this month, it was reported that Foxconn was struggling to hire enough workers for ‌iPhone‌ 13 production.

The staffing goal is reportedly being supported by local governments, which have provided 100 busses to "pick up job applicants from their communities and drop them at the factory gates." Foxconn believes that it will be able to hire 200,000 new hires by the end of September "at the current speed of recruitment." Once hired, new workers will be fast-tracked into their position.

The Zhengzhou factory can accommodate as many as 350,000 assembly line workers and manufacture up to 500,000 new iPhones every day. The current hiring push seeks to combat ramped-up production for the ‌‌iPhone‌ 13‌ models, which are believed to be on track for launch late next month.

A photo purporting to show the sticker tabs used to seal Apple products in their boxes appears to confirm the "iPhone 13" name for the company's upcoming 2021 ‌iPhone‌ lineup.

The photo was highlighted by "DuanRui" on Twitter, linking to a post on the Chinese social media network Weibo.

The validity of the image is not known, but it is not unusual to see images of ‌iPhone‌ packaging emerging at this time of year as the device's launch date approaches. Around three weeks before the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup last year, images of packaging stickers showing the correct naming for those devices were also shared by DuanRui.

While most reliable sources have persistently referred to the 2021 ‌iPhone‌ models as the "‌iPhone‌ 13" lineup, there has been a large amount of speculation from some observers on social media and a number of individuals who claim to be leakers with no track record that the upcoming iPhones would in fact be "‌iPhone‌ 12S" models.

A survey from earlier this year suggested that most consumers do not want the devices to be called the "‌iPhone‌ 13." 38 percent of survey respondents said that Apple should call its next smartphone series simply "‌‌iPhone‌‌ (2021)," 26 percent thought that the "‌‌iPhone‌ 13‌" was the best name, and only 13 percent said that they would like to see the devices called the "‌‌iPhone‌‌ 12S."

The ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup is expected to be unveiled next month with a number of new features, including a 120Hz display, larger batteries, new camera features, an "A15" chip, up to 1TB of storage, and more.

Apple is reportedly planning to increase the price of the upcoming iPhone 13 series as a way to compensate for the increased costs of chip production from its leading chip supplier TSMC, according to a report from DigiTimes.

According to the report, TSMC is planning to increase the costs of its chip production, impacting several customers, including Apple. TSMC is reportedly looking to increase its costs by as much as 20% for its "advanced and mature process technologies." The new changes are expected to go into effect in January.

TSMC has reportedly notified customers of price increases by as much as 20% for its advanced and mature process technologies, with the new prices set to be effective starting January 2022. The price adjustments will also be for the orders scheduled to be fulfilled starting December.

For TSMC's advanced sub-7nm process technologies, quotes will rise by 3-10%, the sources indicated. Apple, the biggest client of TSMC with its orders accounting for over 20% of the foundry's total wafer revenue, will experience a 3-5% price hike, the sources said.

As a way to compensate for the increase of the costs, Apple is reportedly eyeing to increase the costs of the upcoming ‌iPhone‌ 13 series to "mitigate the impact of rising costs on their profitability."

While facing rising production costs, brand vendors may end up passing the costs onto end-market customers, the observers said.

Apple is likely to set higher prices for its upcoming iPhone and other series, according to market sources. Multiple notebook brand vendors, which have raised their prices by 5-10% so far this year, continue to explore ways to mitigate the impact of rising costs on their profitability.

Apple this year is preparing some considerable improvements for the ‌iPhone‌ 13, including features specifically designed for professional photographers and videographers. On the higher-end models of the upcoming lineup, Apple is rumored to be adding support for ProRes for videos and portrait mode videos. Apple may see both of these features as justification for an increase in price on its most premium iPhones.

Apple is expected to hold an all-digital event which will include the announcement of the ‌iPhone‌ 13 and Apple Watch Series 7 in just a few weeks. To catch up on everything we know about the upcoming iPhones, be sure to check out our comprehnsive guide.

Apple CEO Tim Cook this morning attended a cybersecurity meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and executives from other tech companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.

