Apple is cutting production of its ultra-popular AirPods by around 25% to 30% due to a decrease in sales as a result of increased competition in the wireless earphone industry, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia.
According to the report, citing sources familiar with Apple's production plans, the tech giant now plans to produce only roughly 75 to 85 million units of AirPods for the remainder of this year. It had initially planned to aim for 110 million units.
Apple now expects to make between 75 million and 85 million units for 2021, compared with a previous production forecast of 110 million units.
"The most significant order reduction is for the second quarter toward the start of the third quarter," said one of the people familiar with the matter. "The levels of inventory [in warehouses] and in-store stocks of AirPods are currently high ... and demand is not as strong as expected."
The report does not specify which AirPods specifically will see a production cut. Apple's current AirPods lineup includes the AirPods Pro, the second-generation standard AirPods with wireless charging, and the $550 over-ear AirPods Max. AirPods and AirPods Pro are expected to be upgraded this year, which Apple hopes will "stimulate sales," according to the report.
Towards the end of 2020, Apple updated its entire product lineup, ranging from new iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and more. The AirPods, which have dominated the wireless earphone market since their debut, was one of the only Apple products not to receive an upgrade towards the end of the year.
Apple is rumored to be working on third-generation AirPods with a design similar to the AirPods Pro but lacks "Pro" features such as Active Noise Cancelation. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that production of the new AirPods will begin in the third quarter of the year.
In iOS 14.5, Apple has made some notable changes to its native Podcasts app. Some of these changes reflect the fact that Apple announced an optional paid podcast subscription service (beginning May 2021), while others are interface improvements to make it easier to find, follow, and listen to new episodes.
One example of these changes is the new Smart play button, which is designed to help you automatically start episodic shows from the latest episode and serialized shows from the beginning of each series. The Smart play button also display Resume if you've already listened to some of an episode but have yet to finish it.
Another notable change is in the Search tab, which now offers quick access to Top Charts and categories below the search input field, much like Apple Music search. Other tweaks include larger podcast artwork and a rejigged show page that has a more logical arrangement and is more aesthetically appealing.
Perhaps most importantly, the way you "subscribe" to shows and download episodes has changed. Keep reading to learn how.
How to Follow Shows
In previous versions of iOS, you could "subscribe" to shows in Apple's Podcasts app. But now that Apple offers a paid podcast subscription mode, it has removed the "subscribe" language from the app entirely and replaced it with Follow options, which should make things less confusing.
Despite the new terminology, following a podcast offers the same functionality as subscribing had before it. Namely, it means that you'll stay up-to-date with new show episodes as they're published and you'll be able to download them individually.
To follow a show, select one by browsing the Podcasts section, or search for one using the Search tab, then tap the plus (+) icon in the top-right corner of the Show's page.
To stop following a show, tap the tick icon and select Unfollow Show. You can also follow or unfollow shows by using the dropdown options that appear when you tap the More icon (three dots in a circle).
How to Automatically Download New Episodes
In previous versions of the Podcasts app, you had to add a show to your library before you could download new episodes. In iOS 14.5 and later, that's no longer the case, and you can download individual episodes right from a show's page.
To download an episode, tap the ellipsis icon (three dots) to the right of its card and select Download Episode from the pop-up menu.
Alternately, you can long press on an episode and the same pop-up menu will appear with the Download Episode option at the bottom. If the episode is already downloaded, the option appears as Remove Download instead.
If you're already following a show, you can turn off automatic downloads: Tap the tick icon at the top of a show page and select Turn Off Automatic Downloads. To turn them back on again, tap the down arrow icon that replaced the tick icon, and select Turn On Automatic Downloads.
Apple has signed a deal for a podcast focusing on pop culture icons Siegfried & Roy, reports Deadline. This will be one of Apple's first exclusive, original podcast offerings.
The Siegfried & Roy podcast will be exclusive to the Apple Podcasts app, and it comes as Apple is making a push into original podcast content. Apple recently announced plans to allow podcasters to collect subscription fees, and rumors last year suggested Apple was looking to buy exclusive podcast content to better compete with Spotify.
Apple already has The Zane Lowe Podcast Series and podcasts dedicated to original TV shows like "For All Mankind" but so far Apple's exclusive podcast offerings fall far behind competitors. Apple also recently inked a deal for "The Line," which is a true crime podcast and Apple TV+ series paring. Apple is planning a six-part non-fiction podcast and a four-part limited documentary TV show.
