MacRumors

The average iPhone user spent 38 percent more in 2020 on premium apps and in-app purchases than the year before, reaching a total average spend of $138 per ‌iPhone‌ in the United States, according to new research conducted by Sensor Tower.

2020 was a record year for App Store spending, with more than ever being spent per ‌iPhone‌ user. Although ‌App Store‌ sales grew by 42 percent in 2016, the 38 percent growth in 2020 significantly exceeds the 27 percent year-on-year increase seen between 2018 and 2019 when it rose from $79 to $100.

In particular, per-device spending on mobile games saw explosive growth in 2020, jumping from $53.80 in 2019 to $76.80 for year-on-year growth of 43 percent. The biggest source of spending on mobile games was in the Puzzle category, which includes games like Candy Crush Saga and Gardenscapes.

In addition to mobile games, per-iPhone spending in the Entertainment category boomed, reaching $10.20, which is an increase of 26 percent over the $8.10 spent in 2019.

This large increase in consumer spending per ‌iPhone‌ mirrored overall global trends, which saw consumers spending more overall last year as they turned to their mobile devices during the global health crisis. Average consumer spending on apps per ‌iPhone‌ in the U.S. has grown markedly each year by at least 20 percent, but it is yet to be seen if the trend will continue into 2021.

Apple today announced that its mobile gaming subscription service, Apple Arcade, is gaining 30 classic games including "Fruit Ninja," "Monument Valley," "Solitaire," and "Cut the Rope" as the service passes a total of 180 titles.

The new games come in two brand new categories on the platform called "Timeless Classics" and "App Store Greats." Some of the new Timeless Classics include:

• Really Bad Chess
• Sudoku Simple
• Backgammon
• Tiny Crossword
• Solitaire

The new ‌App Store‌ Greats add a number of familiar titles from over the years, including:

• Monument Valley
• Mini Metro
• Threes!
• Fruit Ninja Classic
• Chameleon Run

‌Apple Arcade‌ is also gaining a number of new "Arcade Originals" today:

• NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition
• Simon's Cat: Story Time Tactile Games
• Star Trek: Legends
• The Oregon Trail
• Cut the Rope Remastered
• SongPop Party

‌App Store‌ vice president Matt Fischer said that ‌Apple Arcade‌ has become a place for friends and family to enjoy games on a safe and private platform while also touting the praise the service has received since its launch.

In its inaugural year, Apple Arcade won over media critics and fans for its creativity, diverse portfolio, and commitment to players' privacy, providing a safe gaming service to enjoy with family and friends.

Apple Arcade launched in September of 2019 as an ad-free mobile game subscription service with no in-app purchases. ‌Apple Arcade‌ is available across the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, and Mac for $4.99 per month, or as part of the Apple One bundle.

Apple is once again closing all of its retail locations in France due to the ongoing health crisis, the first time since last year where all 20 locations have been closed, MacGeneration reports.

France currently remains on heightened alert due to the pandemic, with some regions under stricter lockdowns than others. The majority of Apple Stores in the country have remained closed, while others such as Apple Champs-Élysées, Apple Opéra, Apple Marché Saint-Germain, and Apple Lille, remained open for customers according to MacGeneration.

Apple says that the closures will be temporary and offers no date for when customers can expect them to reopen. Stores that were open previously, such as Apple Champs-Élysées and Apple Opéra, will remain open until Saturday, April 3, for customers to pick up current online orders or attend a Genius Bar appointment that was scheduled before April 3.

However, even with stores open, Apple has in place strict measures such as social distancing, mask-wearing, and temperature checks. Apple has taken a cautious approach to closing and reopening its stores as the pandemic situation differs. As of March 1, all 270 Apple Stores in the United States are open.

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A series of images posted on the Chinese social networking platform Weibo, shared by leaker DuanRui on Twitter, claims to showcase the new colors for Apple's 2021 Spring collection for the iPhone 12 MagSafe case.

