MacRumors

"NUTS - A Surveillance Mystery" and "Spire Blast" are the latest games to join Apple Arcade's expanding library.

NUTS is a single-player surveillance mystery game set in a remote forest, where players are tasked with discovering what a group of squirrels are hiding. Through carefully laying out equipment, recording the squirrels' movements, analyzing their behavior, and reporting findings, players can uncover their hidden secrets.

With a bold visual style, full voice acting, careful pacing, and unusual gameplay mechanics, NUTS aims to offer something different.

Spire Blast is a colorful, family-friendly puzzle game that challenges players to topple towers using a system of matching and powerups.

Take a step into the colorful world of Spire Blast. With your ever hungry dragon companion collapse numerous mysterious towers of all shapes and sizes that have risen all over the kingdom.

Test your wits and skills, use all the tools at your disposal and you will emerge victorious!

NUTS - A Surveillance Mystery and Spire Blast are available now on ‌Apple Arcade‌, for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

Last week, reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo outlined his expectations for new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models later this year, including the return of the MagSafe charging connector, the removal of the Touch Bar, a new flat-edged design, and the return of more ports built into the notebooks for expanded connectivity.

Kuo did not specify which ports might be making a comeback, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today reported that the next MacBook Pro models will feature an SD card reader for transferring photos shot with a digital camera and other files:

The upcoming MacBook Pro is an example of Apple's renewed focus on Mac loyalists. The company is planning to bring back an SD card slot for the next MacBook Pros so users can insert memory cards from digital cameras. That feature was removed in 2016, to the consternation of professional photographers and video creators, key segments of the MacBook Pro user base.

The latest MacBook Pro models only have Thunderbolt ports, forcing photographers to use an adapter or dock to gain access to an SD card reader.

In his research note last week, Kuo mentioned that "most users may not need to purchase additional dongles" for the next MacBook Pro, so it is possible that an SD card reader will not be the only port that returns. As recently as 2015, the MacBook Pro was also equipped with an HDMI port and USB-A ports, but it would certainly be surprising to see the latter make a comeback given the tech industry's transition to USB-C.

Kuo expects the new MacBook Pro models to launch in the third quarter, which spans July through September. They would replace the higher-end 13-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models released in May 2020 and November 2019, respectively. The base model 13-inch MacBook Pro was already updated with Apple's custom M1 chip a few months ago.

Apple is believed to be working on redesigned versions of the iMac that feature the biggest design overhaul to the ‌iMac‌ line since 2012. However, Apple's Face ID facial recognition authentication system is likely to feature in the second iteration of the redesign rather than the first, which is due this year, according to a new report today by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

The tidbit came at the end of a report today about a forthcoming redesign of the MacBook Air. In addition, the report highlights Apple's intention to launch a slew of updates to its Mac lineup that reflect the desires of the Mac's staunchest supporters, with the introduction of new ports, slots, and cellular connectivity.

Apple has also developed underlying Mac support for both cellular connectivity — the ability for Macs to connect to the internet via smartphone networks — and Face ID, the company's facial recognition system. But neither feature appears to be coming soon. To that end, Face ID had originally been planned to arrive in this year's iMac redesign, but it's now unlikely to be included in the first iteration of the new design.

Face ID debuted in 2018's iPhone X and has been a tentpole feature of Apple's flagship iPhones ever since, with the iPad Pro also gaining the facial recognition system. Speculation that Apple will bring ‌Face ID‌ to Macs isn't new, however rumors have been few and far between, which makes Gurman's information worth highlighting.

Apple's ‌Face ID‌ feature that allows a device to be unlocked with a facial scan is limited to the ‌iPhone‌ and the iPad at the current time, but code found in the macOS Big Sur betas has suggested that Face ID may come to Macs in the future.

According to previous Bloomberg reports, the redesigned ‌iMac‌ models will feature slimmed down bezels around the display and the metal chin will be removed. It is expected to look quite similar to the Pro Display XDR monitor that Apple released in 2019.

Instead of a curved rear design, the iMacs will feature a flat back, and prior rumors have described the new iMacs as using an "‌iPad Pro‌ design language." At least one of the new models that will replace the 21.5 and 27-inch models will measure in at 23 to 24 inches, but it's not clear what size the second ‌iMac‌ will be.