Siegfried & Roy is an audio-only experience and will not have an accompanying TV show. The Siegfried & Roy podcast was created by filmmaker Steven Leckhart, known for "Challenger: The Final Flight," and "What's My Name: Muhammad Ali."
Siegfried & Roy, for those unfamiliar, were a pair of magicians and entertainers who worked with white lions and tigers, putting on a show at the Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
In 2003, Roy Horn was attacked by a white tiger named Montecore, with the tiger biting his neck and severing Horn's spine. He was seriously and permanently injured, suffering a stroke and impaired motor and verbal abilities. Horn claimed at the time that Montecore had been trying to save his life dragging him off the stage where he was performing, but other trainers claimed that Horn had mishandled the tiger. The Mirage show was ultimately shut down, and the two retired.
The podcast series will provide an in-depth look at Siegfried & Roy, deconstructing "the illusions they created, the empire they constructed, and what really happened on the night that a tiger ended their reign."
As Epic Games prepares for its upcoming bench trial with Apple, the company has today published depositions that it conducted with several executives, including current iTunes chief Eddy Cue and former software engineering chief Scott Forstall.
As someone involved with the App Store since its inception, Cue was asked many questions about how the store runs, and he was also queried on whether Apple once considered opening iMessage up to Android users. "At the time, I think we could have made a version [of iMessage] on Android that worked with iOS," Cue said. Cue had sent a message to other Apple executives in 2013 to recommend making an Android version of iMessage "an official project."
Others at Apple, such as Phil Schiller, were against adding the feature to Android because there wasn't a clear strategy on how to get Android users to adopt it. "I am concerned the iMessage on Android would simply serve to remove an obstacle to iPhone families giving their kids Android phones," Schiller wrote to Cue and others.
Cue said he did not agree that not having iMessage on Android created an obstacle to families giving their kids iPhone devices, and there's several additional paragraphs of dialogue in that conversation that are then redacted.
Epic Games also queried Cue about how Apple arrived at its original 30 percent cut, which was derived from Apple's aim to cut costs from brick and mortar stores that were charging 40 to 50 percent to distribute software. There "wasn't really any kind of App Store" to compare to at the time, so Apple had to use other distribution methods as a guideline. "We wanted it to be cheap compared to anything that [app developers] had experienced before.
The lawyers from Epic were aiming to get Cue to explain whether there were any specific discussions around the breakdown of the 30 percent figure, such as SDK costs, but Cue said there wasn't.
We obviously monitor our costs and what are costs are in running Apple at different points and different locations and different pieces of it. So I'm sure there are people that are looking at the cost of doing things around it. As it relates to the 30 percent of like, here's our justification for doing that, no, I don't recall having a conversation like that.
Cue was asked whether Epic's decision to introduce its own direct payment method in the Fortnite app led to any security vulnerabilities on the iPhone, a line of questioning that directly relates to Apple's argument that in-app purchases and App Store rules keep the App Store secure. "I don't recall anything," said Cue.
Other topics of conversation included scam apps that have defrauded customers, the possibility of web apps on Apple Arcade, and whether or not payment methods like credit cards or PayPal could introduce hardware vulnerabilities into the iPhone, which Cue said wouldn't be possible, along with discussions about redacted emails.
As for Scott Forstall, Epic's questions focused on the development of the original iPhone and its operating system, which in the early days was based on OS X. Epic lawyers wanted to know whether Apple considered having an open software platform when developing iOS, as OS X was a more open platform.
On this particular question, it's a great example where the specificity matters. There were executives at Apple that thought we should never release the ability for third parties to do anything natively compiled applications.
There were executives who thought - and they thought we should just have web applications and - and then websites running with web standards inside of the browser or browsers on the platform, the browser. There were executives who thought we should have a hybrid model of some web technologies and some native abilities. And then there were executives who thought we should provide a platform to enable third parties to build fully native applications on the platforms.
Steve Jobs was the one who felt that iOS should never be opened up to third-party apps, and Forstall said he was the most vocal in calling for third-party app development in the App Store. "This is discussions Steve and I had multiple times, heated ways," he said.
Forstall talked about native apps vs. web apps, which is of interest because one of Apple's arguments is that developers can create web apps on iPhone. Forstall said that with the original iPhone, Apple built its own native apps which were performing better than web apps. "We could tell using [the iPhone] that they were not as good as performing as the built-in apps."
