In January 2020, a man who identified himself as an Apple parts manager informed Japanese auto supplier Sanden that Apple wanted to make electric vehicles, and presented schematics of an electric vehicle and air conditioner parts, according to Nikkei Asia.
Sanden is a leading manufacturer of air conditioner parts for vehicles, and Apple and Sanden went on to discuss specific parts requirements, the report claims. However, due to financial struggles worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanden filed for debt restructuring with its creditors in June 2020 and the Apple Car talks apparently faded.
While the report does not provide any further details about the talks between the two companies, it lends further credence to Apple's long-rumored electric vehicle ambitions.
In November 2021, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple was accelerating its work on the project and aiming for an electric vehicle with full self-driving capabilities. Gurman said Apple was targeting a 2025 launch, but the project has faced numerous setbacks and key departures over the years, so the timeframe is not certain.
Today is January 9, which means it's been 15 years since Apple CEO Steve Jobs stood on stage at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, California and gave the world its first look at the iPhone, a device that would go on to change everything.
The original iPhone was a tiny little thing with a 3.5-inch LCD display, a plain old Home button, a thick chassis, huge bezels, a Samsung processor, and a 2-megapixel camera, but it was still unlike anything else that was on the market at the time.
Smartphones at the time relied on limited display area, hardware-based keyboards, and styluses for screen interaction, but the iPhone stood apart because it a limited number of physical buttons and instead relied on a multi-touch display, which was more intimate and interactive.
Jobs described the iPhone as three revolutionary products in one: an iPod with touch controls, a phone, and a breakthrough internet communications device. "Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone," Jobs famously said, and he couldn't have been more right.
Since 2007, Apple has led mobile phone design, dictating the features and capabilities that are must-haves for smartphones and inspiring other manufacturers to follow in its footsteps. Features like Touch ID, Face ID, sleek designs, and incredible camera technology have kept Apple competitive, as have other improvements over the years. Earlier this week, we highlighted 15 changes that Apple has made since introducing the original iPhone.
No other smartphone maker has been able to match Apple's deep integration of hardware and software or its unparalleled chip designs, and that's why iPhones continue to be the smartphone of choice for a huge number of people worldwide.
Every year, Apple manages to make us excited about an iteration on a 15-year-old product. There are promising updates in store for the iPhone 14, including the first notchless design that will see Apple adopting a hole-punch display that will provide more available screen space.
We're also expecting faster performance than ever with the A16, improvements to 5G, and innovative safety features like car crash detection and satellite support for reporting emergencies when cellular signal is unavailable.
Apple is exploring the future beyond the iPhone as well, preparing for the day when the smartphone might be obsolete. The first AR/VR headset is could be unveiled in 2022, and while it will be bulky, expensive, and focused on VR experiences, we can expect Apple to iterate and improve on the headset experience until some kind of head-worn wearable becomes indispensable.
We don't know what the iPhone will look like when Apple's 30th iPhone anniversary rolls around, but we at MacRumors will be here to tell you all about it. What do you think Apple has in store for the distant future? Let us know in the comments.
Apple's first event of 2022 will likely take place in March or April, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said today in his "Power On" newsletter. Gurman said a new iPhone SE with support for 5G and a faster chip is likely to be among the announcements at the event.
"Apple's first virtual event of 2022 is coming up in just a few short months and is likely to take place in either March or April, I'm told," wrote Gurman.
Last year, Apple held an event on April 20 to unveil its AirTag item tracker, new iPad Pro and 24-inch iMac models powered by the M1 chip, the second-generation Apple TV 4K, and a new purple color option for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.
In 2020, Apple did not hold a spring event, likely due to COVID-19 being declared a worldwide pandemic in March of that year. Apple still announced several new products with press releases on its website that spring, including updated MacBook Air and iPad Pro models on March 18 and the second-generation iPhone SE on April 15.
Gurman also said that he is near certain that WWDC will remain a fully virtual event this year, shortly after it was announced that the E3 video game conference normally held in person in June will be an online-only event again this year.
While it has been rumored that the Apple Watch Series 8 will gain a body temperature sensor, Gurman said "chatter about it has slowed down recently," so it is unclear if this feature is still on track to launch in 2022 or will be pushed back.
Apple has been testing Swedish language support for Siri on the HomePod mini for at least two months, according to Macradion, suggesting that the HomePod mini will be released in Sweden at some point this year.