A 23 or 24 inch ‌iMac‌ would probably be the same size as the current 21.5-inch ‌iMac‌ physically, with the larger display enabled through smaller bezels. A new ‌iMac‌ with a fresh design and an Apple Silicon chip could come in the first half of this year.

The redesigned iMacs will adopt Apple silicon chips, and the revamped look will coincide with Apple's move to shift away from Intel's chips, giving the iMacs updated processors and a fresh design all at once.

Apple plans to equip the new iMacs with next-generation versions of the Apple silicon chips that will be faster and with more GPU power. Apple is testing Apple silicon chips with as many as 16 power cores and four efficiency cores, but higher-end desktop models could have as many as 32 high-performance cores. Apple is also working on improved GPU technology and is testing 16 and 32-core graphics components.

The new iMacs are expected be released in spring to fall 2021, and it's not yet clear if both models will come out at the same time.

Apple is working on a "thinner and lighter" version of the MacBook Air that the company plans to release during the second half of this year at the earliest or in 2022, according to a new report by well-connected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman.

It will include Apple's MagSafe charging technology and a next-generation version of the company's in-house Mac processors. Apple has discussed making the laptop smaller by shrinking the border around the screen, which will remain 13-inches. The current model weighs 2.8 pounds and is just over half an inch at its thickest point.

The company considered building a larger version of the MacBook Air with a 15-inch screen, but Apple isn't moving forward with this for the next generation, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

According to the report, the new 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ model will also have a pair of USB 4 ports for connecting external devices. The current ‌MacBook Air‌, upgraded in November with Apple silicon, is expected to remain in the company's lineup as an entry-level offering.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously said that Apple will introduce a new ‌MacBook Air‌ at some point in 2022, suggesting there may not be a refresh in 2021. According to Kuo, the ‌MacBook Air‌ coming in 2022 will feature a mini-LED display, a prediction also echoed by DigiTimes.

With the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models introduced in October 2020, Apple reinvented "MagSafe," the name once used for the breakaway magnetic charging cables designed for the MacBook. ‌MagSafe‌‌ was fully phased out of the Mac lineup, and the last machine with ‌‌MagSafe‌‌, the 2017 ‌MacBook Air‌, was discontinued by Apple in July 2019.

Kuo recently claimed the ‌MagSafe‌ charging connector design will be restored to Apple's MacBooks in future designs, though it was not quite clear what that meant since Apple has transitioned to USB-C. However, Gurman in a separate report clarified that the ‌‌MagSafe‌‌ port will be a standalone charging port used instead of USB-C, with the new port located next to the USB-C ports.

Microsoft has updated its Edge browser for Mac with several new features, bringing "sleeping tabs," a password generator and monitor, new visual themes, and more.

The "Sleeping tabs" feature aims to improve performance by releasing system resources for inactive or backgrounded tabs. The feature is optional and can be enabled in the browser settings menu.

Meanwhile, the new password generator suggests to users a secure and complex password whenever they sign up to a website for the first time or attempt to change an existing password. Edge also now notifies users if a password has been compromised in a data breach, which is similar to a feature recently introduced in Apple's Safari browser.

Elsewhere, 24 new themes offer visual customizations that affect various parts of the browser interface, including tabs, tab pages, and the address bar. The Edge development team has partnered with Xbox to offer themes from Microsoft franchises, including Halo, Gears, Forza, Flight Simulator, Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and more.

In addition, sidebar search is now generally available in Microsoft Edge. While browsing web pages, users can highlight a word, right click and search. A side panel will open with search results so they can get quick answers without having to navigate away from your current page.

Automatic Profile Switching has also come to macOS, as described in Microsoft's blog post:

One of our most loved features, called Automatic Profile Switching, makes its way to macOS this month. I like to keep my work browsing and personal browsing activities separate, and profile switching makes it so easy. Now macOS provides the ability to switch sites that authenticate with a user’s work profile so it’s easier to toggle between work and personal browsing. To get started, check with your local admin if automatic profile switch is enabled for your organization. If so, sign in with your Microsoft personal and work accounts and you’re ready to go.

