MacRumors

LG is looking to close down its entire smartphone division after failing to find a buyer for the ailing section of its business, according to the Korea Herald.

In January, LG announced that it was considering options for an exit from the smartphone industry, "including sale, withdrawal and downsizing." Though LG was once the world's third-largest smartphone maker and a sizeable competitor to Apple in the industry, the company's smartphone business has seen declining shipments and accrued losses of $4.5 billion over the past five years, leading to the need for an urgent re-evaluation of the division.

LG reportedly entered talks with Vietnam's Vingroup and automaker Volkswagen about purchasing the company's smartphone business, but negotiations did not lead to an agreement. Although the decision has yet to be confirmed, industry insiders report that LG is now likely to shut down its smartphone business instead of selling it. A source speaking to the Korea Herald explained:

LG reportedly had talks with others over the sale of the unit but apparently there was not much progress in their negotiations. It seems that selling its entire mobile business appears to be difficult at this moment, as is the partial sale of the unit.

With LG's internal restructuring plan now reaching its conclusion and no buyer having been found, the company is said to be leaning toward cutting its losses by closing the smartphone division fully.

LG's recently announced smartphone projects, such as "Rainbow" and "Rollable," are believed to have been scrapped, as the company looks to utilize its existing mobile workforce elsewhere in the business, such as the vehicle component solutions division.

LG is expected to publicize the decision about its smartphone business unit next month after a board meeting.

Apple will likely return to its usual September launch timeframe for at least some iPhone 13 models this year, with availability currently slated for the third week of the month, according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.

In a research note shared with MacRumors, however, Ives said there is a chance that the launch could be pushed back to early October:

We have gotten more detailed reads from our supply chain checks for iPhone 13 builds with this next iPhone launch coming out of Cupertino in the late September timeframe. From a timing perspective, we believe the current iPhone 13 launch is slated for the third week in September as of now but could push out into early October based on continued product model tweaks.

Apple typically announces new iPhones in September, but the entire iPhone 12 lineup was unveiled in October last year, almost certainly due to production-related delays arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. With the supply chain now in better shape, it wouldn't be too surprising to see Apple revert to a September announcement.

Ives also continues to claim that the iPhone 13 lineup could feature a new 1TB storage option and a LiDAR Scanner across all four models, although TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the LiDAR Scanner will remain limited to the two Pro models.

Popular writing app Ulysses today received its 22nd major release, introducing new publishing features and additional options for users to customize the visual appearance of their writing environment.

As well as providing a focused writing environment, Ulysses offers ways to publish texts from within the app to various blogging platforms. Version 22 adds the ability to publish to Micro.blog, a social network for independent microblogs.

"Micro.blog offers a compelling alternative to the prominent social networks. People are in control of their content and can interact while there are no algorithms and ads. It's an independent platform with an awesome concept, and we're proud to have them," explains Marcus Fehn, Ulysses co-founder and creative head of the company.

The new Ulysses version also improves publishing to WordPress. Users can now update previously published posts from within Ulysses — to fix typos after an article has already gone live, for example. The developers have also updated Ulysses' preview theme to the new WordPress default Twenty Twenty-One, and generally improved the integration of the two apps.

In addition, Ulysses 22 increases the customizations available to users who want to personalize the look of their writing environment. There's a new option to choose colors for group icons (groups are used to organize texts, similar to Finder folders).

Meanwhile, headings can now be displayed in a larger size in the editor to make them easier to distinguish from the rest of the text. The latter is dependent on the editor theme, where the heading size can be fine-tuned. Ulysses 22 also ships with a new default theme that has larger headings in place.

In other improvements, Ulysses for iOS now remembers the scroll position when switching between several documents, while on iPad, a new setting has been added to keep the keyboard open in this situation.

Ulysses can be downloaded for free on the App Store, with version 22 rolling out to existing users today. After a 14-day trial period, a subscription is required to unlock the app on all devices. A monthly subscription costs $5.99, while a yearly subscription is $49.99.