According to the images, Apple plans to release four new color options for its ‌MagSafe‌ ‌iPhone‌ 12 cases. The colors resemble light blue, dark purple, light green, and orange. As part of its 2020 Spring collection, Apple released iPhone 11 cases with very similar colors; however, if the leak is accurate, Apple's adding a dark purple.

The images were shared by the Weibo account "Uncle Pan Pan," which currently has no track record for sharing accurate Apple information, however, the account was first brought to light by ‌DuanRui‌, which has shared accurate information in the past.

In 2020, Apple released matching ‌iPhone‌ 11 and Apple Watch bands for its Spring collection. Apple could decide to do the same thing this year, and if so, the colors shared by "Uncle Pan Pan" also showcase new Apple Watch band colors.

Apple typically releases new Spring accessories around the end of March or early April. Apple was falsely expected to hold an event towards the end of March, and now hopes are on a press release in the coming weeks for possible new iPad Pros, AirTags, and presumably, new Spring cases and Apple Watch bands.

Fantasian, the latest turn-based role-playing game by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, has just been released exclusively on Apple Arcade.

Set against a backdrop made from over 150 handmade dioramas that blend physical environments with 3D characters, Fantasian sees players assume the role of "Leo," who awakens to find himself lost in a strange land with only one remaining memory.

The tale begins in a realm governed by machines. Within this multi-dimensional universe, the balance of "Chaos and Order" becomes a key factor in the struggle for these realms and the machinations of the gods who wish to control them. Players will assume the role of protagonist, Leo, who awakens from a massive explosion only to find himself lost in a strange land with only one memory left to him. As players set out on a journey to reclaim Leo's memories, they will unravel the mysteries of the bizarre mechanical infection slowly engulfing all that is known to mankind. The captivating story is written by Sakaguchi and is complimented by a sweeping soundtrack by celebrated Final Fantasy composer, Nobuo Uematsu.

The game includes new battle mechanics including "Dimengeon Battle,", which allows players to send previously encountered enemies into a separate dimensional dungeon to streamline combat and maximize exploration.

The soundtrack to the game is by Nobuo Uematsu, known for his work on the Final Fantasy series and other titles such as Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon.

According to an interview given to the LA Times, Sakaguchi found inspiration for the game by replaying Final Fantasy VI, which offered a number of reminders and lessons for modern mobile game development.

"Back in the day, everything was done in tiles," said Sakaguchi "Your character would move one tile at a time. That introduces puzzle-like elements, in which you might see a treasure tile that you can't access. But if you walk around the building and go through the back door, you might be able to reach that chest.

"When the player reaches the ending, it feels like they have seen everything this world has to offer. That desire — that craving that humans have — we're trying to re-create."

Fantasian is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. ‌‌Apple Arcade‌‌‌‌‌ is priced at $4.99 per month, and that price point allows the whole family to play games without ads or additional in-app purchases.

Apple has begun rejecting app updates that do not comply with the App Tracking Transparency rules that the company is enforcing starting with iOS 14.5, according to a new report from Forbes.

Apps must ask for permission to access the advertising identifier or IDFA of a user's iPhone in order to track them across apps for ad targeting purposes, a rule that apps will need to comply with when iOS 14.5 launches. The rule also prevents apps from using other workaround methods for tracking users, which is getting some developers into trouble already.

Several apps have been rejected so far, with Forbes listing Heetch, Radish Fiction, InnoGames, and more. Developers seeing app rejections are getting the following message: "Your app uses algorithmically converted device and usage data to create a unique identifier in order to track the user," with the message also listing the data that's being collected.

Mobile marketing analyst Eric Seufert said that an SDK from mobile measurement company Adjust is at fault because of the data that it collects for device fingerprinting. Adjust, which is installed in more than 50,000 apps, says that it "maximizes the impact" of mobile marketing.

Apple is blocking apps that are using fingerprinting techniques to collect data for the purpose of building a profile of a user that allows the user to be tracked even without an advertising identifier. Data collection uses metrics like software version, time since last update, time since last restart, charge level, battery status, and more to identify individual users.

