MacRumors

Apple must face a patent infringement lawsuit over the heart rate technology in the Apple Watch, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled today.

Back in 2018, Apple was sued by Omni MedSci, with the company alleging that Apple used its patented technology in the Apple Watch. Apple reportedly met with Omni MedSci between 2014 to 2016 to discuss a possible partnership, but Apple is said to have ended discussions and used technology from four Omni patents anyway.

According to Reuters, Apple attempted to get the lawsuit dismissed.

Omni MedSci is owned by Mohammed Islam, who has been described as a "poster child for a patenting professional." He owns six companies and has collected more than 150 patents. In the past, he has used those patents to sue companies that include Fujitsu, Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, Nokia, and Siemens.

Islam is employed by the University of Michigan, and Apple's argument for dismissal was that his patents were owned by the university, which the University of Michigan supported on behalf of Apple. The appeals court decided that was not the case, and that Islam's employment agreement did not automatically assign his patents to the university.

Omni MedSci has claimed that Apple willfully infringed on its patents. The company is seeking an injunction to stop the sale of the Apple Watch, along with damages. Omni MedSci's attorney told Reuters that the company is "pleased by not surprised" by the ruling.

Twitter's "Sign in With Apple" feature is now widely available to iPhone and iPad users, following a beta test earlier this month.

Downloading the Twitter app presents an option to "Continue with Apple," which is available alongside the "Continue with Google" or "Create Account" options.

Using ‌Sign in With Apple‌, Twitter users who wish to create a new account can do so with their Apple IDs, and can elect to hide their true email addresses from Twitter. Signing up is as simple as confirming an account with Face ID, though Twitter users will still need to provide a date of birth and other info.

Account names appear to be generated based on user name and can be changed afterward, but there are some limitations to be aware of. Since Sign in with Apple does not create a password, it can be difficult to change an account's email address, select a new profile name, or deactivate an account.

Twitter says that Sign in with Apple support will be coming soon to the web.

In iOS 15, Apple's Maps app benefits from a range of new features and improvements, including the ability to use augmented reality walking directions in big cities.

In a nod to Google Maps, the new AR mode can map walking directions onto the real world by using your iPhone's rear camera, making it easier to see where you need to go in built-up areas and reducing the need to look down at your smartphone as you move.

First, initiate a walking route, then simply raise your ‌iPhone‌ and scan the buildings around you when prompted. The step-by-step directions will appear in the AR mode automatically, which should make it easier to get where you need to go, especially in situations where the directions are tricky.

The AR feature is available from late 2021 in major supported cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Philadephia, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington DC.

Note that to get augmented reality walking directions, your ‌iPhone‌ will need an A12 chip or later. The A12 was first used in the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ XS, XS Max, and XR, which came out in 2018, which means that iPhones released after 2018 are compatible with the AR feature.

A Steve Jobs and Apple auction coming from Boston-based RR Auction in August will see the sale of several classic Macs and other Apple memorabilia, including a rare Apple-1 computer, an Apple II manual signed by Steve Jobs, a leather bomber jacket worn by Jobs, and more.

The Apple-1 that's going up for sale is from the collection of Roger Wagner, and it was previously sold in April 2002 at the Vintage Computer Festival in 2002. Wagner, who authored the first book on assembly-language programming for the Apple II, is a friend of Steve Wozniak.

The Apple-1 was restored to working condition by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen, and it is functional with a condition rating of 7/10. It comes with the original Apple-1 board, Cassette Interface, cassettes, Panasonic Portable Cassette Tape Recorder and Player, an Apple II keyboard, 11 original Apple-1 Operating Manual pages signed by Ronald Wayne, and more.

Apple-1 machines were the first computers produced by Apple and sold by Steve Jobs out of his parents' garage back in 1976. Priced at $666.66, there were originally 175 Apple-1 computers manufactured, but less than half of those are still in existence, so these machines fetch high prices at auction.

Bidding on the Apple-1 will start at $50,000, and RR Auction estimates that it could sell for as much as $450,000. Last March, a functional Apple-1 computer sold for $458,000, though it was in slightly better condition. Some Apple-1 machines have sold for up to $815,000.