Students can use Ulysses at a discounted price of $10.99 per six months. The discount is granted from within the app. Ulysses is also included in Setapp, the subscription-based service for Mac applications created by MacPaw.

Apple has told Australia's competition watchdog that it's "surprised" to hear that some developers have concerns over the App Store and the process in which apps are reviewed, rejected, or approved for distribution on the platform.

In September of last year, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched an investigation into Apple's ‌App Store‌ and Google's Play Store to examine the experiences of consumers, suppliers, and developers in Australia.

The commission is set to release an interim report of its findings based on customer and developers' submissions on March 31. In an apparent last-ditch effort to ease concerns highlighted in the report, Apple has provided the commission with some more information surrounding its ‌App Store‌ and App Review Process.

In a submission to the commission, Apple says that it's "surprised to hear that developers have legitimate concerns about their ability to engage with Apple in the app review process," and that it "invests significant time and resources in engaging with developers directly" to ensure the quality of apps on the platform.

Apple lays out in detail the process of how apps are reviewed for distribution on the store. It says the app review system is a "human-led process" and that all human reviewers ensure that apps "are reliable, perform as expected, respect user privacy, and are free of objectionable content."

Throughout the years, Apple has sped up how long apps submitted to the platform are under review. According to Apple, 73% of prospective apps submitted by developers to the platform are now reviewed within 24 hours, and at the end, a final verdict is delivered to developers on whether the app is approved or rejected.

If an app is rejected, Apple says it provides the developer with information on the reason for the rejection, and says that the app makers have an opportunity to "correspond with the Apple team member who reviewed the app." Furthermore, developers have a chance to appeal a rejection to the ‌App Store‌ Review Board.

Targeting concerns that Apple exploits the app review process to maintain a dominant position in certain areas, or categories for apps, Apple says its goal is to protect consumers from "fraudulent, non-functioning, malicious or scam apps." Central to the review process is the protection of consumers' privacy and security, according to Apple.

Developers also have the option to make a formal appeal to the App Store Review Board. This is comprised of senior app reviewers with a high degree of experience in reviewing apps. The Board will review the app afresh and provide the developer with their response.

The main purpose of the App Review process is to protect consumers from fraudulent, non-functioning, malicious or scam apps. Central to the App Review process is the protection of our consumers' privacy and security. That is why the App Review process is iterative and some apps may require multiple rounds of submission before Apple is satisfied the app meets all of the Guidelines.

The ACCC investigation will include submissions from Australian developers about their disapproval of the app review process or how they think they've been mistreated by the Cupertino-based tech giant. Apple rejects that sentiment, however, saying that Australian developers work directly with its Australian Developer Relations team to offer support and guidance on matters such as developing, designing, and maintaining apps.

Apple's HomePod mini includes a dormant hidden sensor that can measure temperature and humidity, potentially providing the means to power upcoming features that could arrive in a future software update, according to Bloomberg.

From Mark Gurman's report:

The company has internally discussed using the sensor to determine a room's temperature and humidity so internet-connected thermostats can adjust different parts of a home based on current conditions, according to people familiar with the situation. The hardware could also let the HomePod mini automatically trigger other actions, say turning a fan on or off, depending on the temperature.

[...]

Apple typically releases major HomePod software updates annually in the fall. It's unclear if or when Apple will switch on the temperature sensor, but its presence in HomePod mini units that have already sold suggests that this is just a matter of time. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

The component measures 1.5 x 1.5mm and is buried in the bottom edge of the ‌HomePod mini‌'s plastic case, near the power cable. The sensor's existence was independently confirmed by iFixit after an inquiry by Bloomberg.

The sensor is made by Texas Instruments, which calls it a "HDC2010 Humidity and Temperature Digital Sensor," according to TechInsights, a firm that analyses components inside of electronics. According to the report, the component's placement suggests that its focus will lie in the external environment, rather than having any internal diagnostic role.

The part is situated relatively far from the device's main internal components, meaning it is designed to measure the external environment rather than the temperature of the speaker's other electronics.

