MacRumors

Apple today released a series of updates aimed at app developers, letting them know about upcoming requirements related to iOS 14.5, the newest version of iOS 14 that's set to be released next week.

Starting on Monday, April 26, all iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch apps submitted to the App Store must be built on the Xcode 12 and iOS 14 SDK or later, which means that new apps will no longer be able to use older SDK options.

With the launch of iOS 14.5, Apple is requiring all developers to adhere to its App Tracking Transparency rules that will require them to get express permission to track users across apps with the iPhone's advertising identifier.

Apple says that apps must start using the AppTrackingTransparency framework on Monday, April 26, 2021.

With the upcoming public release of iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and tvOS 14.5, all apps must use the AppTrackingTransparency framework to request the user's permission to track them or to access their device's advertising identifier. Unless you receive permission from the user to enable tracking, the device's advertising identifier value will be all zeros and you may not track them.

When submitting your app for review, any other form of tracking -- for example, by name or email address -- must be declared in the product page's App Store Privacy Information section and be performed only if permission is granted through AppTrackingTransparency. You'll also need to include a purpose string in the system prompt to explain why you'd like to track the user, per App Store Review Guideline 5.1.2(i). These requirements apply to all apps starting April 26, 2021.

The April 26, 2021 deadline suggests that iOS 14.5 will either be released on that date or the day after. Apple today released the iOS 14.5 release candidate in preparation for the launch, so the update is nearly ready to go.

Apple today also released release candidate versions of iPadOS 14.5, macOS Big Sur 11.3, tvOS 14.5, and watchOS 7.4, all of which we're expecting to see early next week.

Apple today announced that the Apple TV is getting a new iPhone-based color balance feature to improve a TV's picture quality.

Starting with tvOS 14.5 and iOS 14.5, users will be able to hold an iPhone with Face ID near their TV and, after tapping a notification, the iPhone's front-facing camera and ambient light sensor will begin color measurements and automatically tailor the Apple TV's video output to deliver more accurate colors and improved contrast. Apple says this process will result in improved picture quality without adjusting the TV's settings.

While this feature was advertised alongside a new Apple TV 4K, Apple's press release confirms that the color balance process will also be available for the previous-generation Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD running tvOS 14.5, which will be released next week.

The new Apple TV 4K features a faster A12 Bionic chip, support for high frame rate HDR and Dolby Vision video, and a redesigned Siri Remote with a physical clickpad that is also touch-enabled for swipe gestures that Apple TV users are familiar with. The outer ring of the clickpad supports a circular gesture for finding a scene in a movie or show.

Following the introduction of the new 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, Logitech has announced the launch of the Combo Touch Keyboard for the two tablets, offering a more affordable alternative to the Magic Keyboard that Apple sells.

Priced at $199.99 for the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ and $229.99 for the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, the Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard provides a full folio case with attached keyboard and touchpad that can be used with the new iPad models.

The keyboard is detachable and an integrated stand allows it to be used in various typing, viewing, sketching, and reading modes. It connects to an ‌iPad Pro‌ using the Smart Connector, so there's no need for pairing or charging a battery.

The Combo Touch is sized to fit Apple's newest iPads, with separate options available for older tablets. At $199 or $229, it is a good deal more affordable than Apple's Magic Keyboard, though there are sometimes deals available on the Magic Keyboard from third-party retailers.

The Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ is priced at $299, and the version for the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ is priced at $349. The Magic Keyboard is available both in black and white, with white being a new color option this year.

Logitech's Combo Touch only comes in gray. The 11-inch version can be purchased from the Logitech website, and a version for the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ is coming soon.

In addition to a new Siri Remote and a faster A12 processor, the refreshed Apple TV 4K that Apple announced today has a number of other notable hardware improvements.