Along with the Apple-1, RR Auction is selling Steve Jobs' bomber jacket, which was worn in the 1983 "middle finger to IBM" photo, and an Apple II manual that was signed by Steve Jobs and Mark Markkula. Addressed to Julian Brewer, the note in the manual reads "Julian, Your generation is the first to grow up with computers. Go change the world! Steven Jobs, 1980." Julian Brewer is the son of Michael Brewer, who negotiated distribution rights for Apple in the UK in 1979.

RR Auctions expects that the jacket and the manual could fetch prices upwards of $25,000.

There are several other bits of Apple memorabilia that are being auctioned off, including a Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak Signed issue of Macworld, a program signed by Jobs, a letter signed by Jobs, a 128K Macintosh motherboard signed by Jobs and Jef Raskin, a Steve Jobs business card, and more.

All of the items in the auction will go up for sale on August 13.

Google today previewed its next-generation Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which are set to launch later this year. These are Google's new flagship smartphones, with a redesign that includes a rear camera bar and tons of other new technologies.

Google's Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will be the first smartphones using Google's custom-designed Tensor SoC that was created specifically for the Pixel phones.

Google says that the Tensor chip is designed to process AI and ML models directly on the Pixel 6 phones, which will bring improvements to camera technology, speech recognition, and more. With the Tensor chip, Google says that voice commands, translation, captioning, and dictation will be much improved.

The Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch full-screen display with a 90Hz refresh rate, while the 6.7-inch Pixel 6 Pro has a 6.7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Both phones are larger than the 2020 Pixel 5, which was a 6-inch smartphone, and have an in-display fingerprint sensor and a Titan M2 security chip.

Each of the new smartphones is available in three color combos with a rear camera bar setup. The Pixel 6 Pro is equipped with wide, ultra wide, and telephoto camera lenses, and the telephoto lens has 4x optical zoom capabilities. The Pixel 6 lacks the telephoto lens, but both phones have an updated sensor that lets in 150 percent more light.

A Material You user interface will provide what Google says is a "fluid" experience for the colors, camera, and form factor of the new device.

Several sites, including Gizmodo, The Verge, and Business Insider were able to either test out the Pixel 6 or speak with Google executives about its capabilities, so those reviews are worth checking out for those who want to know more about Google's upcoming smartphones. The Verge has suggested that this is Google's first true attempt at a "competitive flagship phone."

Google has not yet provided a release date for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, but these new smartphones will directly compete with Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 lineup featuring the ‌iPhone‌ 13, ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini, ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro, and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max.

Pricing is not yet available, but the Pixel 5 that came out last year cost $699, so Pixel 6 pricing could start at a similar level.

Apple is preparing for a slew of fall product launches according to new filings that showed up today in the Eurasian Economic Commission database. There are listings for new Mac and Apple Watch models, all of which have previously unknown model identifiers that indicate that they're upcoming devices.

There are six new Apple Watch identifiers, including A2473, A2474, A2475, A2476, A2477, and A2478. These are likely the new Apple Watch Series 7 models, which are running watchOS 8. Apple is working on new Apple Watch Series 7 models that could feature the first significant redesign that the Apple Watch has seen in several years with thinner bezels and updated display technology. We're also expecting a smaller S7 chip, and there's always the possibility of new health capabilities.

As for the Mac, the ECC database lists A2442 and A2485 as new machines, and these could perhaps be the new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models that are in the works and that are rumored to be launching before the end of the year.

The new ‌MacBook Pro‌ models are expected to have an updated Apple silicon chip (either an M1X or an M2), and a complete design overhaul. The new machines do away with the Touch Bar in favor of a standard row of function keys and they also readopt many ports that were abandoned in prior models, with Apple adding an SD card slot and an HDMI port, along with Thunderbolt 4 ports.

The new machines are expected to re-adopt MagSafe technology for charging purposes, and they're believed to have mini-LED displays.

There are also updated filings for the new iPhone models that were spotted in the database earlier this year. In June we saw several new ‌iPhone‌ model numbers including A2628, A2630, A2634, A2635, A2640, A2643, and A2645, all of which likely correspond to new ‌iPhone‌ 13, ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini, ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro, and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max devices. At the time, those devices were filed running iOS 14, but Apple has now updated the filing to note that the devices have iOS 15 installed.

We've heard endless rumors about the ‌iPhone‌ 13, and though the upcoming iPhones won't be too different from the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models, we can expect features like a smaller notch, an upgraded A15 chip, 120Hz ProMotion displays, and camera improvements, with a full list of features available in our iPhone 13 roundup.