This isn't the first time Apple has included a non-active component in a product and then enabled it at a later date via software. As Bloomberg notes, the 2008 iPod touch had a Bluetooth chip, but support for Bluetooth connectivity was enabled the following year via software.

If Apple decides to enable the sensor in the ‌HomePod mini‌, it could pave the way for a more integrated smart home strategy for HomeKit, which controls thermostats, lights, locks, plugs and other devices in the home.

As the report notes, it could also help Apple's ‌HomeKit‌ rival similar features already offered by competitors. For example. Amazon's latest Echo speakers include temperature sensors, while Google sells sensors under its Nest brand that can be placed around homes and connect to its thermostats to adjust the temperature of each room.

Opera today is releasing a substantial update to its two-and-a-half-year-old Opera Touch mobile browsing app.

Now titled simply "Opera," the revamped version features a "neater and flatter design" that aims to reflect its lightweight underpinnings and its status as a minimalist app that promises users a fast and secure browsing experience.

The revamp of the user interface in Opera also unveils a neater and flatter design that gives the browser a more refined appearance than before. The new-look replaces the diagonal background pattern, initially introduced into Opera Touch, with flat surfaces and removing shadows on bubbles and other elements.

New icons have been added in the bottom bar and the floating Fast Action button, which users can touch to access a radial menu and swipe through several one-handed actions with their thumb.

The browser also includes a feature called Flow that uses a QR code to securely link the iOS app with the Mac, allowing users to share links, notes, images, files, and other information over a secure and private connection, no logins required.

In addition, Opera comes with a built-in Ethereum wallet, built-in ad blocking, and protection against disguised online cryptocurrency mining, or "cryptojacking".

Opera says its iOS user base increased by over 65% in the 12 months to February, and believes that the growth has been partly thanks to Apple's decision to let users choose a default browser in iOS 14.

Opera is available for iPhone and iPad in several languages and can be downloaded directly from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Just hours after officially discontinuing the iMac Pro, Apple has also discontinued the 512GB and 1TB SSD configurations of the 4K 21.5-inch iMac.

Last month, both options became unavailable for purchase, although it was unclear at the time whether it was a temporary issue due to a component supply problem or if it was a permanent decision to no longer offer the options.

Apple has now removed both of the affected SSD options from the ‌iMac‌’s configuration page entirely, leaving a 256GB SSD and a 1TB Fusion Drive as the only options for customers.

An all-new redesigned iMac based on Apple silicon is expected to launch later this year, but a more specific launch timeframe isn't yet known.

Apple has been slapped with a near $2 million fine in the Brazilian state of São Paulo over violations of the Consumer Law Code due to the lack of a charger in the box for newer iPhones, Brazilian tech news outlet Tilt reports.

Procon-SP, São Paulo's consumer protection agency, decided to fine Apple following intense scrutiny over the decision to remove the power adapter from the boxes of iPhones. With the iPhone 12, Apple removed the power adapter from the box, saying that doing so will reduce carbon emissions and the use of rare-earth metals.

In December, the Brazilian agency informed Apple that selling an ‌iPhone‌ in the country without a charger in the box is a violation of the Consumer Defense Code. Apple responded to the agency's concerns by saying that most customers already have spare adapters and that providing another one in the box is unneeded.

Fernando Capez, Procon-SP's executive director, offered a stern warning to Apple following the fine, saying that it needs to respect and understand Brazilian consumer law and institutions. Alongside the lack of a charger, Apple is also being fined for misleading customers about the water resistance in iPhones.

Since the ‌iPhone‌ 7, iPhones have been water-resistant to different specifications. The more recent ‌iPhone‌ 12 series, for example, is certified for water submersion of up to 6 meters for as long as 30 minutes.

Procon-SP claims that Apple refused to repair devices for customers who had suffered water damage with their "water-resistant" iPhones, even though they're under warranty. Other charges brought forward to Apple are claims that it deliberately slows down older phones with iOS updates to encourage customers to purchase newer models.