It is Apple's position that if a customer has declined the usage of the IDFA for ad tracking, that user has also declined other tracking methods. Apple's App Store rules say that app developers cannot collect data from a device for the purpose of identifying it, and developers are responsible for all tracking code in their apps, including any third-party SDKs they're using.

Adjust has now updated its SDK to remove code that accesses data like CPU type, phone memory, charging status, and battery level, so apps that were rejected for using Adjust may be able to have their updates greenlit after installing the new Adjust SDK.

There's still no word on when Apple plans to release iOS 14.5, but we've had six betas so far and the software is set to be available to the public sometime in the spring. With the App Tracking Transparency rules starting to be enforced for updates, it is possible that Apple is preparing for the software's launch, so we could perhaps see it debut in the near future.

Apple today updated its Apple Support app to version 4.2, introducing a few useful new features to streamline the app's usefulness for getting service and support for Apple devices.

The section of the app that provides coverage details now offers up more information about benefits and service options, plus you can now get reminders about your upcoming Genius Bar or Apple Authorized Service Provider reservations sent by text message or phone.

Though not mentioned in the release notes, the update introduces a new Check Coverage App Clip for those who do not have the Apple Support app installed. If you go to Apple's Check Coverage website on an iPhone without the app, you will be able to use the App Clip to see device information without needing to download the full Apple Support app.

The Apple Support app is designed to provide an easy to use resource on the ‌iPhone‌ and iPad for getting help with hardware issues. It is a free app that can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

(Thanks, Steve Moser!)

The next-generation iPhone SE that's set to launch in 2022 will feature the same 4.7-inch display as the current version, according to display analyst Ross Young.

The existing ‌iPhone‌ SE is modeled after the ‌iPhone‌ 8 with a 4.7-inch display. There were rumors suggesting that Apple was working on an "‌iPhone‌ SE Plus" that could come out this year, but earlier this month, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that there won't be a new iPhone in the SE family until 2022.

Young's information also suggests there will be no 2021 refresh for the ‌iPhone‌ SE, but he says that following the minor 2022 refresh, there could be a more radical design change coming in 2023.

Apple is said to be working on a 6.1-inch version of the ‌iPhone‌ SE that features a hole punch design rather than a notch. Apple is rumored to be planning to bring the hole punch display to the 2022 flagship models, so it makes sense that after introducing new ‌iPhone‌ 14 models with the design change, it could trickle down to the ‌iPhone‌ SE a year later.

The hole punch design is something that Android manufacturers have been using for some time to maximize available display area while also leaving space for the front-facing camera. On Apple's devices, the hole punch will replace the current notch.

Though there will presumably be few design changes to the ‌iPhone‌ SE coming in 2022, the device is expected to get an upgraded processor and 5G support, which Young says may be limited to sub-6GHz.

Apple CEO Tim Cook today sent out a motivating memo to Apple employees to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Apple's founding, asking them to rededicate themselves to the original mission of Apple's founding - to redefine what technology can achieve and make people's lives better. Cook's memo was shared in full by French site MacGeneration.

Cook said that there's never been a moment in Apple's history with such great potential, nor has Apple ever had "so talented and dedicated a team." Cook quoted Steve Jobs: "It's been an amazing journey so far, yet we have barely begun," and included his own inspirational addendum. "Remember that none of us will be here for the end of the story, but it's on all of us to make sure it's one worth telling."

On April 1, 1976, a company was formed in Cupertino to create transformative products that redefine what technology can achieve and make people's lives better in the process. Forty-five years later, we mark this occasion by rededicating ourselves to that mission -- and to keeping it alive for a long time to come -- rather than to remember it fondly as something past.