The new ‌Apple TV‌ 4K is equipped with an HDMI 2.1 port instead of an HDMI 2.0a port, and it offers support for 4K 60 fps HDR video output. Code recently found in tvOS 14.5 suggested the new ‌Apple TV‌ could support 4K 120Hz output, but that does not appear to be the case.

Along with HDMI 2.1, the new ‌Apple TV‌ supports 802.11ax WiFi 6 with MIMO. Apple has been introducing WiFi 6 support in its newest devices, and WiFi 6 is the newest and fastest WiFi protocol available with improved speeds, expanded network capacity, lower latency, better power efficiency, and upgraded performance in locations with many smart home devices.

The ‌Apple TV‌ 4K is the second Apple device that has built-in Thread support, following the HomePod mini. Thread is a low-power networking technology that offers a secure, mesh-based system able to interface with other Thread-enabled smart home devices for improved connectivity.

Though not mentioned in the ‌Apple TV‌ specifications, the tvOS 14.5 beta suggests that the new ‌Apple TV‌ model supports eARC, which offers a bandwidth and speed boost for sending higher-quality audio from the TV to a soundbar or receiver.

Following the launch of an updated and more powerful Apple TV 4K with an A12 Bionic chip, Apple today introduced AppleCare+ for ‌Apple TV‌ for the first time, offering customers extended coverage for their ‌Apple TV‌.

For the first time, customers can now purchase extended coverage with ‌AppleCare‌+ for their ‌Apple TV‌. With extended coverage, customers receive three extra years of protection from the ‌AppleCare‌+ purchase date and two additional incidents of accidental damage. Previously, Apple only offered standard ‌AppleCare‌, which offers two years of coverage and no accidental damage.

For both the new generation ‌Apple TV‌ 4K and the older ‌Apple TV‌ HD, ‌AppleCare‌+ will cost an additional $29, or $4.83 per month for 6 months.

Apple today announced a new podcasts subscription feature that's coming to the Podcasts app. Podcast subscriptions will let podcast publishers sell subscriptions to an individual show or a group of shows, with pricing starting at 49 cents per month.

Publishers will be able to set their own pricing, but according to Recode, Apple plans to take a cut. Apple will collect 30 percent of subscription revenue that creators generate in their first year on the platform, and after that, Apple will collect 15 percent. This is the same pricing setup that Apple uses for other subscription options.

Apple does not plan to require podcast creators to create content exclusively for Apple, but it is encouraging them to distinguish between content available from Apple Podcasts and content on other platforms, such as ad-free shows, shows with extra content, or early or exclusive access to new content. Those who want to participate will need to sign up for the Apple Podcasters Program, which is priced at $19.99 per year.

Podcast creators will be able to start offering subscriptions as of next month, with subscriptions available to listeners in more than 170 countries and regions. Up to six family members can share a subscription.

Apple has a number of partners on board ready to create premium podcast content, including Tenderfoot TV, Pushkin Industries, Radiotopia from PRX, and QCODE, NPR, the Los Angeles Times, The Athletic, Sony Music Entertainment, and more.

In addition to overhauling the iMac lineup with new M1 ‌iMac‌ options, Apple today quietly added a new feature to the Mac mini. ‌Mac mini‌ buyers can now opt to add a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port to the device for a $100 add-on.

When the ‌Mac mini‌ launched, there was a Gigabit Ethernet option, but no upgrade to 10 Gigabit available.

There was, however, a sign that 10 Gigabit Ethernet was coming. MacRumors discovered a mention of M1-based ‌Mac mini‌ logic boards with 10 Gigabit Ethernet in an internal parts list provided to Apple Authorized Service Providers.

We were not certain why those parts were listed at the time, but with the addition of 10 Gigabit Ethernet to the ‌Mac mini‌, it was clear that Apple was planning to make it a consumer-available feature.

The new ‌Mac mini‌ with 10 Gigabit Ethernet can be ordered starting today.

Apple's brand new M1 iPad Pro features drastically improved performance thanks to the new chipset and an improved TrueDepth camera system with a new "Center Stage" mode.