Even though there are arguments people can make and did make for using web technologies as the sole way for third parties to build apps, my experience was very clear that those apps would not be as good as native apps, and I wanted to have the best possible apps in the platform we could.
Forstall also covered topics that included jailbreaking, Apple's concern about viruses and malware when allowing third-party apps in the App Store, early disputes with Facebook over links to web apps, a time in 2007 when Apple had not yet decided to limit third-party app distribution to the App Store, and a mention by Steve Jobs that at its inception, the App Store wasn't designed to make money for Apple.
All of these topics are likely to resurface during the trial, which is set to begin on Monday, May 3. Epic's full deposition report is available below with the complete transcription of comments made by Cue and Forstall, along with testimony from Phillip Shoemaker, Adrian Ong, CK Haun, Eric Friedman, and Ron Okamoto.
With the launch of iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4, Apple introduced a feature that's designed to allow people wearing masks to unlock their iPhones with a paired and authenticated Apple Watch, alleviating the need to continually enter a passcode.
Apple has published a support document outlining how the feature works and the requirements that enable it to function. Apple says that the Apple Watch unlocking process is not using Face ID to recognize and authenticate you, so the same facial scan that allows Face ID to unlock your phone isn't happening here.
There are a specific set of requirements that allow the Apple Watch to authenticate your identity for unlocking an iPhone. You'll need an iPhone X or later with iOS 14.5 or later and an Apple Watch Series 3 or later with watchOS 7.4 or later, which must be paired together.
Both WiFi and Bluetooth need to be activated for communication between the iPhone and the Apple Watch, and the Apple Watch needs to have a passcode and wrist detection must be enabled. Unlock with Apple Watch needs to be expressly turned on for it to function, and you can find the feature in Settings > Face ID & Passcode.
For the Apple Watch to authenticate your identity the watch needs to be on your wrist and unlocked, and you need to be wearing a mask that covers both the mouth and the nose, presumably to signal to the iPhone to use the secondary unlocking method rather than Face ID.
To unlock the iPhone with the Apple Watch, you need to wake your iPhone by raising it or tapping the screen, and then glance at it to unlock. The requirement to glance at the iPhone is meant to prevent the feature from working when you're not close by your iPhone, and though not mentioned by Apple, there definitely seems to also be a proximity requirement because it will tell you if you're not close enough to your phone.
This is a feature that can allow someone else that's not you to unlock your iPhone if they're near you, have your iPhone, and are wearing a mask, so enabling it should be done with caution if other people have access to your device and you're worried about security.
It's worth noting that Unlock with Apple Watch only works for unlocking the iPhone. It does not verify identity for use with Apple Pay, passwords in Keychain, or password-protected apps, which will require either Face ID or your passcode.
Though not as secure as Face ID, Unlock with Apple Watch is a convenient option for those who are tired of having to enter a passcode on their devices while wearing a mask.
With the release of watchOS 7.4 and iOS 14.5, Apple has added AirPlay 2 support to the Apple Fitness+ app. That means Apple Fitness+ workouts can be streamed to AirPlay 2-compatible television sets from an iPhone or iPad, allowing workouts to be viewed on a larger screen without requiring an Apple TV.
AirPlay 2-enabled TVs are available from a variety of brands, including Samsung, Sony, LG, and Vizio. Roku TVs sold by brands like TCL, Sharp, and Hisense also support AirPlay 2, or users can connect a Roku streaming stick to their existing smart TV via the HDMI port as a cost-effective way of streaming Apple Fitness+ workouts via AirPlay 2.
One thing to bear in mind when using Apple Fitness+ with AirPlay is that Apple Watch metrics aren't displayed on the screen as they are when using the service with an Apple TV, iPhone, or iPad. Activity rings, calories burned, workout time remaining, and burn bars won't show on your TV, but you can still glance at your connected Apple Watch and iPhone or iPad to view that info.
Turn on your AirPlay-compatible television set and launch the Apple Fitness app on your iPhone or iPad.
Select a workout type, choose a workout type, then hit the green Let's Go button.
Tap the AirPlay icon in the bottom-right corner of the workout loading screen and select your TV from the list of AirPlay options.
Continue following the workout on your television, and remember to check your Apple Watch for real-time metrics.
The Fitness app on the iPhone is offering up a new dance-focused Activity Challenge, which is set to kick off on Thursday, April 29, aka International Dance Day.
Apple Watch owners can complete the International Dance Day Challenge by completing a dance workout of 20 minutes or more in the Workout app.