While some things about Apple have changed over these many years, the important things haven't. From the M1 chip to 5G iPhones, from iPads that change the face of education and productivity to a Watch that can look out for your health, to the very best Software and Services that bring them all to life, we have never stopped setting the pace that others try to match. What I can tell you with gut certainty is that there has never been a moment of such great potential as this one, nor have we ever had so talented and dedicated a team. That shouldn't make us rest easy. Great potential obligates great people to meet it.

I know this past year has tested each of us in ways that we never imagined. It's asked all of us to adapt, it's added complexity to our work and it has demanded additional resolve and commitment in areas of our lives that extend well beyond our work. But I also know that what we have each achieved during this time should make us enormously proud. Through a once-in-a-generation challenge, the things we make, and the ways in which we make them, have revealed profound and durable new sources of value to the people who love and count on them. And, on many fronts, we know even brighter days are ahead.

In an email like this one, to mark a much earlier anniversary shortly after I joined Apple, Steve said, "it's been an amazing journey so far, yet we have barely begun." Still true. Remember that none of us will be here for the end of the story, but it's on all of us to make sure it's one worth telling.

Cook also shared the same Steve Jobs quote on Twitter and offered a cheers to the "next 45 years and beyond."

As Apple celebrates its 45th anniversary, the company is poised to announce major new hardware products in 2021, including new Apple silicon notebooks and desktops, updated AirPods, new iPads, and refreshed iPhones, plus work is ongoing on a mixed reality headset, Apple smart glasses, an Apple-designed self-driving vehicle, and more.

Today marks the 45th anniversary of Apple, co-founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976. Wayne sold his 10% share of the company back to Jobs and Wozniak just 12 days later to avoid financial risk, which is unfortunate in hindsight given that his stake would be worth more than $200 billion today.

Apple's history began in the garage of Jobs' childhood home in Los Altos, California, where he worked with Wozniak to test the first Apple I computer systems in 1975. Jobs then reached a sales agreement with a small computer store named the Byte Shop in nearby Mountain View, California, which began selling the Apple I in July 1976 for $666.66. Wozniak later said he chose that price because he liked repeating digits.

From near-bankruptcy in the late 1990s to becoming the world's most valuable public company by the 2010s, Apple has been through a series of highs and lows over the past four and a half decades. The company has introduced several iconic products over that time, most notably including the Macintosh in 1984, the iPod in 2001, and the iPhone in 2007, with Jobs becoming well known for his charismatic keynote presentations.

Apple CEO Tim Cook reflected on the company's 45th anniversary today on Twitter, sharing a quote from Jobs and thanking employees.

Apple recently capped off its most financially successful year ever with a record $111 billion revenue in the fourth quarter of 2020. The company is now valued at over $2 trillion, and its future is expected to include greater pushes into areas like AR/VR and artificial intelligence as technology continues to evolve beyond screens.

Eve today announced the availability of Thread support for the second-generation Eve Aqua, which is now available through an Eve Aqua firmware update.

The Eve Aqua, for those unfamiliar, is a smart water controller that attaches to any outdoor faucet, adding smart functionality and irrigation controls to sprinklers and hoses.

Eve has been working to update all of its Bluetooth-compatible accessories with Thread technology, and several of the devices, including Eve Aqua, have a Thread-capable chipset inside that can be activated through a firmware update.

As a battery powered device, Eve Aqua is a Minimal Thread Device that does not relay packets, but the mesh network Thread technology in general offers extended range and connectivity improvements when paired with a Thread-capable device like the HomePod mini.

Eve has three Thread-capable devices including the Eve Door & Window and the Eve Weather, with a Thread-enabled Eve Energy smart plug coming to the U.S. at the end of April. The Eve Energy, as a continually connected device, is a Full Thread Device that enables extended range for accessories like the Eve Aqua when placed between the Eve Aqua and a ‌HomePod mini‌.

The new firmware update can be downloaded through the Eve app. The Eve Aqua is available from Amazon for $80.

Twitter today added options to include stickers and other media in its ephemeral tweets, or "Fleets," which last for 24 hours on the social network before disappearing.