Apple is required to publish all products featuring encryption and/or cryptographic tools with the Eurasian Economic Commission, which is why these filings are popping up ahead of the fall product launches. Apple regularly registers new iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs in the ECC, and these unreleased product filings correspond with future device launches.

Rumors suggest we're going to see the new ‌iPhone‌ 13 models and the Apple Watch Series 7 debut at a September event, while the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ models could come either in September or at a separate event in October.

The iPhone 13 is widely expected to come with Wi-Fi 6E capabilities, and while it may seem rather nuanced to the average consumer, with only improved speeds and being "up to date" in the realm of Wi-Fi technology, it's actually a fairly significant improvement, laying the groundwork for much of what we know the future holds.

To truly understand Wi-Fi 6E, MacRumors sat down for an exclusive interview with Kevin Robinson, senior vice president of marketing for the Wi-Fi Alliance, to discuss the new generation of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi's relationship with 5G, and what new experiences it will enable. The Wi-Fi Alliance is a group few have probably heard of, but as Kevin describes it, it's a crucial part of the Wi-Fi puzzle, consisting of a "who's who" in the connectivity space.

All of these companies come together with this common vision of connecting everyone in everything, everywhere. As I said, it really is the who's who in the connectivity space. And it includes everyone on the beat, from the core technology developers such as Qualcomm, Broadcom, Intel, etc. to the end product vendors such as Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, LG, and even service providers like Comcast, Charter, British Telecom, all find a home in Wi-Fi Alliance.

Wi-Fi is a technology that's present in the majority of technology products consumers buy and is one of the very few technologies itself that's universal. That universality means that all Wi-Fi devices must work together, even if from another brand or purchased in a completely different part of the world. That's where the Wi-Fi Alliance comes in with a program it calls Wi-Fi Certified. This program certifies devices for use with Wi-Fi, ensuring interoperability. In simpler words, the next time you go shopping for a router or other Wi-Fi-centric device and see a "Wi-Fi Certified" label, thank the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Traditionally, the name of every new release of a device, product, or technology includes a sequential increase in number, with the highest number being the latest and greatest. With Wi-Fi, that's only recently been the case. Before "Wi-Fi 6," Wi-Fi technologies were given names like 802.11b, n, or ax. The change to a sequential naming structure, according to Kevin, all boils down to making it easier for consumers to make the right decisions for their Wi-Fi needs.

Coming up with a generational naming approach was very critical in that it's very accessible and understandable to the average person who needs to know what is the latest Wi-Fi and for the industry to communicate what are the benefits associated with any given generation of Wi-Fi. There are characteristics, I think, that go along with each generation, and by having a very simple name, people are more likely to be able to associate those benefits with a given generation and ultimately make the best decision for them.

Knowing that, Wi-Fi 6 is still a fairly new technology. Released in 2019, it promises to offer users a more consistent, robust, and reliable Wi-Fi experience that works across a range of devices. Wi-Fi 6E, which on the surface is simply Wi-Fi 6 expanded into the 6-GHz range, was announced more recently in January of 2020.

Wi-Fi 6E builds on Wi-Fi 6, which includes a flexible approach to consumer Wi-Fi needs that ensures every device in a home, whether a smart TV streaming 4K content from Netflix or a small HomeKit-enabled sensor, gets the Wi-Fi performance that's right for that specific device.

Wi-Fi 6 is more deterministic, meaning you're getting a more consistent experience that works really well in dense environments. Because it's more efficient, it works well with multiple types of devices, all accessing the network at the same time and providing the level of service those devices need.

The biggest things are going to be high performance with multi-gigabit speeds that allow you to do things like stream high definition video, UHD video, mail with large file transfers, things like that. It delivers extremely low latency, which is something that's critical for gaming, where whether or not you have low latency determines whether it's maybe you losing the game or somebody else losing the game. But also critical for things like voice communications or VR where latency really feeds into the user experience and how you perceive VR.

Over the past year, Wi-Fi has skyrocketed in importance, with billions of people using it to live, work, and learn during the global health crisis. That increased reliance presented a challenge to Wi-Fi capacity, especially in densely populated areas. Wi-Fi 6E is designed specifically for this, where, thanks to the expansion into the 6-GHz range, the capacity of networks and routers has increased, along with performance.