Apple Fitness+ has a dance workout category with trainers LaShawn, Jhon, and Ben, offering 20 to 30 minute routines set to hip hop, R&B, throwback hits, and more.
Move, shake, and sweat to upbeat music with calorie-burning cardio dance like hip-hop and Latin. In some Fitness+ Dance workouts, the dance steps change to create a fun experience with each new song. Other workouts lead up to a full routine and an exciting choreographed finish that makes you feel like a pro! All levels.
The Apple Fitness+ dance routines can be accessed alongside other Fitness+ content with a $9.99 per month subscription ($79.99 per year), but the Activity Challenge can be completed with any dance workout as long as the dance category is selected in the Workout app on Apple Watch.
Those who complete the challenge will receive the International Dance Day Challenge award, which will be saved to the Awards section of the Fitness app. The award will come with animated stickers that can be used in the Messages and FaceTime apps.
Apple offers up different Activity Challenges throughout the year, celebrating events like Earth Day, Veterans Day, Valentine's Day, Heart month, and more with workout goals for Apple Watch owners.
With the launch of tvOS 14.5, Apple introduced a new Color Balance calibration option that's available for the Apple TV 4K models and the Apple TV HD models. The feature was technically designed for and introduced alongside the new Apple TV 4K, but it works on existing Apple TV models too.
Available in the video section of the Apple TV settings app, Color Balance asks you to hold your iPhone to the screen as the television set flashes through a series of colors. Your iPhone reads the colors and compares them to industry-standard color profiles, recommending optimizations.
In some situations, the changes that are recommended are going to be minor and may not look like a significant difference, but some people will see more dramatic and noticeable color profile adjustments. The color changes should help Apple TV content look more realistic, true to life, and as content creators intended it to look.
In the test that Dan shows in the video, for example, the color differences are minor, but others of us here at MacRumors have seen more noticeable results. Apple's demo is below.
The color balance feature is super simple and takes just a few minutes, and it's a much easier process than adjusting a television set's settings. For the feature to work, you need to have an iPhone with Face ID, which includes the iPhone X and later, and it's also worth noting that it can't be used with Dolby Vision.
If you haven't upgraded to tvOS 14.5 yet, it's worth doing so to check out the color balance feature. The update also adds a few other useful features like support for the latest PlayStation 5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers.
Russia's Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) has levied a $12 million fine against Apple for alleged abuse of its dominance in the mobile applications market, reports Reuters.
According to the FAS, Apple's distribution of apps through iOS gives its products a competitive advantage. Apple has been charged 906.3 million roubles, equivalent to $12.1 million.
The fine stems from an August ruling that said Apple abused its dominant App Store position and limited competition in the iOS app market when it began banning parental control apps back in 2019 for using configuration profiles.
Cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab filed an antitrust complaint with the FAS after Apple removed the Kaspersky Safe Kids app from the App Store. At the time, the app had been available for three years before it was pulled.
"Apple occupies a dominant position with a 100% share of the market for mobile apps based on the iOS operating system because it is only legally possible to install such apps from the App Store," said the FAS in a ruling that ordered Apple to address the regulatory violations by removing rules that allow it to reject third-party apps.
Apple has said that it "respectfully" disagrees with the FAS's decision and plans to appeal it.
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.
With the release of iOS 14.5, Apple added a new Apple Music feature that lets subscribers of the streaming service share lyrics as text as well as audio clips containing the sung lyrics. Read on to learn how it works.
Apple Music features real-time lyrics for many songs that you can sing along to while the track plays or use to skip to specific parts of a song. In iOS 14.5 and later installed on your iPhone or iPad, you can now share song lyrics with a friend or with a wider circle of people over social media, including Instagram Stories.
In some cases, the feature also lets you share song clips. For example, if you opt to share over iMessage, an Apple Music card will appear in the conversation that allows the recipient to play that specific part of the song in Messages via a play button. The following steps guide you through the process of sharing lyrics in Apple Music.
In the Apple Music app, select a song to play and expand the currently playing menu to the whole screen.
Tap the lyrics button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. If it's greyed out, Apple Music doesn't have lyrics for the currently playing song and you won't be able to share.
With the real-time lyrics showing on screen, press and hold on any of the words.
The actions menu will appear, where you can tap on the individual lines of lyrics that you want to share. To de-select a highlighted lyric, simply tap it again. Note Apple applies a character limit, which means on average that you can share between four and six lines depending on the song.