Apple will have a chance to appeal to the $2 million fine. We've reached out to Apple for comment and will update this article if we hear back.

We're past the halfway point of March with no sign of an Apple media event, but that doesn't mean we won't be seeing an event or simply some product launches via press release in the coming weeks, as rumors of upcoming products continue to circulate.

Perhaps the biggest news topic this week was Justin Long of Apple's "Get a Mac" ad campaign from over a decade ago starring in a new campaign from Intel promoting Windows machines based on the company's processors as superior to Apple's new M1-based Macs. Check out our video above and read on below for details on these stories and more!

iPad Pro With Thunderbolt Port and Mini-LED Display Coming 'As Early As April'

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week reported that Apple plans to announce new iPads "as early as April," including new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models.

Notably, Gurman claimed that the new iPad Pro models could feature a Thunderbolt port. This rumor certainly sounds plausible, as the new iPad Pro models are expected to be equipped with a faster A14X chip based on the M1 chip in the latest Macs, and the M1 chip supports Thunderbolt. And since Thunderbolt uses the USB-C connector design, the new iPad Pro models would still work with existing USB-C chargers and accessories.

As widely rumored, Gurman said Apple is looking to include Mini-LED backlighting on the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro at a minimum, suggesting that the display technology might be exclusive to the larger model.

Well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo lent credence to this timeframe, claiming that mass production of Mini-LED iPads will begin in mid-to-late April. Kuo expects a new MacBook Air with a Mini-LED display and potentially a new iPad Air with an OLED display to follow in 2022.

Apple Event in April? Recapping the Latest iPad Pro, AirPods, and AirTags Rumors

It's been a whirlwind of a month for Apple rumors. First, we heard from leaker Jon Prosser that an Apple Event was planned for March 16, but that was later ruled out by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Once that date passed, Prosser and other leakers then suggested there would be an Apple Event on March 23, which is seemingly not happening either.

With attention now shifting to April for potential Apple announcements, we've put together a recap of the latest iPad Pro, AirPods, and AirTags rumors from sources like Gurman and well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Beyond new iPad models, new products rumored to be in Apple's pipeline include its long-awaited AirTags item trackers, a new Apple TV with a stronger gaming focus, new AirPods and AirPods Pro, and more Apple silicon Macs, but some of these products are not expected until the second half of 2021.

Former 'I'm a Mac' Actor Justin Long Throws Shade at M1 Macs in New Intel Ad Campaign

Justin Long, who starred in Apple's iconic "Get a Mac" ad campaign in the mid-2000s, has turned against the Mac in a new Intel ad campaign.

Intel's ad campaign attempts to poke holes at Apple's new M1 Macs, including their official support for only a single external display (DisplayLink adapters can be used as a workaround), support for a limited number of games, lack of a full-out touchscreen, and more.

Intel's campaign has so far included a series of videos starring Long, a website comparing the M1 chip to Intel processors, and social media content, including a photo of Long holding several dongles in his hand.

The first M1 Macs have received rave reviews, with the M1 MacBook Air outperforming a maxed-out 16-inch MacBook Pro with Intel's Core i9 processor in Geekbench benchmark scores.

iMac Pro Officially Discontinued, Removed From Apple's Site and No Longer Available for Purchase

Two weeks after Apple announced that it was discontinuing the iMac Pro and noted that orders would only be available while supplies lasted, it appears the high-end all-in-one desktop has reached the end of the line. Apple this week stopped taking orders for the machine and removed it from the Mac section of the company's website.

Apple recommends that users who are looking for a high-end Mac choose the 27-inch iMac, which was last refreshed in August 2020. The current 27-inch ‌iMac‌ configured with a 10-core Core i9 processor is faster and more affordable than the standard ‌iMac Pro‌ with a 10-core Xeon W processor was. Apple is also expected to introduce a redesigned iMac based on Apple silicon chips later this year.

Hands-On: Kensington's New $400 StudioDock for iPad Pro

Kensington in February began accepting pre-orders for the StudioDock docking station that it released for the iPad Pro, and now those StudioDock orders have started arriving to customers. We picked up one of the new StudioDocks to see if it's worth the high purchase price for an iPad workflow.