The new 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ features a 12MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera with a 120° field of view, compared to the standard 7MP wide-angle front-facing camera on the previous generation.

The new TrueDepth camera system enables new capabilities on the ‌iPad Pro‌, including Portrait mode selfies with the ability to adjust bokeh and Depth Control, and Portrait Lighting effects including Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, and High-Key Mono.

While notably spec and feature upgrades on paper, the Ultra Wide camera enables a new feature that Apple calls "Center Stage." Thanks to the TrueDepth camera's wide viewing angle, the ‌iPad Pro‌ can now use machine learning to automatically detect people in the frame, and pan and zoom to ensure they’re always visible. As Apple explains:

The all-new Center Stage uses the Ultra Wide camera and machine learning to change the way you participate in video calls. As you move around, it automatically pans to keep you center in the frame. When others join in or leave the call, the view expands or zooms in. Center Stages works with FaceTime and other video conferencing app for an even more engaging experience.

The new iPad Pros were one of a handful of new announcements Apple made during its "Spring Loaded" event.

Apple today hosted its virtual "Spring Loaded" event, packing several announcements into a fast-paced, one-hour presentation, including a new iPad Pro, a redesigned iMac, a new Apple TV with a redesigned Siri Remote, the AirTag item tracker, and more. The video can be replayed in its entirety on Apple's website and on YouTube.

Apple has also shared introductory videos for the new iPad Pro, iMac, and AirTag shown during the event on its YouTube channel.

For a full recap of Apple's announcements, check out our "Spring Loaded" event news hub and our live blog coverage. We'll also have a condensed version of Apple's event video available later that highlights the major announcements.

Just hours after Apple unveiled its long-awaited AirTag, Tile CEO CJ Prober released a statement expressing his concerns about competition in the item tracking arena.

As relayed by TechCrunch, Prober said that while Tile welcomes "fair competition," the company is "skeptical" about Apple's aims, given its "history of using platform advantage to unfairly limit competition."

Tile plans to ask congress to take a look at Apple's business practices specific to Find My and competition with other item tracking options. The full statement is below:

Our mission is to solve the everyday pain point of finding lost and misplaced things and we are flattered to see Apple, one of the most valuable companies in the world, enter and validate the category Tile pioneered.

The reason so many people turn to Tile to locate their lost or misplaced items is because of the differentiated value we offer our consumers. In addition to providing an industry leading set of features via our app that works with iOS and Android devices, our service is seamlessly integrated with all major voice assistants, including Alexa and Google. And with form factors for every use case and many different styles at affordable prices, there is a Tile for everyone.

Tile has also successfully partnered with top brands like HP, Intel, Skullcandy and fitbit to enable our finding technology in mass market consumer categories like laptops, earbuds and wearables. With over 30 partners, we look forward to extending the benefits of Tile to millions of customers and enabling an experience that helps you keep track of all your important belongings.

We welcome competition, as long as it is fair competition. Unfortunately, given Apple's well-documented history of using its platform advantage to unfairly limit competition for its products, we're skeptical. And given our prior history with Apple, we think it is entirely appropriate for Congress to take a closer look at Apple's business practices specific to its entry into this category. We welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues further in front of Congress tomorrow.

To avoid complaints like the one that Tile is going to make to congress, Apple waited to unveil the ‌AirTag‌ until it had launched the ‌Find My‌ Network accessory program, which is designed to allow third-party item trackers to integrate into the ‌Find My‌ app right alongside AirTags.

Third-party accessory makers can build ‌Find My‌ tracking into their Bluetooth devices, with U1 chip support coming in the near future. If desired, Tile could create item tracking tags designed to integrate with the ‌Find My‌ app, but Tile has its own established accessory finding network already.

