After a long wait, YouTube for iOS is officially gaining picture-in-picture support, allowing all users, non-premium and premium subscribers, to close the YouTube app and continue watching their video in a small pop-up window.
In a statement to MacRumors, YouTube says that picture-in-picture is currently rolling out to all premium subscribers on iOS and that a larger rollout to all US iOS users will take place soon. It's worth noting, again, that this feature will be available to all users, despite some speculation that YouTube may have limited picture-in-picture support for only paying subscribers.
Picture-in-Picture (PiP) allows users to watch YouTube videos in a small mini player while simultaneously browsing outside of the YouTube app on their mobile device. We’re starting to roll out PiP for YouTube Premium members on iOS and plan to launch PiP for all US iOS users as well.
YouTube picture-in-picture has been a constant back and forth game, with it sometimes working via the YouTube website on Safari. Some users have found creative workarounds utilizing Shortcuts to turn off built-in parameters on the YouTube site that disables picture-in-picture. Now, though, with official support rolling out and soon to be more widespread, those workarounds will no longer be needed.
Apple this week stopped selling its Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 accessories for the Mac in a Space Gray color, around three months after discontinuing the iMac Pro, which also came in Space Gray.
Last month, Apple listed the Space Gray accessories as available while supplies last, and the company has now removed the product pages from its website entirely, as spotted by Appleosophy. The accessories remain available in Silver, but keep in mind they have not been updated since October 2015.
The new iMac with the M1 chip is available with colorful new Magic accessories, including a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, but Apple has not yet made these accessories available for purchase on a standalone basis.
The HomePod mini has dropped to $79.99 on Simply Mac today, down from its original price of $99.00. This is one of the first major discounts on the HomePod mini since it launched last year, and it's in stock in both Space Gray and White at this price on Simply Mac.
The HomePod mini is a smaller version of the HomePod, measuring in at 3.3 inches tall compared to the HomePod's 6.8-inch height. The HomePod mini features a fabric-covered spherical design with a flat top that has a backlit touch interface interface for activating Siri and controlling music.
The only other notable deal for HomePod mini we've tracked in 2021 was a $10 sale at Expercom. Given the low entry price of the smart speaker, steep discounts have been rare, and will likely continue to be as we move into the rest of the year.
Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Apple supplier TSMC is preparing to produce 3nm chips in the second half of 2022, and in the coming months, the supplier will begin production of 4nm chips, according to a new report from DigiTimes.
Apple had previously booked the initial capacity of TSMC's 4nm chip production for future Macs and more recently ordered TSMC to begin production of the A15 chip for the upcoming iPhone 13, based on an enhanced 5nm process.
Today's report outlines a more long-term plan for TSMC, stating that the new 3nm chip process will offer 15% performance boost alongside 30% improved energy efficiency and will enter mass production late next year.
TSMC has claimed its N3 technology will be the world's most advanced technology when it begins volume production in the second half of 2022. Relying on the proven FinFET transistor architecture for the best performance, power efficiency, and cost effectiveness, N3 will offer up to 15% speed gain or consume up to 30% less power than N5, and provide up to 70% logic density gain.
While the report doesn't offer any detail of how the new 3nm chip can be implemented into Apple products, it's safe to assume its still years away. Apple's 14 chip, currently in the iPhone 12 series and iPad Air, is based on the 5nm process. The M1 Apple silicon also shares the same 5nm architecture.
The smaller process provides improved performance and energy efficiency and offer more freedom with product design, thanks to their smaller overall footprint.
Amazon today has introduced a new sale on the 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro (256GB Wi-Fi), available at $1,099.00, down from $1,199.00. This $100 sale price marks a new all-time low for this version of the newest iPad Pro, and it's only available on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Apple updated the iPad Pro earlier this year, introducing a faster M1 chip, 5G connectivity, a Thunderbolt port, and more. The 12.9-inch model features a new Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display.
We've previously tracked a few deals on the 11-inch iPad Pro from 2021 on Amazon, but as of writing we aren't seeing any notable discounts on the smaller version of the tablet. 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.
Apple has released updates for iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor, introducing a handful of new features such as enhanced media search and notifications for encoding batches, as well as bug fixes.
iMovie 10.2.4 brings sixteen new solid and textured backgrounds with adjustable colors, the ability to import projects created with iMovie for iOS (version 2.3), and general stability improvements.
Final Cut Pro 10.5.3 allows users to create and save custom column arrangements in the browser, and edit them with the Column Set Editor. The update also enhances the browser search with expanded criteria including clip text, markers, and notes. Users can quickly search for clips by media type. There is the option to search for original, proxy, or optimized media, as well as missing media.