Choose a sharing method from the two rows of options, such as iMessage or Instagram. You can also choose to share a clip of the song using the Share Song... action.
For more helpful articles detailing all the new features in iOS 14.5, be sure to check our dedicated guide.
On Monday, May 3 Apple and Epic will meet in court as their bench trial kicks off over the dispute that Epic started last summer by defying the App Store in-app purchase rules.
In preparation for the legal battle, Apple today filed the written testimonies of its witnesses with the court, and if approved, it serves the same function as actual trial testimony, providing insight into the arguments that Apple will make. The expert testimony includes several professors with expertise in law, economics, marketing, computer security, and antitrust.
The witnesses will rebut claims made by Epic's witnesses, and will argue the merits of the App Store rules and policies for consumers. University of Pennsylvania Professor in Operations, Information and Decisions Lorin Hitt, for example, calculated Apple's digital game transaction market share to argue that Apple doesn't have a monopoly and to point out that Apple's fees are the same as other game transaction platforms.
My market share calculations support the conclusion that Apple does not have market or monopoly power in a properly defined market. Apple's share of the digital game transaction market lies between 23.3% and 37.5%. In light of my conservative approach, these market share estimates, especially at the high end, are likely to overstate Apple's true market share and are, in any event, inconsistent with Apple having substantial market power. The entry of new game transaction platforms is also inconsistent with Apple having market power.
University of Michigan Professor of Economics Dean Francine Lafontaine points to Safari as an alternative to in-app purchases that some developers use, though it's worth noting that Apple does not generally allow developers to advertise payment methods outside of the App Store, so developers like Epic would need to make customers aware of the option outside of the app.
Even the rare consumer who has access to only an iOS device has a readily available game transaction alternative to the App Store--the Safari browser. For example, any Fortnite player can use Safari (or Chrome) to purchase Fortnite's in-game currency, 'V-Bucks,' a transaction that generates no commission for Apple.
A survey conducted by UCLA Professor of Marketing Dominique Hanssens argues that Apple does not have a monopoly in the gaming market because most iPhone and iPad users regularly use other devices that can access digital gaming content like consoles.
Results of my first survey show that 92 percent of respondents who downloaded apps from the App Store had regularly used at least one other type of device (i.e., devices other than iPhones and iPads) with which they could access digital gaming content, in the last 12 months. Further, 99 percent of respondents in the first survey had regularly used or could have regularly used at least one other type of device (i.e., devices other than iPhones and iPads) with which they could access digital gaming content, in the last 12 months.
On the topic of security, Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute technical director Aviel Rubin will cover the importance of the App Store review process when it comes to security. Epic will likely argue that the App Store is not as secure as Apple says it is, pointing to scam apps and malware that slip through the review process as it aims to convince the court that third-party app distribution methods are needed.
The introduction of third-party app stores for iOS would decrease iOS security, safety, and trustworthiness, as evidenced by the cases of Google and statistics indicating that third- party app stores host 99.9% of discovered mobile malware... Irrespective of whether they would be able to or intend to achieve the same security goals, the reality is that they could not. Moreover, there is no guarantee that all, or even most, third-party app stores would commit to upholding user security and privacy and intend to achieve such security goals, particularly if those standards come at the expense of efficiency and revenue.
The filings are limited to Apple's expert witnesses and do not include topics that will be covered by Apple executives during the trial. Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple Fellow Phil Schiller, and Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi will all testify in person in the Northern California court.
Epic will likely share its own expert witness testimony at some point ahead of when the trial begins. Epic also has an interesting witness list, which will include Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and other Epic employees along with iTunes chief Eddy Cue and former iOS software chief Scott Forstall. Both companies will also call executives from other companies like Facebook and Microsoft.
Apple's witness statements are below for those who would like to see them in their entirety to get a better idea of how Apple plans to defend itself against Epic next week.
With the release of iOS 14.5, Apple introduced a new process for recalibrating the battery health reporting on the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max.
The update recalibrates the maximum battery capacity and peak performance capacity on iPhone 11 models to address inaccurate estimates of battery health reporting that some users have encountered.
Symptoms of this bug include unexpected battery drain behavior or in some cases, reduced peak performance capability, but these issues should be fixed after installing the update.
Once you've updated your iPhone 11 to iOS 14.5 or later (Settings -> General -> Software Update), you'll see a message in the Settings app under the Battery -> Battery Health section informing you of the recalibration process.