Available for the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, and 10.9-inch iPad Air, the StudioDock has a magnetic base where an ‌iPad‌ can attach, and it can be used in either landscape or portrait mode. We have the version for the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, and it resembles Apple's Pro Display XDR stand. Watch our hands-on video for our complete impressions.

iPhone 13 Models Will 'Likely' Have 'Touch ID' Under the Display

iPhone 13 models slated for release later this year will "likely" feature a fingerprint scanner embedded under the display for authentication, in addition to Face ID, according to Barclays Research analyst Andrew Gardiner and three of his colleagues.

Under-display "Touch ID" for iPhones has been rumored several times over the last few years. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern have also claimed that Apple is at least testing an under-display fingerprint scanner for iPhone 13 models, so time will tell whether the feature makes the cut.

Apple has filed various under-display fingerprint scanner patents as part of its research and development of the feature.

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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!

A federal jury in Texas has ordered Apple to pay around $308.5 million to a local licensing firm for infringing a patent related to digital rights management, reports Bloomberg.

Following a five-day trial, jurors on Friday said Apple must pay running loyalty fees to Texas-based Personalized Media Communications (PMC). A running loyalty is generally based on the amount of sales of a product or service.

PMC originally sued Apple in 2015 for allegedly infringing seven of its patents. As part of the legal action, the company claimed Apple infringed its patent with technology including FairPlay, which is used to distribute encrypted content through the company's iTunes, App Store, and Apple Music apps.

Apple successfully challenged PMC's case at the U.S. patent office, but an appeals court reversed that decision in March 2020, opening an avenue for a trial to proceed.

Apple told Bloomberg it was disappointed with Friday's ruling and would appeal the decision.

"Cases like this, brought by companies that don't make or sell any products, stifle innovation and ultimately harm consumers," the company said in an emailed statement.

PMC is a non-practicing entity that holds a patent portfolio and generates revenue through patent litigation. When such companies employ hardball legal tactics to enforce patent rights far beyond the patent's actual value, they are often referred to as patent trolls.

The Sugarland-based company has infringement cases pending against several other tech companies including Netflix, Google, and Amazon.

Apple today submitted its witness list for its upcoming bench trial with Epic Games, and several Apple executives will be testifying, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple Fellow Phil Schiller, and Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi.

Cook will be directly examined for one hour, with a one hour cross examination also included. Federighi will testify for two hours with a one hour cross examination, while Schiller, who is in charge of the App Store, will testify for a total of 10 hours. All of Apple's witnesses will appear in person.

In a statement to MacRumors, Apple said that its executives are eager to share the impact the ‌App Store‌ has had on innovation and economies around the world.

Our senior executives look forward to sharing with the court the very positive impact the App Store has had on innovation, economies across the world and the customer experience over the last 12 years. We feel confident the case will prove that Epic purposefully breached its agreement solely to increase its revenues, which is what resulted in their removal from the App Store. By doing that, Epic circumvented the security features of the App Store in a way that would lead to reduced competition and put consumers' privacy and data security at tremendous risk.

Apple's witness list also includes ‌App Store‌ Vice President Matt Fischer, Head of Fraud Engineering Algorithms and Risk Eric Friedman, Director of Commerce and Payments Eric Gray, Game Development Manager Mark Grimm, and other employees in marketing, developer relations, and related fields.

Epic's witnesses include ‌Epic Games‌ CEO Tim Sweeney and other Epic employees, and third-party witnesses will include executives from Facebook, Microsoft, Nvidia, plus iTunes chief Eddy Cue and former iOS software chief Scott Forstall. Epic said in February that it was attempting to get in touch with Forstall, but was having difficulty locating him. Epic plans to call on Forstall because of his involvement with the launch of the ‌App Store‌ prior to his 2013 departure from the company. In a statement, Epic said that it is not alone in its fight with Apple.