Those additional benefits are an incredible increase in capacity. At a very high level, you have significantly more spectrum to operate with thanks to Wi-Fi 6E. You're going from one to maybe two 160 megahertz channels, and these are ultra-wide channels that allow very, very high performance. You get one or two of those in the five gigahertz band, depending on where you are. And you get up to seven of these super-wide channels in the 6-GHz band. It's critical when you're in, let's say, multi-dwelling units. Think of New York, Chicago and with high rise buildings around the planet; think of stadiums; that's where it becomes essential to have that additional capacity.

The bedrock of Wi-Fi 6E's creation is the realization that under previous technologies, there would not have been enough capacity for users. This similar realization is also a reason behind the rapid adoption of 5G, specifically 5G mmWave, which aims to deliver high performance in densely populated areas.

We were simply approaching a scenario where there would not have been enough spectrum and capacity for people to do everything they wanted to do, and what we envision happening over Wi-Fi. You would have been contending with your neighbor's network; even in a suburban setting, I see three, four, or five networks around me. Now, you take that into a dense city area and it becomes a much bigger problem. So it was essential for maintaining the experience over the long term of what you're gonna get from Wi-Fi 6E.

Even with the increased reliance on Wi-Fi, the significant jump in capacity presented by Wi-Fi 6E seems, to the average consumer, almost overkill. I asked Kevin why, let's say, a family of four would need to take advantage of Wi-Fi 6E when it may be excessive for their needs.

I think what often gets overlooked is that as people are in increasingly dense environments, even suburbia, you have smaller land plots between single-family homes, and as people are increasingly moving into more urbanized areas, it's not just about the performance, let's say, that your family of four needs. But also because you are sharing [Wi-Fi] on this unlicensed spectrum with those that are around you. By adding this additional spectrum of Wi-Fi 6E, it means that, if I'm in an apartment complex, I have people on all four sides of me, and I have similar people above and below me kind of on all four sides, all using a shared resource. So again, it's important to understand that you still benefit by having more spectrum capacity and that you are going to get the performance that the technology can support without contending as much with those around you.

The technologies inside of routers and supported products only write half the story, the other half comes from internet service providers. I asked Kevin where ISPs fall into this grander scheme of our Wi-Fi world. Specifically, why should users invest in Wi-Fi 6E compatible devices if their ISPs cannot take advantage of them?

Kevin tells me that ISPs play a "very active" role in the Wi-Fi Alliance and that service providers who are on the "leading edge" wanting to deliver the best possible experience for their customers will take advantage of Wi-Fi 6E and all it has to offer.

I ended our conversation with a rounded question about the thinking behind Wi-Fi as a whole. Current measurement metrics for an average user include whether a TV show buffers or how long it takes to download a movie. My curiosity resides in where that mentality will be in 10 to 15 years; what arbitrary unit of measurement will we use to classify Wi-Fi speeds in the future?

The answer is that many things will be the same; content streaming and so forth will stay around. However, Kevin's main point is that consumers won't be as concerned over speeds as they're concerned over experiences, specifically virtual reality. Kevin believes that we're heading towards a future where Wi-Fi plays a more integral role in the immersion of VR experiences, rather than a focus on purely offering users high-speeds.

"Oh, well, that I [downloaded] all my contents and all my files in a matter of seconds stuff. That's amazing, right?" But then it's also going to be in experiences that are not so much like, "Oh, this happened in a few seconds," but rather, this VR experience is completely immersive; it is as close to reality as I can imagine, it's responsive, even though the person I'm interacting with is on the other end of the country, or, I'm using a game and I again, just cannot distinguish it from reality. And all of those experiences are going to rely on very high-performance Wi-Fi.

To me, Wi-Fi 6E is fundamental long-term in two ways. More and more people are using smart home devices, and in the Apple world, HomeKit-enabled devices. In a bubble, a single home has smart home products with laptops, smartphones, and more. Wi-Fi 6, and more so Wi-Fi 6E, is future-proofing Wi-Fi for a wide range of current and future devices.

Secondly, Wi-Fi 6E and how it plays a role in VR and AR seems to be one of the clearest reasons Apple could bring it to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 later this fall. Apple builds on technologies it places into its products, and as the company continues its development on "Apple Glasses," the inclusion of Wi-Fi 6E and all of the benefits of high-speed, optimized, high-load Wi-Fi seems like a clear step in enabling future VR/AR experiences.