Note that the process can take a few weeks to complete after updating your device. This is because recalibration of the battery's maximum capacity and peak performance capability takes place over the course regular charge cycles.
It's also worth bearing in mind that the displayed maximum capacity percentage won't change during recalibration, and while peak performance capability might also be updated, it may not be noticeable.
Only when the recalibration is complete can the maximum capacity percentage and peak performance capability information be regarded as accurate. If the recalibration indicates that battery health has indeed significantly declined, you'll see a battery service message.
In some cases, your iPhone 11 battery's recalibration may not be successful and a battery service message will pop up. In such cases, Apple will replace affected batteries free of charge to restore full performance and capacity to your device.
As was rumored last week, Spotify today announced a new paid subscription platform for podcasts. The service will begin rolling out in the United States today and then expand internationally in the coming months (via Variety).
The announcement comes exactly one week after Apple announced its own Apple Podcasts subscription platform at the "Spring Loaded" event.
The new Spotify feature will be available to creators through its partner Anchor, allowing podcasters to mark episodes as "subscriber only." Spotify says that it will come at no cost to the creator, and they'll receive 100 percent of subscriber revenue (excluding payment transaction fees). Beginning in 2023, Spotify plans to introduce a 5 percent fee to access the tool.
Podcasters can select from three different price tiers for their subscriptions: $2.99/month, $4.99/month, or $7.99/month. The rollout will begin with 12 independent podcasters on Spotify, and will expand to more creators in a few months.
All of the new subscriber-only content will be fully searchable within Spotify like other podcasts. They'll be marked with a lock icon on the play button, until listeners pay to subscribe to the podcast.
Apple's version of podcast subscriptions won't debut until May, and similar to other App Store subscriptions, Apple will collect 30 percent of podcast subscription fees that creators generate in their first year. Afterwards, Apple will collect 15 percent. Creators will also have to sign up for the Apple Podcasters Program by paying $19.99 per year.
According to Spotify podcast service lead Michael Mignano, the company is trying to show creators that Spotify has "the best terms" for publishing their podcasts.
“We really wanted to come out and show creators that we are offering the best terms… and two years [of no fees] is a great way to do that,” said Michael Mignano, Spotify’s head of podcaster services and tools. He added, “There’s no exclusivity. We’re not locking you into terms.”
To start, Spotify has partnered with NPR to be among the first media companies to launch podcast subscriptions. There will be new ad-free paid shows on May 4, including "How I Built This with Guy Raz," "Short Wave," "It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders," "Code Switch," and "Planet Money."
We're a few days out from the launch of the newest iPad Pro models, and that means we're seeing all-time low sale prices on the previous generation models this week. We began to track these sales after the "Spring Loaded" event last week, and Amazon has now provided even steeper discounts on a few of these 2020 iPad Pro tablets.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with 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 time around, prices start at $699.99 for the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Pro, which is $99 off its original price and the best deal we've seen to date. You'll find similar best ever prices among many of the 11-inch 2020 line-up, and the 12.9-inch tablets start at $909.93 for 128GB Wi-Fi.
11-Inch iPad Pro (2020)
Wi-Fi 128GB - $699.99 at Amazon ($99 off, lowest price)
Wi-Fi 256GB - $769.93 at Amazon ($129 off, lowest price)
Wi-Fi 512GB - $999.00 at Amazon ($100 off, lowest price)
Cellular 1TB - $1,499.00 at Amazon ($150 off, lowest price)
For even more iPad deals, head to our full Best Deals guide for iPad. In that guide we track the best discounts online for iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. Additionally, be sure to visit our Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.
Apple today shared the first teaser trailer for its upcoming dark comedy show "Physical." The show stars Rose Byrne as a distressed housewife in 1980's San Diego, who gets swept up in the aerobics craze of the decade and has to contend with battling personal demons along her new journey.
"Physical" will launch on June 18 on Apple TV+. It was created by Annie Weisman, who has worked on shows like "About a Boy," "Suburgatory," "I Feel Bad," and "Desperate Housewives." The show is directed by "I, Tonya" director Craig Gillepsie, as well as Liza Johnson and Stephanie Laing.
Set in the idyllic but fragile beach paradise of sunny 1980s San Diego, "Physical" is a half-hour dark comedy following Sheila Rubin, a quietly tortured, seemingly dutiful housewife supporting her smart but controversial husband's bid for state assembly. But behind closed doors, Sheila has her own darkly funny take on life she rarely lets the world see. She's also battling a complex set of personal demons relating to her self-image... that is, until she finds release through the unlikeliest source: the world of aerobics.