In addition to Sweden, the HomePod mini will likely launch in at least four more countries in 2022, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Russia, as the speaker gained support for languages spoken in those countries with a software update in December:
Dutch
Dutch (Belgium) (Referred to as Flemish by Apple)
French (Belgium)
French (Switzerland)
German (Switzerland)
Italian (Switzerland)
Russian
Swedish is still not a publicly supported language on the HomePod mini, but Macradion reported that Apple has enlisted a third-party company to send special HomePod minis with Swedish support to select individuals for testing purposes.
First released in October 2020, the HomePod mini is currently available in the United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
Happy New Year 2022! With calendars turning over to the new year, it's a great opportunity to look ahead at expectations for 2022 and there has been no shortage of rumors on that front already.
This week saw rumors about the iPhone 14 Pro, AirPods Pro 2, the next iPhone SE, and more, while we wrapped up 2021 and kicked off 2022 with the first two episodes of our new podcast, The MacRumors Show, so read on below for all of the details!
iPhone 14 Pro Rumored to Feature Pill-Shaped Camera Cutout With Face ID Under the Display
Instead of a notch, the leaker claimed that iPhone 14 Pro models will feature a pill-shaped camera cutout at the top of the display, rather than a circular hole-punch cutout that was originally rumored. The above image is a mockup of what this new design could look like.
The MacRumors Show: Mark Gurman Talks Through Everything Apple is Expected to Announce in 2022
Gurman also shared his expectations for Apple in 2022 in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, including iPhone 14 Pro models without a notch, a redesigned MacBook Air with an M2 chip, a new iPad Pro with wireless charging, an AR/VR headset barring any further delays, and more.
Apple Testing Multiple Foldable iPhone Prototypes, But Has Some Concerns
Another rumor from leaker @dylandkt this week claimed that Apple is testing multiple foldable iPhone prototypes, but he said that Apple has concerns over the quality of foldable display technology and whether there is a long-term market for foldable smartphones.
2022 iPhone SE to Feature 5G, Major Update Coming in 2024
Apple is widely expected to release a third-generation iPhone SE in the first quarter of 2022. The device is expected to have the same external design as the current iPhone SE, with key new features being 5G support and a faster A15 chip.
Like the third-generation AirPods released in October, it is also likely that the next AirPods Pro will have improved battery life and a water-resistant charging case.
Intel Says New Core i9 Processor for Laptops is Faster Than Apple's M1 Max Chip
Intel this week unveiled new 12th-generation Core processors for laptops, and as part of the announcement, it claimed that the new Core i9 is not only faster than Apple's M1 Max chip in the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but is the fastest mobile processor ever.
Of course, we'll have to wait to see how the 12th-generation Core processors perform in real-world testing for a true comparison with the M1 Max chip.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
Ever since Apple removed the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 in 2016, rumors have swirled that Apple eventually aims to ditch the Lightning port next for a completely portless design. Indeed, analysts originally predicted that the highest-end iPhone 13 would offer a "completely wireless experience." Of course, that didn't happen, but a portless iPhone 14 in 2022 looks just as unlikely, for the following reasons.
Apple's longtime goal has been to design an iPhone with no external ports or buttons for a clean, streamlined device, but significant hurdles still remain if it intends to provide a completely wireless charging and data transfer solution. As far as data is concerned, Apple would need to look beyond Bluetooth because of its bandwidth limitations and rely on a faster wireless protocol that allows iPhone data transfer at a speed that either matches or exceeds Lightning, otherwise the loss of the port would be seen as a backward step.
In fact, Apple has already developed such a protocol. MacRumors recently discovered that Apple Watch Series 7 models are equipped with a module that enables 60.5GHz wireless data transfer when placed on a proprietary magnetic dock with a corresponding 60.5GHz module. Apple probably doesn't advertise this capability because it's for internal use only. For example, Apple Store staff may use the dock to wirelessly restore an Apple Watch. It's unclear how fast its wireless data transfer is, but our understanding is that USB 2.0 speeds up to 480 Mbps might be possible. In other words, Lightning speed.
However, it's not just data transfer that would need to be achieved wirelessly. With no Lightning port, you wouldn't be able to physically connect your iPhone directly to a computer to reset an unresponsive iPhone through recovery mode. Unless Apple came up with an alternative at-home solution – a second iteration of MagSafe with high-speed data transfer capabilities, perhaps – the iPhone would have to go back to the Apple Store every time an over-air update or full device restore failed and borked the device, meaning more irritation and inconvenience for end users.