Motion 5.2.2 fixes a large number of issues with 3D object rendering brightness on M1 Macs and emojis rendering incorrectly in HDR, as well as unexpected quitting when closing a project after export, closing the HUD, adjusting the opacity of a gradient, or when dragging media or an object into a USDZ.
Compressor 4.5.3 brings notifications for completed, failed, and canceled encoding batches, embedded audio descriptions when encoding a variety of video file formats including MOV, MP4, M4V, and MXF, and stability improvements.
Intel may see its market share fall to a new low next year, in large part thanks to Apple's decision to move away from using Intel processors in its Mac computers and instead use Apple silicon.
Apple announced last year that it would embark on a two-year-long journey to transition all of its Mac computers, both desktops, and laptops, to use its own in-house processors. Apple is expected to complete the transition next year and has so far only released four Macs with the first iteration of Apple silicon, M1.
As a result of the four Macs with M1 and upcoming releases, Intel this year will lose 50% of its orders from Apple, and eventually, losing all orders from the Cupertino tech giant will lead to Intel's market share falling below 80% in 2023, according to DigiTimes.
However, Apple's in-house developed Arm-based processor series is expected to play the key role in taking a major chunk from Intel's share in the upcoming year, the sources said.
Intel is expected to lose nearly 50% of its orders from Apple in 2021 and will eventually obtain no orders from the client. Losing Apple's 10% market share and seeing AMD staying firmly with another 10%, Intel's share in the notebook market is likely to slip below 80% in 2023, the sources noted.
In honor of International Surfing Day, we're teaming up with Nomad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an Apple Watch Series 6 and a $200 Nomad gift card. Nomad is celebrating International Surfing Day by highlighting just how useful the Apple Watch is when surfing. In fact, Nomad believes that the Apple Watch is the ultimate surf watch.
The Apple Watch is highly water resistant, and it's more than durable enough to stand up to sand and sea water. It can be worn in the water while surfing, especially when you have the right band, but make sure to rinse your Apple Watch with fresh water after it's been exposed to salt water.
Nomad had big wave surfer Matt Bromley wear the Apple Watch and a Nomad Rugged Strap while surfing huge waves at Jaws Surf Break in Maui and Mavericks in California. He found that the watch was resilient to wipeouts, even when he was pushed into deep water.
Apple offers a native surfing Workout option on Apple Watch, but there are also useful third-party surfing apps like Dawn Patrol. Dawn Patrol is able to track number of waves caught, wave speed, distance paddled, time spent riding waves, and surfing session length.
Dawn Patrol also provides custom watch faces that can tell surfers swell height, direction, period, tide, water temperature, and more, plus with the watch's GPS, location is synced so swell forecasts update for the closest breaks.
The Apple Watch is, of course, tracking activity data like movement and heart rate, plus it also has other uses for surfers. An LTE Apple Watch lets surfers communicate while out on the water, plus in an emergency, it can be used to contact emergency services with the built-in SOS feature.
Nomad has a series of Apple Watch bands that are perfect for activities like surfing, including the black rubber $60 Rugged Strap, the $80 Active Strap Pro with waterproof leather, and the sleeker $60 Sport Strap, all of which are great for water sports and sweaty workouts thanks to their waterproofing. Make sure to check out Nomad's site if you need a durable Apple Watch band that also looks great.
If you want to try surfing with the Apple Watch, Nomad is providing an aluminum Apple Watch Series 6 and a $200 gift card to one lucky MacRumors reader, with the winner to pick the color and size. The gift card can be used to purchase any of Nomad's Apple Watch bands to go along with the watch.
To enter to win, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (June 17) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on June 24. The winner will be chosen randomly on June 24 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Nomad. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
The current Safari Technology Preview release is built on the new Safari 15 update included in macOS Monterey, and as such, it includes several Safari 15 features. There's a new streamlined tab bar with support for Tab Groups to organize tabs, along with improved support for Safari Web Extensions.
Live Text allows users to select and interact with text in images on the web, but the macOS Monterey beta and an M1 Mac is required. There's also Quick Notes support for adding links and Safari highlights to remember important information and ideas.
Other updates include WebGL 2 and new HTML, CSS, and JavaScript features.
The new Safari Technology Preview update is available for both macOS Big Sur and macOS Monterey, the newest version of the Mac operating system that's set to release this fall.
Apple's aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
Today we're seeing the first straight cash discount on the 2021 Apple TV 4K, with $9 in savings on both the 32GB and 64GB models. Starting with the 32GB Apple TV 4K, you can get this model for $169.98, down from $179.00.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
You can also get the 64GB Apple TV 4K for $189.99, down from $199.00. Both of these Apple TVs are sold by Amazon, and they're in stock and ready to ship today.