The chorus of developers speaking out against Apple and their anticompetitive practices has become louder. We are not alone in this fight. We look forward to making our case for competition in app distribution and payment processes.

The trial is set to begin on Monday, May 3. It is a bench trial, which means there will be no jury involved. Earlier this month, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez pushed for an in-person trial as she said that the case is "significant enough" that the court should hear it in person.

The iMac Pro has been officially discontinued as of this afternoon, with the machine no longer available for purchase from the online Apple Store.

The ‌iMac‌ Pro went out of stock in the United States and other countries earlier today, and now, the ‌iMac‌ Pro page has been removed entirely from Apple's website.

With the ‌iMac‌ Pro page eliminated, there is no longer an option to buy an ‌iMac‌ Pro in the United States or in any other country, and the machine is no longer listed in the ‌Apple Store‌ app, nor does a search bring up ‌iMac‌ Pro listings.

Apple has also changed the Mac compatibility filter for the ‌iMac‌ Pro to say "2017" instead of "2017 and later," making it clear that there will be no more ‌iMac‌ Pro models in the future.

Apple first announced plans to discontinue the ‌iMac‌ Pro in early March, and said at the time that the ‌iMac‌ Pro would be available for purchase "while supplies last," but supplies have apparently dried up.

Though Apple has removed the ‌iMac‌ Pro from its website following its discontinuation, there are still a variety of ‌iMac‌ Pro models available from Apple's refurbished store.

Apple recommends that users who are looking for a high-end Mac choose the 27-inch ‌iMac‌, which was last refreshed in August 2020. The current 27-inch ‌iMac‌ configured with a 10-core Core i9 processor is faster and more affordable than the standard ‌iMac‌ Pro with a 10-core Xeon W processor was.

Apple is also working on a redesigned iMac that will feature slimmer bezels, a Pro Display XDR-style design, and Apple silicon chips, so those who are seeking a powerful desktop machine may want to wait until the new ‌iMac‌ models come out later this year before making a purchase.

Following the release of iOS 14.4.1 on March 8, Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.4, the previous version of iOS 14. With the software no longer being signed, it is no longer possible to downgrade from iOS 14.4.1 to iOS 14.4 if you've already upgraded your iPhone or iPad.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.

iOS 14.4.1 was a security fix update that addressed a WebKit vulnerability that could allow maliciously crafted web content to execute code.

iOS 14.4.1 is the current publicly available version of iOS that people can download, but Apple has also provided iOS 14.5 to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes. iOS 14.5 is one of the biggest updates to ‌iOS 14‌ to date, introducing a feature for unlocking an ‌iPhone‌ when wearing a mask with an Apple Watch, adding Dual-SIM 5G support, introducing compatibility with the latest gaming controllers, and more.

Apple's Beats by Dre brand today announced Powerbeats Pro in a new colorway that's being released as part of a collaboration with FaZe Clan.

FaZe Clan is a professional esports organization and its merchandise is largely red and black, so Apple has designed red and black ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ in the pattern that FaZe Clan often uses.

According to a tweet from the Beats by Dre Twitter account, the FaZe Clan ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ will be limited edition and will be sold through NTWRK, an app that allows customers to shop limited edition sneaker and streetwear drops. The FaZe Clan ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ will be available on March 22.

Apple previously teamed up with FaZe Clan for the launch of the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ in spring colors in May 2020. Beats by Dre used a drone to send the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ to members of the FaZe Clan.

With the launch of iOS 13, Apple introduced Shortcuts support and the Shortcuts app, adding a whole range of new functionality to the iPhone. Shortcuts have continued to be popular since their debut, and in iOS 14, the addition of Home screen widgets made it even easier to get to your Shortcuts, so we thought we'd round up some of our most useful Shortcut options for iPhone and iPad.