‌Find My‌ accessories can only operate with the ‌Find My‌ app, and it is unlikely that Tile will want to give up its customer base to create a ‌Find My‌ tag that works with Apple devices alone. Tile believes that just by releasing an item tracker, Apple will be able to dominate the market because of its first-party advantage.

Apple's AirTags are set to be available for order on April 23, with a launch coming on April 30.

Apple's long-awaited AirTag was finally unveiled today, and as expected, the small circle-shaped accessories can be attached to items like wallets, keys, and more to allow them to be tracked in the Find My app.

As was rumored ahead of release, each ‌AirTag‌ is equipped with a U1 chip, and on devices that also have U1 chips, there's a Precision Finding feature.

U1 Ultra Wideband chips are included in the iPhone 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 12, with Precision Finding able to more accurately determine the distance and direction of a lost ‌AirTag‌ when it is in range when compared to Bluetooth alone.

If you're aiming to find a lost item and you have an ‌iPhone‌ 11 or 12, Precision Finding will direct you to your lost ‌AirTag‌ using input from the camera, ARKit, accelerometer, and gyroscope, with guidance provided through sound, haptics, and visual feedback.

It will display very specific directions to get you right to where your lost item is located, which has the potential to be handy if you lose something like your keys somewhere in your home.

AirTags that are separated from their owner and out of Bluetooth range will take advantage of the ‌Find My‌ network, which uses Apple devices like iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The ‌Find My‌ network can detect Bluetooth signals from a lost ‌AirTag‌ and relay the location back to its owner.

Each ‌AirTag‌ is priced at $29, with a pack of four available for $99. AirTags can be purchased starting at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time on April 23.

Apple today announced that the HomePod mini will be launching in additional countries in June, including Austria, New Zealand, and Ireland.

Pricing is set at €99 in Austria and Ireland, and $159 in New Zealand, with the usual space gray and white color options.

HomePod mini first launched in October 2020 in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Spain, and the UK, with availability expanded to China, Mexico, and Taiwan later in the year.

Last month, Apple announced that the full-size HomePod will be discontinued when supplies run out, with the company placing its focus on the HomePod mini. The smaller version of the HomePod received positive reviews upon its launch, with many people praising the speaker's impressive sound quality relative to its price tag and size. However, critics believe that Siri still lags behind other assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant.

Apple today unveiled new iPad Pro models that look remarkably similar to existing ‌iPad Pro‌ options, but which have an M1 chip, much like Apple's Mac lineup.

The 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ model starts at $799, while the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ model is much more expensive due to its mini-LED display, starting at $1,099.

Both models come with up to 2TB storage and have higher RAM amounts at higher storage tiers, which can drive costs up.

A cellular 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with 5G connectivity and the 2TB storage option costs a total of $2,399, which is actually more expensive than the highest-tier ‌M1‌ MacBook Pro and MacBook Air with all available upgrades.

The maxed out 11-inch cellular model will run you $2,099, which is just about as expensive as the maxed out ‌M1‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌. Neither of those price points includes an Apple Pencil or a Magic Keyboard, both of which can be purchased separately.

Apple's new ‌iPad Pro‌ models will be available for order on April 30 and will ship out in May.

At its jam-packed "Spring Loaded" event today, Apple finally announced its long-rumored item tracker, called AirTags. AirTags allow users to keep track of items such as their keys, bags, and more using the Find My network, and ultra-wideband technology.

AirTags are small in design, and according to Apple, this small design means that it is water-resistant per the IP67 industry rating. An IP67 rating means that AirTags are water-resistant with a maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes. Despite this rating, Apple says the resistance may “decrease as a result of normal wear.”

As for battery life, Apple says that AirTags, thanks to their use of low-energy, and encrypted Bluetooth, feature more than a year of battery life. Once the battery does run out, it can easily be replaced since they use a CR2032 coin cell battery. Learn more about AirTags.

Apple's newly unveiled AirTag tracking devices can be placed in a bag or pocket on their own, or they can be attached to a range of new Apple-designed AirTag accessories.