Lastly is the 32GB Apple TV HD with new Siri Remote for $144.98, down from $149.00. This version is the same fourth generation Apple TV HD device, but now it's bundled with the revamped Siri Remote.
Across the board, these are now the best prices we've ever tracked for the new 2021 Apple TV models. Although the most you'll save is $9, Amazon's sales are worth checking out if you're in the market for the Apple TV right now, especially with free Prime shipping.
Apple today shared a teaser trailer for "The Shrink Next Door," an eight-episode limited comedy series starring and executive produced by Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. The first three episodes of the series will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on November 12, and the remaining episodes will be released weekly every Friday, according to Apple's announcement.
Based on the podcast of the same name by Wondery and Bloomberg Media, Apple says "The Shrink Next Door" is a dark comedy inspired by true events surrounding the bizarre relationship between psychiatrist Dr. Isaac "Ike" Herschkopf, played by Rudd, and his longtime patient Martin "Marty" Markowitz, played by Ferrell.
Over the course of their relationship, the all-too-charming Ike slowly inserts himself into Marty's life, even moving into Marty's Hamptons home and persuading Marty to name him president of the family business. The series explores how a seemingly normal doctor-patient dynamic morphs into an exploitative relationship filled with manipulation, power grabs, and dysfunction at its finest.
The project will bring Ferrell and Rudd on screen together for the first time since "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" in 2013.
In other Apple TV+ news, Apple has also shared a teaser trailer for season two of "Truth Be Told," an anthology drama series starring Octavia Spencer. The series is set to return August 20, with new episodes released every Friday.
In season two, investigative reporter turned true crime podcaster Poppy Parnell (played by Spencer) dives into a new case that deeply involves her childhood friend turned media mogul Micah Keith (played by Kate Hudson).
Verizon is offering 10 percent off select accessories with the code FATHERSDAY this week, including a chance to save on Bluetooth headphones, drones, iPhone cases, Mophie power banks, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Verizon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
There's a full list of items that you can use the new code for on Verizon's website, and below we've highlighted a few notable items. Verizon's website includes accessories from popular brands like Nimble, Belkin, Mophie, Native Union, OtterBox, and more. First party Apple accessories are not compatible with this code.
You can also save across a few different Beats headphones using the FATHERSDAY code, including the new Beats Studio Buds. These are available for $134.99, down from $149.99 in Verizon's new sale, marking the first notable discount on these earphones. You can also save on Powerbeats Pro, Beats Solo Pro, and other accessories.
Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Apple today lowered the prices of AppleCare+ plans for MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro models equipped with the M1 chip. Coverage offered by the plans, as well as accidental damage fees, appear to remain unchanged.
In the United States, AppleCare+ for the MacBook Air now costs $199, down from $249. The new price applies to both M1 and Intel-based MacBook Air models, although Apple no longer sells the Intel-based model directly.
For the 13-inch MacBook Pro, Apple has split AppleCare+ into two separate plans for the M1 and Intel-based models, with pricing for the M1 model lowered to $249, down from $269. Notably, the price of AppleCare+ for the Intel-based 13-inch MacBook Pro remains $269, so customers opting for the Apple silicon model now receive a slight discount.
The new lower prices are also available in other countries we've checked, such as Canada, with discounts varying based on the local currency.
Customers who recently purchased AppleCare+ for one of the affected MacBook models can contact Apple Support for assistance with cancelling their current AppleCare+ plan and purchasing a new one at the lower price, according to information obtained by MacRumors, but Apple did not provide a cutoff date for eligibility.
AppleCare+ for Mac provides up to two incidents of accidental damage protection every 12 months, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other damage. AppleCare+ also provides 24/7 priority access to Apple's technical support representatives by online chat or phone.
Update: The lower AppleCare+ prices for the 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro powered with the M1 chip are now available in the United Kingdom.
Popular Apple-owned music discovery app and service Shazam is celebrating a new milestone today, surpassing more than 1 billion Shazams per month and a total of 50 billion tags since the app was first launched.
"Shazam is synonymous with magic," said Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of Apple Music and Beats, "both for the fans getting a song recognition almost instantly, and for the artists being discovered. With 1 billion recognitions a month, Shazam is one of the most popular music apps in the world. Today's milestones show not only people's love for Shazam, but also the ever-growing appetite for music discovery around the world."
Shazam launched as a text message service in 2002, but started seeing significant growth when the App Store launched in 2008, and with it, the Shazam app.
Shazam hit its first billion tags at the 10 year mark, but now less than 10 years after that, Shazam has successfully matched more than 50 billion tags with 51 million songs. The first Shazam result ever was "Jeepster" by T. Rex, and that result was delivered over a text message.