Apple has leaped from third to first place for profit and from twelfth to sixth place for revenue in the Fortune Global 500 rankings of the world's biggest companies.

After reaching a record high of $33.3 trillion in last year's rankings, total revenue for the world's biggest companies fell 4.8 percent to $31.7 trillion this year. Even so, the combined sales of all of the companies on the list are equal to over one-third of global GDP. Walmart was again the world's largest company, for the eighth consecutive year.

Apple's revenue is reported as $274.515 billion, of which $57.411 billion is profit. This is a moderate increase from last year, when the company's revenue was reported to be $260.174 billion, of which $55.256 billion was profit. Apple is also estimated to now have 10,000 more employees than it did last year, climbing to approximately 147,000.

Apple is now the most profitable company in the world according to the Fortune 500, followed by Saudi Aramco with $49.287 billion, SoftBank Group with $47.053 billion, and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China with $45.783 billion. For revenue, Apple is now only surpassed by Walmart, State Grid, Amazon, China National Petroleum, and Sinopec Group.

The pandemic created challenges and opportunities for Apple. CEO Tim Cook had to close stores and send home engineers. But with Apple customers worldwide working and learning from home, iPad and Macintosh computer sales skyrocketed to their highest levels ever. And fiscal-year revenue hit an all-time record too, of $275 billion. That helped Apple's stock price soar; it gained 80.7% in 2020. As that year wound down, regulators fixed their sights on Apple for potentially abusing its power over the iOS app store. A House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee report in October concluded that Apple "exerts monopoly power" in its app store to harm competition and increase prices for consumers. Meanwhile, testimony in an antitrust lawsuit filed by Fortnite developer Epic Games will likely increase pressure on legislators to limit Apple's power.

Apple has ranked in the Fortune Global 500 top 20 since 2013. In June, Apple ranked third in the Fortune 500 list of America's largest companies. Apple has now ranked in the top five for eight consecutive years.

The company recently reported record third fiscal quarter revenue of $81.4 billion and net quarterly profit of $21.7 billion, which corresponds to the second calendar quarter of this year.

YouTube is piloting a new cheaper subscription tier in Europe called "Premium Lite," which offers ad-free viewing minus YouTube Premium's other features.

First spotted by a user on ResetEra and subsequently confirmed by Google, the "Lite" plan means users who aren't interested in offline downloads or background playback can still enjoy YouTube videos on web and mobile app without being interrupted by ads.

A YouTube spokesperson told The Verge:

"In Nordics and Benelux (except for Iceland), we're testing a new offering to give users even more choice: Premium Lite costs €6.99/month (or local equivalent per month) and it includes ad-free videos on YouTube."

A standard YouTube Premium plan costs around €11.99/£11.99 a month in Europe and $11.99 in the United States, and includes ad-free viewing on web, mobile app, smart TVs and consoles, as well as ad-free YouTube Music listening, background playback, and offline downloads.

As The Verge notes, the "Lite" option costs around 60% of the price of a Premium plan but only offers a quarter of the features. However, YouTube says that the subscription plan is still in an experimental phase, and that it could still roll out more plans to gauge user feedback.

An Intel executive appears to have unintentionally leaked details of Thunderbolt 5, the next-generation hardware interface protocol that is yet to have been officially announced by Intel.

The details appeared Sunday in a tweeted photo, since deleted, by EVP and GM of Intel's Client Computing Group, Gregory Bryant, who was documenting his visit to Intel's R&D labs in Israel.

As outlined by AnandTech, the photo from a Thunderbolt-related tour revealed a poster on a lab wall with the words "80G PHY Technology," suggesting TB5 connectivity will support up to 80 Gb/s throughput, or double the bandwidth of existing Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 connections.

The poster also includes the sentence "USB 80G is targeted to support the existing USB-C ecosystem," implying that Intel intends to run the extra bandwidth through the same USB-C interface connector.

A more technical reference in the poster appears to refer to a new PAM-3 (Pulse Amplitude Modulation) implementation that would make use of a 3-bit data signal, allowing TB5 to achieve a higher bandwidth than that allowed in the more standard non-return-to-zero (NRZ) and PAM-4 implementations seen in existing connectivity protocols.