• Photos Toolkit - Photos ToolKit is an all-in-one shortcut that can resize images, convert images to different formats, rotate images, combine images in a collage, make GIFs, and more.
• Make PDF - As the name suggests, the Make PDF shortcut can turn documents and webpages into PDFs.
• Apple Frames - Apple Frames from from MacStories' Federico Viticci adds frames to screenshots taken with your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch and makes them look nicer. It's a favorite that we use often here at MacRumors.
• Dictate to Notes - With Dictate to Notes, you can use voice dictation to create a note in the Notes app, which is useful for jotting down quick thoughts without having to type something out.
• YouTube PiP - If you want to be able to watch YouTube in Picture in Picture mode on the iPhone, this is the app for you. With an app called Scriptable, when you run YouTube PiP through the Share Sheet, it will open a YouTube video in a floating window.
• Music Finder - To identify a song that's playing nearby you can use Shazam, but Shazam saves music to Apple Music, which is not ideal if you're a Spotify user. Music Finder identifies a song and saves it to your Spotify playlist.
• Set AirPlay - Set AirPlay makes it easier to swap between your iPhone and your other AirPlay devices, saving you a few taps if you want to switch sources quickly.
• Url Shortener - URL Shortener makes long and unsightly URLs shorter, which is useful when you need to share a naked URL. It lives in the Share Sheet, so all you have to do is select the Shorten URL option when viewing a website and it will generate a short URL. Alternatively, you can copy a link and run it from the Shortcuts app, which will shorten the last copied URL.

Do you have a favorite Shortcut? Let us know in the comments and we may feature it in a future video.

Back in January, Sonnet announced updated versions of its eGPU Breakaway Pucks, offering new options equipped with Radeon RX 5500 XT and RX 5700 graphics processors for Intel-based Macs. The docks connect to a host Mac over Thunderbolt 3 and allow for more powerful graphics capabilities than the included graphics in many Macs while also providing some dock capabilities such as additional USB ports and display connections.

I've been testing out both versions of the Breakaway Puck for a few weeks now, and I've found that they do offer significantly better graphics performance, particularly if you're using an older machine like the 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro with Radeon Pro 450 graphics that I use as my main machine.

Both models of the eGPU Breakaway Puck have the same design, featuring a metal enclosure with perforations on the top, front, and sides to help ventilate the dock, which can get quite hot during heavy usage. A large fan is designed to exhaust heat out through the top of the dock, and it will cycle on and off as needed.

The docks measure in at about 6 inches by 5 inches and about 2 inches high, so a bit larger than some standard Thunderbolt 3 docks like my favored CalDigit TS3 Plus, but the Sonnet docks of course come with eGPU capabilities and the large fan that require a larger size. It's still a pretty compact design that fits well on a desk.

The overall look is pretty unobtrusive with the black metal and fairly small branding with the company and product name. The most distinctive design element is a wavy blue light on the top of the dock that gives it a bit of a splash and lets you know that it's powered up and connected to a computer.

The Radeon RX 5500 XT version comes with 4GB of GDDR6 video memory, while the Radeon RX 5700 model comes with 8GB.

To quantitatively assess the eGPU performance, I ran several benchmarks using both my machine's built-in graphics and the Breakaway Pucks, and I unsurprisingly found significant improvements when using the eGPU.

For my first test, I used Geekbench 5's Compute Benchmark, which rang up Metal scores of averaging 12,085 over three runs using the built-in discrete graphics on my ‌MacBook Pro‌. Scores improved substantially when I added Sonnet's Breakaway Puck to my system, with the 5500 XT yielding Metal scores averaging 41,595 and the 5700 averaging 56,249. As a point of comparison, I also ran the test on an M1 MacBook Air with 7-core GPU, and that came in with an average score of 18,828.

My next set of tests came from the GFXBench Metal suite of benchmarking tools, and I similarly found massively improved frame rates in several popular offscreen benchmark tests, again averaged over three runs for each test. In all three benchmarks, the 5500 XT Breakaway Puck delivered approximately four times as many frames per second as my ‌MacBook Pro‌ did on its own, while the 5700 XT puck's advantage was more like five to six times. As with the Geekbench tests, the ‌M1‌ ‌MacBook Air‌ came in somewhere in the middle.