Following the summit, the White House said that the companies in attendance pledged their help to bolster U.S. cybersecurity efforts, with Apple planning to develop a program to make security improvements across its technology supply chain (via Bloomberg and CNBC).

Apple will work with suppliers to adopt multi-factor authentication, security training, and incident response in an effort to improve security.

Google plans to invest $10 billion over five years to strengthen cybersecurity, and it plans to train 100,000 Americans in technical fields through its Career Certificate Program. Microsoft pledged $20 billion over five years to provide more advanced security tools and will invest $150 million to help government agencies upgrade their security systems.

IBM plans to train more than 150,000 people in cybersecurity skills across three years, and it announced a new data storage solution for critical infrastructure companies. Amazon Web Services plans to give account holders free multi-factor authentication devices to improve security, and it will also offer Security Awareness Training.

During the meeting, President Joe Biden asked tech executives to help improve cybersecurity for critical infrastructure and economy, urging them to train up a larger cybersecurity workforce and to provide improvements to cybersecurity in their sectors.

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.

iOS 15 didn't focus heavily on improvements to HomeKit and the Home app, but there are some notable features like expanded HomeKit Secure Video support and new Siri functionality.

This guide highlights all of the features that are new to ‌HomeKit‌ in the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 updates.

HomeKit Secure Video

iOS 15 introduces a new iCloud+ service that offers privacy-based features like ‌iCloud‌ Private Relay and Hide My Email, but the feature also comes with ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ improvements.

With ‌iCloud‌+, Apple is increasing the number of ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ cameras supported with each ‌iCloud‌ plan. There have been no changes to ‌iCloud‌ plans and all ‌iCloud‌ plans are now ‌iCloud‌+ plans, but more camera footage can be stored.

The $0.99 per month 50GB ‌iCloud‌+ storage plan offers support for one ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ Camera, which is a major improvement because previously, the 200GB plan was required to use ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌.

With the $2.99 per month 200GB ‌iCloud‌+ plan that previously offered support for one camera, you can now record with five ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ cameras at one time. The $9.99 per month 2TB ‌iCloud‌+ storage plan supports unlimited ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ cameras, up from five.

All ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ footage that's stored in ‌iCloud‌ is secure and end-to-end encrypted, and no camera footage counts against the total ‌iCloud‌ storage that you have available. To use ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌, you need the 50GB plan at a minimum, along with a HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV, or iPad that serves as a home hub for your ‌HomeKit‌ devices.

Package Detection

‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ already supports people detection to narrow down motion alerts, but in iOS 15, security cameras and video doorbells that support ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ can detect a package delivery and let you know when the package you're waiting for arrives on your doorstep.

Home Keys

HomeKit-enabled door locks that support iOS 15's new Home Keys feature can store a digital key in the Wallet app.

The digital key can be used to tap to unlock a compatible lock, so you don't need a manufacturer's app to use digital unlocking features.

Home Keys can be accessed on the iPhone or on the Apple Watch using the Wallet app.

Time-Based Siri Commands

‌Siri‌ in iOS 15 can be used to control a ‌HomeKit‌ device at a specific time. So if you want your bedroom lights to turn off at 9:00 p.m., you can say "Hey ‌Siri‌, turn the bedroom lights off at 9:00 p.m., and the voice assistant complies.

This feature uses the Automation option in the Home app, so every time you ask ‌Siri‌ control a ‌HomeKit‌ device at a specific time, it creates an automation. You can view and delete automations in the Automation section of the Home app.

Siri-Enabled Third-Party Accessories

Third-party ‌HomeKit‌ accessory makers can integrate ‌Siri‌ functionality into their devices in iOS 15, but the person using the device needs to own a ‌HomePod‌ that can be used to route requests. This functionality needs to be implemented by manufacturers and so it won't be available right when iOS 15 launches.

With ‌Siri‌ integration, you can ask any compatible product in your home to send messages, set reminders, contact family members, control devices, and more.

Guide Feedback

Have questions about the new ‌HomeKit‌ changes in iOS 15, know of a feature we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.