Launched on the platform back in November, Fleets are short stories made up of photos or videos with overlaying text. Much like stories on Instagram or Facebook, Fleets are located at the top of the Twitter timeline.

Now when Twitter users compose a Fleet, they'll see a smiley face icon at the bottom of the screen for adding animated stickers and emoji ("Twemoji) to their creation. Meanwhile, searching for something in the search bar at the top of the screen pulls up GIFs from Tenor and Giphy.

How to Create a Fleet on Twitter

1. Tap your profile image in the Twitter app.
2. Tap the Fleet compose icon.
3. Compose your message, using text, emoji, photos, a GIF, or video. To add media, tap the screen to bring up the keyboard and toolbar. There, you'll find the Align button to format text, a B button to bold text, and a Highlight button to highlight it. The color wheel can be used to change the text and highlight color, and the circle icon at the bottom left of the screen to changes the background color.
   
   

4. Tap the Fleet button to post the Fleet to your profile, where it'll remain for 24 hours.

To delete a posted Fleet, simply select it and tap Delete Fleet. Note that Fleets have no retweets, likes, or public comments, do not show up in search or moments, and cannot be embedded on external websites.

In 2019, some customers of 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models began to notice an odd "stage lighting" effect that would impact their screen, potentially causing the laptop to be unusable. The odd occurrence resulted from a weak and fragile flex cable that can experience wear and tear with repeated opening and closing of the computer.

Now, two years later, a judge who's presiding over a case from a group of consumers accusing Apple of knowingly selling the laptops, despite the defect, says that Apple would have been alerted to the issue thanks to pre-release testing.

As reported in a paywalled report from Law360, Judge Edward Davila sided with the plaintiffs by agreeing that testing the laptops before their release would have informed Apple engineers of the issue. Hence, the company knowingly sold the laptops with the defect.

U.S. District Judge Edward Davila determined that the consumers' allegations of Apple conducting intensive pre-release testing, which the consumers say was conducted by a team of "reliability engineers" who carried out stress tests and other procedures that would have alerted Apple to defects behind the display failures, sufficiently demonstrate that Apple was aware of the alleged defect.

"The court finds that the allegations of pre-release testing in combination with the allegations of substantial customer complaints are sufficient to show that Apple had exclusive knowledge of the alleged defect," the judge wrote in his opinion.

The plaintiff, Mahan Taleshpour, representing a larger group of consumers, says that Apple "continues to deny there was ever a defect in its display cables," and goes further to say that Apple attempted to cover any evidence of "Flexgate."

According to Talehspour, Apple deliberately deleted comments and threads from its Apple Support Community Forum, which often serves as a go-to place for crowdsourcing information on potential issues with Apple devices. Talehspour accues Apple of deleting comments that outlined "‌‌Flexgate‌‌" and the issues around the display. The judge says that if the accusation is true, it will act as further proof that Apple was aware of the issue.

If Apple deleted comments on its website from consumers complaining about display issues attributable to the alleged defect, that suggests that Apple had knowledge of the alleged defect, superior to that of plaintiffs or potential class members.

Apple is pushing back, saying that Talehspour bought his ‌MacBook Pro‌ in 2017, and used it without any issues for more than three years until the case was filed. Apple also says that the allegation is based on false assumptions,not hard-ironed facts.

Specifically, Apple says that the idea that pre-release testing of the device would have alerted it to the issue is not accurate. Alexander Wheeler, an attorney for the case, says that the plaintiffs are "naturally pleased" with the judge's current stance on the issue and their decision to allow the case to move forward. Wheeler goes on to state the specifics of "‌Flexgate‌."

"Those thin cables stretch and wear out as consumers open and close their laptops," Wheeler said. "As those thin cables tear, the laptop display screens — which Apple touts as the 'best Mac display ever' — stop working long before the expected life of an expensive Apple laptop."

With the release of the ‌MacBook Pro‌ in 2018, Apple addressed the issue by adding a longer and seemingly stronger flex cable to the display, reducing the likelihood of wear and tear.