Intel launched Thunderbolt 4 last year and several TB4 accessories have been available for some time, but Apple's latest Macs and iPad Pro models still only support Thunderbolt 3. However, while TB4 offers more power and utility and is backwards compatible, it doesn't deliver any bandwidth increase over the maximum 40 Gb/s of Thunderbolt 3, so the step up to Thunderbolt 5 with its doubled maximum throughput could be significant.

The practical upshot of these innovations could mean, for example, TB5 supporting higher refresh rates for 4K and 8K monitors while providing backward compatibility with older Thunderbolt and USB connections.

Whether Intel Thunderbolt 5 will be officially launched – and supported by future Apple devices – is unclear at this time, but the unintentional leak at least provides a peak into where Intel might take the interface protocol in the future.

For future iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, Apple plans to use smaller internal components in an effort to increase the size of the device's battery, according to DigiTimes.

Specifically, Apple plans to "significantly increase the adoption" of IPDs or integrated passive devices for the peripheral chips in its products. These news chips will be slimmer in size and allow for higher performance while also taking up less internal space inside a device, allowing for larger batteries.

Apple is expected to significantly increase the adoption of IPD (integrated passive devices) for new iPhones and other iOS products, providing robust business opportunities for manufacturing partners TSMC and Amkor, according to industry sources.

Peripheral chips for iPhones, iPad and MacBook series are going slimmer with higher performance to allow more space for larger-capacity battery solutions for the devices, with the demand for IPDs to grow sharply in line with the trend, the sources said.

The report doesn't note when specifically these new smaller chips will debut, but it does note that Apple has approved TSMC's 6th-generation process to mass-produce IPDs for new iPhones and iPads.

Alleged battery capacities of the upcoming iPhone 13 lineup, leaked earlier this year, signaled that the upcoming iPhones will feature larger batteries. Schematics previously seen by MacRumors also revealed that the new iPhones will be thicker, making room for the larger batteries.

Although the 2021 iPhones aren't mentioned in today's report, it's reasonable to assume that new IPD chips, coupled with an increase in thickness, provide Apple with the freedom to increase battery size thanks to free internal space. The new larger batteries are rumored to be put to good use thanks to more advanced displays in the upcoming high-end iPhones.

The Australian government has introduced support for adding COVID-19 vaccination digital certificates to Apple Wallet via the Express Plus Medicare app on iOS.

As spotted by Tap Down Under, users who have received two doses of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine now have access to the digital certificate through their Medicare online account or via the Medicare app, downloadable as a PDF or by using the "Add to Apple Wallet" option.

The front of the digital certificate includes the user's date of birth, document number, and the "valid from" date, which indicates the date the second dose was received. The back of the pass includes the individual's Healthcare Identifier, what vaccine was received, and the date of both doses.

The Australian digital certificate is official proof of COVID-19 vaccination should it become needed domestically or for travel, and is separate from any other immunizations the individual may have received. The certificate is similar to digital passes generated by some other government apps, such as the UK's NHS COVID pass scheme.

Models of the Apple Watch Series 6 with titanium cases part of the "Apple Watch Edition" collection is currently widely unavailable for pick-up in several of Apple's retail stores in the United States and is unavailable entirely for delivery in major markets.

Noted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, titanium models of the Apple Watch Series 6, which starts at $799, is currently listed as unavailable in the US and other major markets for pick-up in retail stores and delivery. Apple hasn't stated the Apple Watch Edition for the Series 6 is being discontinued; however, with less than two months before the Apple Watch Series 7 is released, Gurman hypothesizes what the latest shortage could mean.

Apple hasn't said that the Apple Watch Edition is discontinued, so here's my theory. With just weeks to go until the next version of the Apple Watch, Apple has nearly run out of the titanium models. Given the high price point, Apple probably only made a small amount expecting they wouldn't sell very well. They likely stopped manufacturing them months ago and are finally running out of supply.

We'll see if Apple chooses to keep titanium for the Apple Watch Series 7, but it wouldn't surprise me if the company ditched the pricier Edition material, as it did in the past with both ceramic and real gold. Seriously, what's the point of spending $800 or more on a watch that will be outdated in one year and nonfunctional in under five?