My final set of tests involved some rendering using DaVinci Resolve. My test footage was a nearly 11-minute 4K clip that I rendered without any additional processing to 1080p using several different codecs: H.264, Apple ProRes 422, and Apple ProRes 422 HQ.

These tests are where things started to get a bit more interesting, as while both pucks cut render times by more than half compared to my ‌MacBook Pro‌ running on its own, the results for the two pucks were very similar and in some cases, the 5500 XT GPU performed better than the 5700 GPU.

With DaVinci Resolve also having just been updated with Apple silicon support, I was also able to run the tests on my ‌M1‌ ‌MacBook Air‌, where I once again found intermediate performance, which is quite impressive for a low-end consumer machine using Apple's first effort at a custom Mac chip, and it'll be very interesting to see how much Apple can improve performance on upcoming M-series chips aimed at more powerful Macs.

I talked with the folks at Sonnet about my results and my observations that the renders were not making full use of the eGPUs' capabilities over the course of each run, starting out at nearly 100% but tailing off toward 70% or less after a minute or so.

Sonnet's engineering team concluded that it appeared the rest of my ‌MacBook Pro‌'s hardware was a limiting factor in my tests, as even when using an eGPU, the CPU and other components like system memory can become performance bottlenecks. In those cases, the eGPU ends up being at the mercy of thermal throttling or other constraints of the host system and unable to reach peak speeds.

For that reason, it's worth highlighting that, at least for my ‌MacBook Pro‌, the very similar performance between the two eGPUs means that for certain tasks the 5500 XT puck performs just as well as the more expensive 5700 puck, so that's something you might want to consider if you're weighing a purchase.

Moving on to the dock capabilities of the pucks, you won't see the breadth of port options available on some regular Thunderbolt docks, but they do give you some decent expansion options. Displays are obviously a big feature for docks to support, and Sonnet's pucks come equipped with a downstream Thunderbolt 3 port, a DisplayPort 1.4 port, and an HDMI 2.0b port for maximum connectivity.

4K and 5K displays, and even Apple's 6K Pro Display XDR, are all compatible with the Breakaway Puck, and I tested things out with an LG UltraFine 5K display and had no issues. The puck can support up to four 4K displays simultaneously if you take advantage of the DisplayPort and HDMI ports and then use a Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort or Dual HDMI adapter.

It would be nice to see a few other port options like Ethernet or some additional USB-C ports, but at least the two 5 Gbps USB-A ports support a broad range of peripherals. The dock can supply up to 60 watts of power to a host computer, which may not be quite enough if you've got a more powerful machine like a 15-inch or 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, so you may have to connect a separate power adapter.

The fan on the Breakaway Puck does put out a decent bit of noise, so if you're used to a quiet work environment it will definitely be noticeable as it cycles on and off, particularly if it's placed prominently on your desk.

For power users who really need the GPU horsepower these Breakaway Pucks can provide, they are a solid addition in a space-saving and even portable design. With souped-up graphics capabilities, display connectivity, and some additional USB expansion, they are good options that can pay for themselves if you're a professional user looking to speed up graphics-intensive tasks. Most consumers will not, however, have a need for this additional hardware.

It would be nice to see some even newer and higher-end GPU options in these pucks, but it no doubt takes time to get them integrated into these dock designs, and there's undoubtedly also some effort by Sonnet to target a balance between price and power that will result in the broadest appeal for these accessories.

Of course, things become murkier looking toward the future, as Apple's latest Macs based on Apple silicon don't support eGPUs. But there are still plenty of Intel-based Macs out there, so Mac eGPU solutions like Sonnet's Breakaway Pucks will have a market for some time to come.

Sonnet's eGPU Breakaway Pucks come bundled with a fairly large external power brick that you'll need to tuck away somewhere and a 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 cable. The RX 5500 XT version is priced at $599.99 through Amazon and Sonnet, while the RX 5700 version is priced at $899.99 through Amazon and Sonnet.

Note: Sonnet provided MacRumors with the Breakaway Pucks on loan for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.