The Polyurethane Loop, which Apple describes as lightweight and durable, is available in White, Deep Navy, Sunflower, and Electric Orange, and costs $29.

The Leather Key Ring features specially tanned European leather, and is available in Saddle Brown, PRODUCT(RED), and Baltic Blue for $35. Meanwhile, the Leather Loop comes in Saddle Brown and PRODUCT(RED) for $39.

The enclosure of each accessory fits securely around ‌AirTag‌, while conveniently attaching to a user's belongings, offering a more personalized ‌AirTag‌ while making sure it's always with their important items.

Apple and Hermès are also introducing ‌AirTag‌ Hermès, an assortment of handcrafted leather accessories including the Bag Charm, Key Ring, Travel Tag, and Luggage Tag. The Bag Charm and Key Ring come in Fauve Barénia, Bleu Indigo, and Orange leather, while the Luggage Tag and Travel Tag come in Fauve Barénia leather.

Hermès accessories will be sold with a custom-engraved ‌AirTag‌ based on the brand's iconic Clou de Selle signature. Like ‌AirTag‌ devices, all ‌AirTag‌ accessories will be available from the Apple online store beginning Friday, April 30.

Apple's new M1 iMacs are available in a range of color options that include Blue, Green, Pink, Silver, Yellow, Orange, and Purple. The new machines feature vibrant colored backs with lighter colors for the chin and accompanying stand.

Apple is limiting color availability by price point. The entry-level $1,299 ‌M1‌ iMac is available in Blue, Green, Pink and Silver, while the higher-end $1,499 and $1,699 options are available in all seven colors.

So if you want an ‌iMac‌ in Yellow, Orange, or Purple, you will need to shell out at least $1,499. It's also worth noting that Apple has not introduced any black or space gray versions of the new ‌iMac‌.

Apple today announced the new M1 iMac with a complete design overhaul and a range of new color options, but the company is still continuing to offer several older ‌iMac‌ models that use Intel chips as alternate purchase options.

It should come as no surprise that the 27-inch ‌iMac‌ was not discontinued because it has not yet been replaced, with the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ instead replacing the lower-end 21.5-inch ‌iMac‌ options.

Apple is still selling all 27-inch ‌iMac‌ models at prices starting at $1,799. These iMacs are equipped with 10th-generation Intel processors and Radeon Pro GPUs. Apple is rumored to be working on an ‌iMac‌ that's larger than 27 inches, which we'll presumably see next year.

It is perhaps more surprising that the low-end 21.5-inch ‌iMac‌ is still available for $1,099. This machine uses older 7th-generation Intel chips and Intel Iris Plus Graphics. Apple will presumably keep it around as a low cost option as it is $200 less than the new 24-inch ‌iMac‌.

The 24-inch ‌iMac‌ model is not much bigger in size than the 21.5-inch version, but it is pricier, starting at $1,299. It will be available for pre-order on April 30, and will ship out in May.

Alongside the announcement of the new Apple TV 4K, Apple today in a press release revealed that users will be able to purchase the current 32GB Apple TV HD bundled with the new Siri Remote at $149.

The ‌Apple TV‌ HD provides many of the same features as the higher-end ‌Apple TV‌ 4K, but it lacks high-quality 4K HDR video and Dolby Vision support. Apple will continue to sell this lower-end model, now bundled with the new ‌Siri‌ Remote.

This new remote features a new clickpad control with five-way navigation, which Apple says provides better accuracy when browsing content on tvOS. Additionally, there's a separate power button that controls a TV's power, a separate button for mute, and Apple moved the ‌‌Siri‌‌ button to the side of the remote.

The ‌Apple TV‌ HD bundle with the new ‌Siri‌ Remote will be up for order on April 30, and available in the second half of May. You can read more about the new ‌Siri‌ Remote in our post covering the announcement.