For argument's sake, let's say Apple introduced "MagSafe 2.0" alongside a portless iPhone 14 and solved these data/recovery issues. The existing MagSafe Charger provides up to 15W of peak power delivery (or 12W on the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini) and charges a compatible iPhone less than half as fast as a wired 20W USB-C charger, so any new version of MagSafe would have to ramp up the juice considerably in order to come close to existing cable speeds.
Admittedly, Apple could probably pull off this feat (assuming it has shaken off its AirPower woes). You only have to look at its rivals to see what's already possible. Both the Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro support up to 21W and 23W wireless charging speeds, respectively, while the OnePlus 9 Pro boasts 50W wireless charging speeds thanks to its next-generation Warp charger, which is capable of charging a dead phone to full power in 43 minutes. That's faster than an iPhone plugged directly into a 20W charger. Xiaomi is another leader in the field – the 5000mAh battery in its Mi 11 Ultra phone can be charged from 0% to 100% inside 30 minutes, wirelessly.
Yet despite these speed gains in wireless charging, an oft-overlooked problem is its generally poor energy efficiency. In 2020, Eric Ravenscraft of Debugger found that wireless charging uses around 47% more power than wired charging for the same amount of power. Unless Apple surprised us with a new version of MagSafe boasting unprecedented energy efficiency, ditching the Lightning port would surely run counter to its much-touted environmental policy.
And that's not the only eco-problem Apple would be inviting upon itself by going portless. Speaking out in 2020 against EU deliberations on requiring a universal port across all mobile devices, Apple said that removing the Lightning port from the iPhone would "create an unprecedented amount of electronic waste." It's not hard to see how this line of argument could be turned against Apple if it launched a portless iPhone in 2022. It would make millions of existing Lightning cables, charging docks, and other adapters in the wild obsolete overnight and ready for the trash.
Of course, Apple could perhaps satisfy the European Commission by adopting USB-C, but that would just be swapping out one connector for another, committing the company to another cable standard for longer. Apple would effectively be kicking its vision of a portless iPhone further into the long grass. Indeed, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts Apple will retain the Lightning connector on the iPhone for the "foreseeable future," and has no intention of switching to USB-C, which has a lower water specification than Lightning. As Kuo rightly notes, such a move would also be detrimental to Apple's profitable MFi business, which is why he believes Apple is more likely to switch directly to a portless model rather than first change to USB-C.
Given these interlacing obstacles, in spite of some iPhone 14 rumors, we expect Apple's next smartphone to continue to use Lightning ports with the option of MagSafe, until a more viable wireless charging solution comes along that allows for a portless iPhone design without the attendant disadvantages. So when could that be? Frankly, it's hard to say.
Back in 2016, Apple was rumored to be partnering with Energous to deliver a "true wireless charging" solution, but nothing has come from it so far. Apple is still believed to be researching new wireless charging technologies, and with the advent of MagSafe, the company is clearly still interested in innovating new ways to power devices without the mess of cables. How long we'll have to wait for one that powers a portless iPhone remains unknown.
Sunday will mark the 15th anniversary of Steve Jobs introducing the original iPhone at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, and while the device revolutionized the smartphone industry, it's easy to forget how much the iPhone has improved since then.
To celebrate the upcoming occasion, we've put together a list of 15 features the original iPhone didn't have when it was first announced.
App Store: The original iPhone came with preinstalled apps like Phone, Weather, Notes, Calendar, Photos, and Calculator, but there was no official way to install native third-party apps until the App Store launched in July 2008. Developers were able to offer web-based apps, but this was a subpar experience.
Copy and Paste: It may seem hard to believe, but the ability to copy and paste text was not added to the iPhone until 2009.
Front Camera: While selfies are now ubiquitous, there was no front camera on the original iPhone. In fact, there was no front camera until the iPhone 4 launched in 2010 with new FaceTime video calling.
Video Recording: The original iPhone can only shoot photos, with video recording introduced on the iPhone 3GS in 2009.
Flashlight: With no LED flash on the original iPhone, there was no built-in flashlight. When the App Store launched, some flashlight apps were released that displayed a white screen at max brightness to mimic a flashlight.
Photo Messaging (MMS): The original iPhone supported text messaging via SMS, but there was no ability to send photos. MMS capabilities were introduced with iPhone OS 3.0 in 2009, but only for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.