As Gurman points out, Apple previously sold, then ended the selling of "Apple Watch Edition" models with ceramic and gold. Apple may also decide to end the titanium Apple Watch models later this fall.

This week saw an interesting range of Apple news and rumors, including a blockbuster earnings report, rumors about next year's "iPhone 14" and Face ID coming to Macs, and more.

Other popular topics included Apple's crackdown on leaks, changes in the latest round of betas for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, and several stories involving Tesla CEO Elon Musk, so check out our video above and read on below for all of the details!

Face ID Expected to Come to Mac Within a 'Couple of Years'

While it has been nearly four years since Face ID debuted on the iPhone X, the facial recognition feature has yet to expand to the Mac. However, that could change in the not too distant future, as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week said Face ID is coming to the Mac within a "couple of years."

Gurman believes that Apple's ultimate goal is to shift most of its product lineup to Face ID, including lower-end iPhone models such as the iPhone SE and the iPad Air, both of which currently feature Touch ID.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Takes Shots at Apple During Earnings Call

In an earnings call this month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made some pointed comments about Apple's so-called "walled garden" and the company's use of the rare-earth element cobalt, which has been associated with human rights issues like forced child labor and environmental concerns near mining sites.

Later in the week, Musk came out to publicly back Epic Games in its dispute with Apple, calling Apple's App Store "a de facto global tax on the Internet."

In crazier Musk news, a new book about Tesla claims that Musk demanded he be named Apple CEO in a brief phone discussion with Tim Cook about a potential acquisition of Tesla by Apple. Musk has denied the claim, saying that he and Cook have never even spoken or written to each other.

Apple Reports 3Q 2021 Results: $21.7B Profit on $81.4B Revenue, New June Quarter Records

Apple this week announced financial results for the third fiscal quarter of 2021, which roughly covered the months of April through June. For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $81.4 billion and net quarterly profit of $21.7 billion, or $1.30 per diluted share, shattering June quarter records for the company.

Apple saw strong performance across its product and services segments, but CEO Tim Cook says the company is expecting supply constraints to affect iPhone and iPad shipments during the current quarter.

Apple Demands Leaker Reveals Sources Under Threat of Being Reported to Police

It was recently reported that Apple sent letters to several prominent leakers asking them to immediately stop sharing information about unreleased products, or else face legal action, and further details about the letter have emerged this week.

First, it was reported that Apple demanded that leakers reveal any sources who provided them with information about Apple products that were not publicly available, and Apple also said that the leaks could mislead third-party case/accessory makers.

iPadOS 15 Gains macOS Monterey's Redesigned Safari Tab Interface

The fourth beta of iPadOS 15 that was released this week introduces tweaks to Safari, with the browser's layout now mirroring the updated design that was introduced in the third beta of macOS Monterey.

Apple also seeded a fourth beta of macOS Monterey to developers this week and this version enables the new Live Text feature on Intel-based Macs, whereas the feature was previously exclusive to Macs with the M1 chip.

iPhone 14 Pro Said to Feature Tougher Titanium Design

Next year's so-called "iPhone 14" lineup is expected to feature high-end models with a new titanium alloy chassis design, according to a recent investor note shared by investment banking firm JPMorgan Chase.

The investor note said the use of titanium alloy will be one of the biggest changes to the casing design of the 2022 iPhone models, and Foxconn will supposedly be the exclusive manufacturer of the titanium frames for the devices.

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!

Telegram Messenger has received a major update to its video capabilities, including support for video calls with up to 1,000 viewers.

Group video calls in Telegram allow up to 30 users to stream video from both their camera and their screen, and now a maximum of 1,000 people can tune into the broadcast. Telegram says it intends to continue increasing this limit "until all humans on Earth can join one group call."

Meanwhile, video messages now have a higher resolution, and any audio playing on the user's device will keep playing when a message is being captured so that it's included in the recording.

In addition, users can now tap on a video message to expand it in the conversation thread. Tapping on an expanded video message initially pauses it, and it's also possible to fast-forward and rewind the message.

Elsewhere in this update, the media player now supports multiple video playback speeds, screen sharing has been added to one-on-one calls, the in-app camera supports all zoom levels a device is capable of, and the media editor includes new tools to illustrate photos and videos with drawings, text, and stickers.

Several other smaller tweaks and improvements have made it into this bumper update, and Telegram has further details in its latest blog post. Telegram is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]