The minimalist Opera browser designed for the Mac was today updated with native Apple silicon support for M1 Macs, introducing notable speed improvements.

With this release, the Opera browser runs two times faster on ‌M1‌ Macs compared to the previous generation of the browser for smoother and quicker browsing performance.

Along with ‌M1‌ Mac support, today's update lets users set keyboard shortcuts to access Opera's Flow feature, which connects the browser on the Mac with Opera on iOS or Android. Flow is end-to-end encrypted and can be used to send notes, images, links, files, and more.

There's also now an option to create shortcuts to Opera's built-in Crypto Wallet and the Player feature for accessing Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music. Custom shortcuts can be accessed by clicking on the three-dot icon at the bottom of the sidebar and choosing the Configure shortcuts option.

The latest version of the Opera browser can be downloaded from the Opera website. [Direct Link]

Long-time Apple supplier TSMC, which produces A-series chips for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple silicon chips for the Mac, will invest $100 billion over the next three years to significantly expand its production capacity to meet ever-increasing demand, Bloomberg reports.

TSMC previously announced a planned expenditure of up to $28 billion in 2021 alone; however, an ongoing chip shortage is plaguing the global semiconductor industry, forcing the supplier to increase its planned investments. In a statement, TSMC says the new $100 billion investment will expand support for production and R&D of new semiconductor technologies.

TSMC expects to invest USD$100b over the next three years to increase capacity to support the manufacturing and R&D of advanced semiconductor technologies. TSMC is working closely with our customers to address their needs in a sustainable manner.

In a letter to customers, such as Qualcomm, Nivida, and Apple, TSMC CEO C.C. Wei revealed that his company has been running at 100% capacity over the last year and that thousands of new employees have been hired in an effort to keep up with demand.

In a letter to customers obtained by Bloomberg News, TSMC Chief Executive Officer C.C. Wei wrote that the company's fabs have been "running at over 100% utilization over the past 12 months," but demand still outpaced supply. Thousands of new employees are being hired, and multiple new factories are under construction, he added, and TSMC will suspend wafer price reductions for a year from the start of 2022.

The new investment comes the same week that Apple has reportedly booked all of TSMC's production capacity for 4nm process chips, expected to be used in "new generation" Mac computers.

Apple plans to use Tesla's "Megapack" battery pack at a newly announced energy farm in California to help power Apple Park and further its commitment to renewable energy and being carbon-neutral by 2030, according to The Verge.

Apple's newly announced California solar farm will use 85 of Tesla's 60MV battery packs to help power ‌Apple Park‌, according to the report. According to Apple, the new solar farm, initially spearheaded by the company in 2015, will store enough battery to power more than 7,000 homes.

Apple is constructing one of the largest battery projects in the country, California Flats — an industry-leading, grid-scale energy storage project capable of storing 240 megawatt-hours of energy, enough to power over 7,000 homes for one day. This project supports the company's 130-megawatt solar farm that provides all of its renewable energy in California, by storing excess energy generated during the day and deploying it when it is most needed.

The farm was approved by the local Monterey County Board of Supervisors last year, and the county's chief of planning confirmed to The Verge that Apple would use Tesla's "Megapack" battery at the new farm.

Apple will not, however, be using Tesla's most high-end Megapack offering. As noted by The Verge, Tesla has built 100MV battery storage solutions in Australia and Houston, Texas. Apple's VP of environment, Lisa Jackson, says the company hopes the new farm will remove hesitancy around companies switching to renewable and clean energy.

If we can do it, and we can show that it works for us, it takes away the concerns about intermittency and it helps the grid in terms of stabilization. It's something that can be imitated or built upon by other companies.

Apple and Tesla are yet to be direct competitors; however, that could change in the not-so-distant future as Apple further develops its self-driving car. Tesla CEO Elon Musk made headlines earlier last year when he revealed that he reached out to Tim Cook about Apple acquiring Tesla. According to Musk, however, Cook never accepted the meeting invitation.