GPS: While the original iPhone came with a Google Maps app preinstalled, there were no turn-by-turn directions, as the device did not have a GPS. Apple introduced a built-in GPS with the iPhone 3G in 2008.
Home Screen Wallpapers: It was not possible to set a custom Home Screen wallpaper on the iPhone until iOS 4 was released in 2010, and the software update did not support the original iPhone.
Verizon Support: AT&T was the exclusive iPhone carrier in the U.S. until Verizon began supporting the device in 2011.
Siri: Apple's voice-based digital assistant launched with the iPhone 4S in 2011.
Touch ID or Face ID: While modern iPhones and iPads are equipped with biometric authentication systems like Face ID or Touch ID, the original iPhone could only be secured with a four-digit passcode. Touch ID arrived with the iPhone 5s in 2013, while Face ID debuted on the iPhone X in 2017.
Lightning Connector: Like many iPods before it, the original iPhone was equipped with a 30-pin dock connector. Apple switched to the smaller Lightning connector with the release of the iPhone 5 in 2012.
Retina Display: Introduced on the iPhone 4 in 2010, the Retina display featured four times as many pixels as the original iPhone and was the highest-resolution display for a smartphone ever at the time.
Wireless Charging: The first iPhones to support wireless charging were the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X released in 2017.
Water Resistance: Water did not play friendly with the original iPhone, but the latest models have IP68-rated water resistance.
CES 2022 is wrapping up today, and while it was a more muted event because of the ongoing pandemic that saw many exhibitors and attendees cancel, there were still plenty of new product announcements. In our latest YouTube video, we rounded up some of the best Apple-related accessories that we saw this year.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus Smart Watch ($450) - Garmin's Venu 2 Plus Smart Watch is an Apple Watch alternative with a 43mm round display. It has all kinds of health tracking features to monitor heart rate, respiration, daily energy levels, stress, blood oxygen level, and sleep, plus the battery lasts for up to nine days. Garmin has also added a microphone so it supports texts and calls using Apple's Siri voice assistant.
Withings Body Scan ($300) - Withings' latest smart scale packs in a whole host of health-related features. It tracks weight, but it also monitors segmental body composition, heart rate, vascular age, and nerve activity. With the built-in handle, it can also take a 6-lead ECG, which is more advanced than the single-lead ECG feature built into the Apple Watch.
Targus Find My Backpack ($150) - Accessory maker Targus updated its Cypress Hero EcoSmart Backpack to add built-in tracking functionality that uses Apple's Find My app. The backpack can be added to the Find My app right alongside other devices and it can be tracked with the Find My Network so it's locatable even out of Bluetooth range.
Hyper Swivel Dock for iMac ($200) - Hyper came out with a turntable dock designed for the 24-inch iMac. It features a 360-degree swivel mechanism that allows the screen to be rotated around as needed. It has a built-in SSD enclosure that supports up to 2TB storage, plus it offers an HDMI port, SD/microSD card slots, a USB-C port, and four USB-A ports.
Eve Outdoor Cam ($250) - Eve's Outdoor Cam combines camera functionality with an outdoor spotlight, and it uses HomeKit Secure Video for iCloud-based storage, privacy, and motion detection. It works at night, has IP55 water and dust resistance, two-way communication, and a wide 157 degree field of view.
Chipolo CARD Spot ($35) - The Chipolo CARD Spot is a Bluetooth device tracker meant to be used in a wallet. It's relatively thin at 2.4mm, and it has built-in Find My integration. It will allow you to make sure you don't leave your wallet behind or lose it, and if it does get lost you can locate it with Apple's Find My network even when it's not in Bluetooth range. The only downside is that there's no replaceable battery, but Chipolo has a replacement program.
Satechi Pro Hub Max ($100) - Satechi built a USB-C hub that's designed to work with the latest MacBook Pro models. It plugs into the side using two USB-C ports, but it adds a 4K HDMI port for dual display functionality that supports up to 60Hz, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB-C ports, a USB-A port, micro/SD card readers, and an audio jack.
Samsung Odyssey Ark - Samsung at CES introduced an absolutely massive curved display called the Arc. It measures in at 55 inches, offers a 4K 16:9 resolution and can be used in either portrait or landscape mode. This isn't coming until later in the year, so there's no price or firm release date.