Microsoft Edge has won over many users with its frequent feature updates and tight integration of Microsoft's design language with the design language of macOS. Tab syncing features were recently added, and it was also quick to offer native support for Apple Silicon, bringing optimized performance to Macs with the M1 chip. The browser can be downloaded from the Microsoft Edge website.

Recent reports of Apple cutting iPhone 12 mini production to increase manufacturing capacity for the more popular iPhone 12 Pro were corroborated on Friday by DigiTimes, citing supply chain sources.

Today's report suggests that Apple's smallest ‌iPhone‌ 12 model was launched to target the U.S. and European markets, but the global health crisis has impacted sales in these territories, leading to a slowdown in ‌iPhone 12 mini‌ orders.

Pegatron has seen a slowdown in orders for the iPhone 12 mini as sales of the model in the US and Europe are affected negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to industry sources.

The sources pointed out that the iPhone 12 mini is targeting mainly consumers in the US and Europe, but overall smartphone sales there have been significantly undermined by the pandemic.

The report suggests that strong demand for ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro models in China has led Apple to strengthen its supply of the more expensive devices in response. The East Asian market historically favors larger form factor devices, and China has not been seriously impacted by the pandemic in recent months compared to other parts of the world.

Pegatron is the main producer of the ‌iPhone 12 mini‌, and the above factors have combined to reduce demand for the device at the Taiwanese manufacturer's expense.

On Wednesday, a Morgan Stanley investment note claimed that Apple has shifted production away from the ‌iPhone 12 mini‌ for the first quarter of 2021, in an effort to combat continuing lead times for the more popular ‌‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro‌.

The note supported previous analysis that the ‌‌iPhone 12 mini‌‌ has suffered from lackluster sales, capturing just six percent of the total ‌‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌‌ sales during the launch period, despite broad satisfaction reported by owners of the smaller device.

Meanwhile, a separate DigiTimes report today indicates that Foxconn expects to see increased momentum in the first quarter of this year, thanks to Apple increasing orders of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro models.

In a more positive note for Apple, the popularity of its Pro devices in China have reportedly eaten into Huawei's dominant market share in the region:

Huawei, the largest smartphone brand in China, has seen its smartphone sales being bitten off by Apple's Pro series products in the past few months with Apple now the second largest 5G handset brand globally, behind only Huawei, the sources said.

Apple today seeded the RC version of an upcoming macOS Big Sur 11.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming a week after the second beta and two months after initial macOS Big Sur release.

Developers can download the ‌‌macOS Big Sur‌‌ 11.2 beta using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile from the Apple Developer Center.

macOS Big Sur 11.2 beta 2 eliminates a feature that allowed Apple apps bypass third-party firewalls, security tools, and VPN apps. macOS Big Sur 11 included a ContentFilterExclusionList that let Apple's apps like the App Store, Maps, iCloud, and more to avoid firewall and VPN apps that users had installed. These apps were not able to filter or inspect traffic for some built-in Apple apps. That functionality has been removed in macOS Big Sur 11.2.

When macOS Big Sur 11.2 sees a release, Apple apps will be compatible with VPN apps and will no longer be able to bypass firewalls and other security tools.

According to Apple's release notes, the update also improves Bluetooth reliability and includes multiple bug fixes.

macOS Big Sur 11.2 improves Bluetooth reliability and fixes the following issues:
- External displays may show a black screen when connected to a Mac mini (M1, 2020) using an HDMI to DVI converter
- Edits to Apple ProRAW photos in the Photos app may not save
- iCloud Drive could turn off after disabling the iCloud Drive Desktop & Documents Folders option
- System Preferences may not unlock when entering your administrator password
- Globe key may not display the Emoji & Symbols pane when pressed

The update addresses a bug that could cause external displays to show a black screen when connected to an M1 Mac mini using an HDMI to DVI converter, and it fixes an issue that resulted in edits to Apple ProRaw photos in the Photos app not to save. It also includes fixes for iCloud Drive, System Preferences, and more.

Apple's upcoming iOS 15 operating system, which we expect to see unveiled in June, is rumored to be dropping support for a few of Apple's older iPhones.