The 50 billionth milestone Shazamed song was Evangeline's Mandopop song "框不住的愛 (不插電版)," and Tone and I's "Dance Monkey" continues to be the most Shazamed track of all time.
Shazam is built right into Apple devices so you can ask Siri to identify a song, or you can access music recognition functionality through the Control Center on iPhone and iPad. There's also a Shazam app available from the App Store.
Going forward, Apple is making a ShazamKit feature available to developers, allowing third-party apps to integrate Shazam's audio recognition technology into their apps. Apps will be able to match music to Shazam's song catalog, but it can also be used to match any prerecorded audio to custom results. Apple plans to release ShazamKit later this year.
Anker today is hosting a Gold Box deal on Amazon, including sales that reach up to 43 percent off original prices. Like other Gold Box sales, this one will only last for one day, so be sure to check out the deals below before they expire later today.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
You'll find discounts on portable batteries, wall chargers, USB-C accessories, a wireless charger, and a pack of Lightning cables. If you're planning to travel over the summer, Anker's sale today has a solid deal on the PowerCore Fusion 5,000 mAh and PowerCore Slim 10,000 mAh portable batteries, available for just $17.99 and $19.99, respectively.
Apple has today announced that it is awarding "innovation grants" worth five million dollars to four historically black colleges and universities (HBCU), as reported by USA Today.
Alabama A&M University, Howard University, Morgan State University, and Prairie View A&M University will receive the grants as part of Apple's wider $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative that was announced earlier this year.
The grants, set to be issued over a three-year period, are part of Apple's New Silicon Initiative. The scheme is intended to help students prepare for careers in hardware technology and chip design. The grants will support each university's engineering school and help expand emerging hardware technology courses. Apple's vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives, Lisa Jackson, said in a statement:
The HBCU community is home to incredible Black talent and we are thrilled to work alongside these universities to enhance the opportunities for their students. We know many jobs of the future will be in innovative areas like silicon engineering and we want to help ensure the leaders of tomorrow have access to transformational learning opportunities.
The "innovation grants" will also include select scholarships, fellowship opportunities, and internships at Apple, giving students the opportunity to engage with Apple engineers and learn from their experience.
Apple today launched its seasonal back-to-school sale for the upcoming school year in the United States and Canada, offering students free AirPods alongside purchases of select Macs and iPad models.
During checkout, customers can upgrade their AirPods to include wireless charging for just $40 or upgrade to the AirPods Pro for $90. The promotion seems to only be live in the United States and Canada at the time.
Apple shipped an estimated 40.4 million iPhone 12 devices during the first quarter of 2021, according to new data shared by Strategy Analytics. The figure suggests Apple has maintained its grip on the global 5G smartphone market, despite indicating a 23% dip compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, when Apple shipped 52.2 million units.
Apple enjoyed booming sales in the 5G market in the three months following the launch of in first 5G-equipped iPhone models, but since then its rivals have upped their game in an increasingly competitive premium smartphone market by releasing new 5G models.
Chinese vendor Oppo took second place in the same quarter, shipping 21.5 million units for a 15.8% market share, up 55% from the fourth quarter of last year. Fellow Sino-mobile maker Vivo managed to ship 19.4 million units, a 62% gain on the last quarter.
Samsung took fourth place with 17 million 5G handsets shipped, earning it just 12.5% of the market but a sizeable 79% growth on Q4 2020. Xiaomi shipped 16.6 million units during the quarter, taking 12.2% of the market, up 41% quarter-over-quarter.
"Samsung is performing well with new 5G models, such as Galaxy S21 5G, S21 ultra 5G and S21+ 5G, in South Korea, North America, and parts of Europe," said Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, associate director at Strategy Analytics. "Meanwhile, Apple dipped 23% QoQ, following a blowout Q4 2020 where the new 5G iPhone was wildly popular as a gift during the holiday season.
"We forecast global 5G smartphone shipments to reach a record 624 million units for the full-year 2021, soaring from 269 million in full-year 2020."
All of the iPhones in Apple's iPhone 12 lineup support 5G, but not all 5G networks are equal. There's the super fast mmWave (millimeter wave) 5G and the slower but more widespread sub-6GHz 5G.
Apple currently only sells the mmWave iPhone 12 in the United States, which allocates to only 30-35% of overall iPhone 12 shipments. However, support for sub-6Ghz 5G networks appears to have been enough to fuel the demand for iPhone 12 models more globally.
Apple is planning to increase the availability of 5G mmWave capable iPhone models to more countries around the world with the release of the iPhone 13 later this year, offering even more customers access to the faster and newer technology where the infrastructure is increasingly becoming more widely available, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.