NexMonitor ($449) - The NexMonitor is a display with an off-center base that's meant to house a Mac mini. It also has a thick bezel at one side to accommodate an iPhone, so you can have all of your devices right at eye level. The 27-inch display is available with a 2K or 4K resolution and it has a USB-C port, HDMI port, a pair of USB-A ports, a USB-B port, an SD card reader, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
We'll have reviews and additional coverage of some of these products coming in the future, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors and our YouTube channel.
Satechi's 2-in-1 Headphone Stand With Wireless Charger was announced earlier this week, and as the name suggests, it pairs a Qi-based wireless charger with a stand for larger headphones like the AirPods Max. There's a soft padded base for charging an iPhone or AirPods, along with a hook for holding your headphones.
The wireless charging base charges at 7.5W, while an included USB-C port can be used to charge up your AirPods Max or other headphones. It does require a 20W power adapter, which is sold separately.
Just introduced today, the $120 165W GaN Charger has four USB-C ports included and it supports up to 165W for charging multiple devices at once. The maximum power for a single device is 100W, which is enough for all of Apple's MacBook models, but it's not going to charge the new 16-inch machines at top speed.
It supports multiple power configurations and will adjust the power distribution based on what's plugged in, so you can use it to charge iPads, Macs, iPhones, and other devices at the same time.
Satechi is including its $120 3-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand, which is designed for Apple's iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models. It features an upright magnetic charger for the iPhone, a smaller platform at the bottom for charging AirPods, and an Apple Watch charging puck.
The stand is not MagSafe because Apple is still limiting official MagSafe hardware, so it charges an iPhone at up to 7.5W. The Apple Watch charging puck is also not compatible with the Apple Watch Series 7 fast charge feature, but it is still an ideal setup for overnight charging and in other situations where faster charging is not required.
Satechi also has all kinds of other accessories like hubs, adapters, keyboards, mice, chargers, desk stands, and more, all of which are designed with Apple's products in mind.
We have one Satechi prize pack to give away, which includes the three above mentioned accessories and a $200 Satechi gift card. 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, UK 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. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. 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 (January 7) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 14. The winner will be chosen randomly on January 14 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.
Satechi today announced the launch of a 165W USB-C GaN charger that's equipped with a total of four ports, making it an ideal desktop charging option for those with multiple USB-C devices.
The charger is using Gallium Nitride technology that's popular with modern power adapters because it allows for better power efficiency that results in smaller product designs. Satechi has built a power distribution algorithm into the charger so it adjusts the power provided to each port based on what's plugged in.
100W, 100W/60W, 60W/60W/45W or 100W/30W/30W, and 60W/45W/30W/30W splits are available, so if you're charging the maximum number of four devices at one time, you can only get up to 60W for the main device. 165W is available in total, but the maximum charging available is 100W. That should power all of Apple's laptops, though it won't provide the fastest available charging speeds for the M1 Pro/Max 16-inch MacBook Pro machines.
Satechi says that the charger includes CE and ETL certifications for safe charging for all connected devices. It is powered by a single power cord, and has a space gray aluminum finish that compliments many Apple products.
The 165W USB-C 4-Port PD GaN Charger is available from the Satechi website for $120. Until January 13, it can be purchased at a 20 percent discount using the code CES20.
Amazon today has a solid post-holiday deal on Apple's AirPods 2 with Wired Charging Case, priced at $109.99, down from $129.00. These are in stock and sold by Amazon, ready to ship out today with a delivery date between January 10 and January 12.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
The AirPods 2 were one of the more popular items on sale this past holiday season, dropping to as low as $90 in the best sale. We likely won't see a similar sale return any time soon, so if you missed out on those holiday deals Amazon's offer today is a good second-best price.
We track sales for every model of the AirPods in our Best AirPods Deals guide, so be sure to bookmark that page while you shop around for the wireless headphones.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of Apple announcing the iMac G4. Unveiled on January 7, 2002, the iMac G4 featured a unique design with a flat-screen panel mounted on an adjustable arm and a hemisphere base housing the computer's internal components.
Nicknamed the Lamp or Sunflower, the iMac G4 was innovative for its time as an all-in-one computer with a flat screen that can be moved around freely.
"The new iMac ushers in the age of flat-screen computing for everyone. The CRT display is now officially dead," said Apple's former CEO Steve Jobs in a press release announcing the iMac G4. "And with its powerful G4 processor and SuperDrive, everyone can now affordably create and burn their own custom DVDs and CDs."