According to French site iPhoneSoft, iOS 15 will not be able to be installed on the iPhone 6s, the ‌iPhone‌ 6s Plus, or the 2016 iPhone SE, all of which have an A9 chip.

The ‌iPhone‌ 6s and 6s Plus were introduced in 2015 and are now more than five years old, so it is not a surprise that the smartphones are not expected to be able to run iOS 15. If the rumors are true, these iPhones will not be able to be updated past iOS 14.

iOS 15 will run on the ‌iPhone‌ 7, ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus, and all newer iPhones that have been released, making it compatible with devices that have an A10 chip or newer. The seventh-generation iPod touch has an A10 chip, so it should be able to run iOS 15.

As for the iPad, iPadOS 15 could perhaps drop support for the iPad mini 4 (2015), iPad Air 2 (2014), and ‌iPad‌ 5 (2017), equipped with A8, A8X, and A9 chips, respectively. All newer iPads are expected to support the update.

This is the second time that we've heard that iOS 15 will not be available on the ‌iPhone‌ 6s and the ‌iPhone SE‌, as Israeli site The Verifier said the same thing back in November.

Apple today shared a new Valentine's Day gift guide that suggests a range of Apple products to those that are shopping for a loved one.

As with most of Apple's gift guides, the Valentine's Day guide suggests Apple's newest devices, including iPhone 12 models, iPhone SE, AirPods Pro, AirPods, HomePod mini, Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE, iPad, and Apple TV 4K.

It also highlights a number of more affordable accessories such as MagSafe cases, Apple Watch Solo and Braided Solo bands, and Apple Pencil, plus Powerbeats Pro, which are currently $50 off.

There are different sections to the gift guide with suggestions tailored to photography enthusiasts, musicians, those interested in health, creatives, and those looking for entertainment ideas. Each individual section has a different selection of products, with some including third-party suggestions like drones, fitness equipment, gaming controllers, and more.

Apple often shares gift guides around holidays like Christmas and Mother's Day, but this appears to be the first time that the company has provided a Valentine's Day gift guide in a number of years.

A video demonstrating macOS Catalina running on a current 2020 iPad Pro has been shared on YouTube, giving us a look at an interesting hack that has a Mac OS up and working on one of Apple's iPads.

There's limited information about how the process of getting macOS Catalina on an iPad Pro works, but it uses x86 emulation and was done through the UTM software that allows virtual machines to run on iOS.

Booting up into macOS Catalina took a full 20 minutes, though the original creator says that it has since been optimized and now takes approximately 5 to 7 minutes. The video is over 37 minutes long due to how slow macOS Catalina is on the iPad, and it is not a functional or usable installation at this time, but it's interesting to see the macOS operating system on an ‌iPad Pro‌.

Apple today seeded the RC version of upcoming iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the new betas coming a week after Apple released the second betas.

iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

Paired with the HomePod 14.4 beta that is only available to a limited number of testers, iOS 14.4 adds new HomePod mini functionality that takes advantage of the mini's U1 chip.

There are now visual, audio, and haptic effects when songs are transferred from a HomePod mini to a U1-enabled ‌iPhone‌ 11 or ‌iPhone‌ 12. When an ‌iPhone‌ is near the ‌HomePod mini‌ it begins a soft haptic touch rhythm that gets faster and faster as the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ gets closer until the interface to transfer a song between the ‌‌HomePod mini‌‌ and the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ opens.

This functionality will make handoff quicker and more reliable on a ‌‌HomePod mini‌‌ and an ‌iPhone‌ 11 or ‌iPhone‌ 12, all of which are equipped with U1 chips that let the devices better understand where they are in relation to one another.