At first hooked on the exercise itself, Sheila's real road to empowerment comes when she discovers a way to merge this newfound passion with the burgeoning technology of videotape to start a revolutionary business. The series tracks her epic journey from a stifled, overlooked enabler to a powerful, confident economic force, as Sheila transforms into someone we take for granted today (but was entirely radical at the time) -- the female lifestyle guru.
Other upcoming Apple TV+ releases include "The Mosquito Coast" on April 30, "Mythic Quest" season two on May 7, "Trying" season two on May 14, "Lisey's Story" on June 4, and "Home Before Dark" season two on June 11. During last week's event, Apple also announced that the second season of "Ted Lasso" will debut July 23.
Eve Systems today announced the newest version of its HomeKit-compatible Eve Energy Smart Plug, introducing Thread integration.
The fourth-generation Eve Energy supports HomeKit over Thread, and as a main-powered always-on Thread accessory, Eve Energy serves as a router node in the Thread network to make smart homes more reliable with better reach throughout the house.
As a Thread router node, the Eve Energy can relay other accessories' data packages in the Thread mesh network for overall performance improvements.
"Packing Thread router functionality into a premium quality, small-footprint smart plug, Eve Energy is the quintessential HomeKit accessory," said Jerome Gackel, CEO of Eve Systems. "Not only does it offer endless automation possibilities, but it also delivers an ultra-robust network to ensure that your schedules and timers work, any time and any place."
As a Smart Home device, Eve Energy is a plug that can turn any standard appliance into a smart appliance, allowing it to be controlled through the Eve app, though the Home app, and with Siri voice commands.
With the Eve app, users can monitor the energy consumption and energy costs of whatever is plugged into the Eve Energy.
If a smart home setup has a HomePod or Apple TV as a home hub, users can access their accessories when away from home, plus the Eve Energy supports automations that work with other HomeKit products.
Through Thread and Bluetooth integration, Eve Energy can join a Thread network automatically, and it will work more reliably than a standalone Bluetooth-enabled accessory. Eve has several other Thread-compatible accessories including the Eve Door & Window, Eve Weather, and Eve Aqua.
Nomad today announced the launch of the Base Station Mini, a new single-device charging option that's designed to power an iPhone, AirPods, or other Qi-enabled device.
Designed to take up little space, Nomad says that the Base Station Mini is ideal for a night stand or desk. It's square shaped and not too much bigger than the AirPods, so it's useful for those who want a simple, space-saving charger.
This is not a MagSafe charger and when charging an iPhone, it is limited to 7.5W, though it can charge Android devices faster than that. It comes with a 2-meter USB-C cable, but does not ship with a power adapter. Like other Nomad Base Stations, the mini features a padded black leather surface and a zinc frame.
Separately, Nomad is also selling a new 20W USB-C power adapter that's ideal for use with the Base Station Mini or for other devices, including Apple's MagSafe Charger.
The Base Station Mini is priced at $60 and the 20W USB-C Power Adapter is priced at $19. Both products can be purchased from the Nomad website starting today.
Twelve South today announced the launch of the Forté, a charging stand that is compatible with Apple's MagSafe Charger.
The stand is designed to house the Apple-designed MagSafe charger, so you will need to supply your own. The MagSafe Charger fits into the arm of the stand, which in turn slots into a heavy metal base.
Twelve South sent us a Forté, and the base seems to be heavy enough to keep the iPhone in place when you remove it. Since you're using the standard MagSafe Charger with this stand, it charges at the full 15W speeds.
The MagSafe Charger cord is routed behind the Forté, but it's not possible to keep it entirely hidden, so keep that in mind. The base can house your AirPods or iPhone when not charging, but it does not have charging capabilities itself.
What's nice about the Forté is that it has an adjustable head, so the angle of the MagSafe Charger can be adjusted. You can move it where necessary to get a good view for FaceTime calls, or turn it all the way upright to make a charging platform to charge the AirPods with the Forté.
This upright angle should also work for charging older iPhones with the MagSafe Charger, even though it was clearly designed for AirPods. You can use this charger in either landscape or portrait mode when using it with a MagSafe-enabled iPhone 12, and it is easy to remove the MagSafe Charger if you need to take the charger on the go.
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