Key features of the iMac G4 included a 15-inch flat-screen LCD, 700 MHz or 800 MHz PowerPC G4 processor options, a SuperDrive built into the base for CD/DVDs, up to a 60GB hard drive, up to 1GB of RAM, two FireWire ports, and five USB ports. By the end of 2003, Apple had also released larger 17-inch and 20-inch display sizes.
In his 2002 review of the iMac G4 for Macworld, longtime Apple reporter Jason Snell described the computer as "nothing short of a triumph."
Facebook today announced a new "Privacy Center" section on its website on the desktop. This new area will offer users a "new place to learn more about our approach to privacy across our apps and technologies" and "provides helpful information about five common privacy topics," Meta announced today in a press release.
The new Privacy Center, rolling out to a small pool of Facebook users in the United States on the desktop, will offer five sections at launch with plans to expand over time.
The first section, Security, will offer easy access to common tools such as basic security settings and two-factor authentication. Sharing will provide quick access to settings over who can tag users in a post, post visibility, and more. Collection and Use will give users a quick glance at the type of data Meta collects about them and how it's used, respectively. The last section will provide settings regarding a user's ad preferences.
Meta says that Facebook's "Privacy Center" will continuously evolve and expand over time with "more modules and controls to help people understand our approach to privacy across our apps and technologies."
Today we're tracking a collection of discounts across Apple's M1 Mac lineup, including up to $100 off the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and iMac. These sales are all available on Amazon, with delivery dates averaging around mid-to-late January.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Starting with the 256GB M1 Mac mini, this model is down to its lowest-ever price of $599.99, down from $699.00. This sale won't be reflected until you add the Mac mini to your cart and head to the checkout screen.
Final price includes $29.99 taken off at checkout.
Secondly, Amazon has the 512GB M1 MacBook Air for $1,149.00, down from $1,249.00. At $100 off, this is a second-best price on this model of the MacBook Air, and it's only available in the Gold color option.
Lastly, Amazon is still offering the M1 iMac at $50 off in the Silver color this week. You can get the 7-core GPU/256GB 24-inch iMac for $1,249.00, down from $1,299.00, with an estimated delivery by January 19 for most places in the United States.
You can keep track of ongoing sales on Apple's iMac line by visiting our Best iMac Deals guide. There, we keep track of the best iMac offers from Amazon, Adorama, B&H Photo, and other retailers, so be sure to check back often if you're shopping for an iMac for the first time, or thinking of upgrading.
Apple today announced Collections and Time to Run for Apple Fitness+, as well as expanded Time to Walk and Artist Spotlight suites.
Collections are curated series of workouts and meditations from the Fitness+ library, providing users with a new way to get motivated, remain consistent, and make progress with their sessions. Fitness+ Collections include a suggested plan to help users make intentional training choices over a period of several days or weeks to reach their goals.
The following six Collections will be available at launch, providing a range of goals for users to strive to achieve:
30-Day Core Challenge
Improve Your Posture with Pilates
Perfect Your Yoga Balance Poses
Run Your First 5K
Strengthen Your Back, Stretch Your Hips
Wind Down for a Better Bedtime
Time to Run is a new audio running experience, similar to Time to Walk, designed to help users become better and more consistent runners. Each episode of Time to Run is focused on a popular real-world running route in a notable or iconic location.
Fitness+ trainers, including Emily Fayette, Jamie-Ray Hartshorne, Sam Sanchez, and Scott Carvin, as well as Cory Wharton-Malcolm, a new running trainer on the team, will give users coaching tips and display relevant photos as they run, accompanied by energizing music. Each episode's Apple Music playlist has been curated to match the intensity, location, and coaching style of each run.
Time to Run will launch with three episodes: London, coached by Cory Wharton-Malcolm; Brooklyn, coached by Emily Fayette; and Miami Beach, coached by Sam Sanchez. In the following weeks, a new episode of Time to Run will be released every Monday.
Apple says that Time to Run can be experienced outside or inside on a treadmill, and for Apple Watch users who use a wheelchair, Time to Run becomes Time to Run or Push, providing the choice to start a run or an Outdoor Push Running Pace workout.
Apple Fitness+ Collections and Time to Run launch on January 10 for all Fitness+ subscribers. On the same day, Fitness+ will also debut the third season of Time to Walk, featuring guests such as Rebel Wilson, Bernice A. King, and Hasan Minhaj, as well as new Artist Spotlight workouts in the Fitness app, featuring music from Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams, Shakira, and the Beatles.
Update, January 10th: "Time to Run" and Collections are now rolling out to Fitness+ subscribers in the Fitness app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.
A recurring iOS bug that makes Apple's Messages app send read receipts despite the setting being disabled appears to be on the upswing again, based on reports from users running iOS 15.
In iOS, with read receipts enabled (Settings -> Messages -> Send Read Receipts), the "Delivered" text that a person sees under an iMessage they have sent you turns to "Read" when you've viewed it in the conversation thread, so they know you've seen the message even if you've not responded. The setting syncs across all Apple devices signed into the same Apple ID.
Over the last few years there have been sporadic reports that Messages doesn't always observe the user setting, but according to Macworld's Glenn Fleishman, the bug appears to be rearing its head again, only this time for a larger number of users running the latest version of iOS 15.
Some people have found that restarting their device resolves the problem, at least temporarily, but no permanent fix has been discovered, suggesting Apple needs to change something about the way the function works in a future update to its mobile operating system. We'll update this article if we learn more.
The second-generation AirPods Pro are widely expected to launch in the second half of this year. In preparation for the launch, Apple's suppliers are getting ready for shipments of the new high-end AirPods, according to a new report from DigiTimes.
The new second-generation AirPods Pro are widely expected to feature a new design, improved audio, the ability to play back Apple Music lossless audio, and more. The new AirPods Pro are scheduled to launch this year — specifically in the second half of 2022. Ahead of the release, today's report said that suppliers are beginning to prepare for shipments of the new wireless earphones.
The latest information about the new AirPods Pro comes from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who recently reported they would feature a redesigned charging case that can emit an audible noise for use with Find My. With Find My integration, only AirPods themselves emit a sound when pinged by a user. With the new AirPods Pro, the case will have a speaker, allowing for a louder noise, making it easier to find.
MacRumors had previously received pictures depicting what a tipster claimed to be the case for the upcoming AirPods Pro. Those pictures show speaker holes and possible accessory attachments in the case itself. MacRumors cannot verify the accuracy of the images, but they do fall in line with new information shared by credible analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Alongside a new case, the new AirPods Pro will also support playback of lossless Apple Music audio. Due to limitations in Bluetooth bandwidth, none of Apple's existing AirPods models can playback lossless audio from Apple Music. In a recent interview, an executive for the company admitted that the limitations of Bluetooth are hindering the potential of the AirPods experience and said the team wants "more bandwidth" than what Bluetooth alone can provide.
To catch up on everything we expect from the second-generation AirPods Pro, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide.
Dropbox has finally begun testing a native version of its Mac app with Apple silicon support, following widespread criticism from customers and users who initially thought it had no plans to take advantage of the latest Macs powered by Apple's custom processors.
In October, official responses to comments on the Dropbox forums suggested Dropbox had no plans to add support for Apple silicon Macs to its Mac app, continuing to rely on Apple's Rosetta 2 technology to translate the Intel-based app on newer Mac machines. The forum thread received widespread criticism from irritated Mac users, eventually leading to the company's CEO stepping in to say that Dropbox would adopt native Apple silicon support in the first half of 2022.
Now, one week into the new year, Dropbox is seemingly fulfilling its promise. Dropbox has told MacRumors that it has begun testing native Apple silicon support with a small batch of its Mac user base and that it plans to offer all users who run the beta of its Mac app native Apple silicon support by the end of January.
Compared to apps specifically optimized and tested for Apple silicon, Intel-based apps on new Mac machines occasionally run slower, make little use of Apple silicon's performance gains and power efficiency, and may not function correctly. While Apple's Rosetta 2 technology works for most users, apps for Apple silicon typically run better, are more power-efficient, and more likely to provide a better user experience than Intel-based apps on newer Mac laptops and desktops.
Dropbox does not have the best reputation amongst Mac users for being friendly to system resources and is often criticized for being a memory hog and battery drain. On newer Macs, such as the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, Dropbox with native Apple silicon support should allay some of that criticism, as it should run smoother and be less demanding.
Dropbox's poor performance on Mac has pushed some users to move to third-party clients that support Dropbox syncing. With Dropbox planning to give all of its beta users access to its native Apple silicon app by the end of the month, an official rollout can be expected shortly after and well within the first half of 2022, as previously promised by the company's CEO.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