In the Workout section of the Apple Watch app on ‌iPhone‌ there's a new "Time to Walk" feature that includes a toggle to "Add Newest Workouts to Watch." This suggests that Apple could be planning to add guided walking workouts in the watchOS 7.3 beta. "Time to Walk Workouts are downloaded when Apple Watch is connected to power and near your ‌iPhone‌. Completed workouts are deleted automatically," reads the setting. This is not functional in the first beta of watchOS 7.3 and iOS 14.4, but could be activated later.

iOS 14.4 includes a setting to specify a device type for third-party Bluetooth-connected audio devices so that Headphone Audio Level measurements can be taken correctly. Apple tracks headphone audio levels to send alerts if music is playing at a level that has the potential to damage hearing health over time.

iOS 14.4 includes code that suggests Apple will add a warning on iPhones that have had their cameras repaired or replaced with aftermarket components. The warning, which says "Unable to verify this ‌iPhone‌ has a genuine Apple camera," will let users know that the camera is not a legitimate Apple camera. Apple's full release notes for the update are below:

iOS 14.4 includes the following improvements for your iPhone:
- Smaller QR codes can be recognized by Camera
- Option to classify Bluetooth device type in Settings for correct identification of headphones for audio notifications
- Notifications for when the camera on your iPhone is unable to be verified as a new, genuine Apple camera in iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max

This release also fixes the following issues:
- Image artifacts could appear in HDR photos taken with iPhone 12 Pro
- Fitness widget may not display updated Activity data
- Typing may be delayed and word suggestions may not appear in the keyboard
- The keyboard may not come up in the correct language in Messages
- Audio stories from the News app in CarPlay may not resume after being paused for spoken directions or Siri
- Enabling Switch Control in Accessibility may prevent phone calls from being answered from the Lock Screen

There's no word yet on when iOS 14.4 will be released, but as release notes are available, the public version could be coming soon.

Apple today seeded the RC version of an upcoming watchOS 7.3 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the beta available a week after the release of the first beta and over a month after the launch of watchOS 7.2 with support for Fitness+, cardio fitness notifications, ECG updates, and more.

To install the ‌watchOS 7.3 beta, developers need to download the proper configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the ‌‌‌watchOS 7‌‌‌.3 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated ‌Apple Watch‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

To update to the new software, the ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌.

watchOS 7.3 adds a new "Time to Walk" feature for Apple Fitness+ subscribers, introducing an audio experience in the Workout app where guests share inspiring stories as you walk.ECG functionality is expanding to Japan, Mayotte, Philippines, and Thailand, while irregular heart rhythm notifications are coming to Japan, Mayotte, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand.

The update also introduces a Unity watch face that's inspired by the colors of the Pan-African flag, with shapes that change throughout the day as you move, creating a face that's unique to you.

There's also a bug fix for an issue that could cause the Control Center and Notification Center to become unresponsive when Zoom is enabled. Apple's full release notes are below:

watchOS 7.3 includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes, including:
- Unity watch face—inspired by the colors of the Pan-African Flag, the shapes change throughout the day as you move creating a face that’s unique to you
- Time to Walk for Apple Fitness+ subscribers—an audio experience in the Workout app where guests share inspiring stories as you walk
- ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later in Japan, Mayotte, Philippines, and Thailand
- Irregular heart rhythm notifications in Japan, Mayotte, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand
- Fix for an issue where Control Center and Notification Center may be unresponsive when Zoom is enabled

Now that an RC version of watchOS is available, the update should see a public release next week.

Apple is set to report its earnings results for the first quarter of the 2021 fiscal year on Wednesday, January 27, and many analysts forecast that the company's quarterly revenue will exceed $100 billion for the first time. Apple's currently quarterly revenue record is $91.8 billion, set in the first quarter of the 2020 fiscal year.

In an investor note shared with MacRumors, Monness Crespi Hardt analyst Brian White estimated that Apple will report quarterly revenue of $105.2 billion following the launch of several new products and services in the final three months of 2020, including the entire iPhone 12 lineup, a redesigned iPad Air, the first three Macs with Apple silicon, the HomePod mini, the AirPods Max, Apple Fitness+, and Apple One subscription bundles.

"In our view, Apple's portfolio was positioned better-than-ever heading into the recent holiday season," said White, adding that Mac and iPad revenue should remain strong as many customers continue to work and learn from home amid the pandemic.

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty is even more optimistic, forecasting that Apple will report quarterly revenue of $108.2 billion, according to MarketWatch. Huberty referred to the iPhone 12 as "Apple's most successful product launch in the last five years," and she also cited "sustained work and learn from home demand" for Apple products.

Apple's earnings report will be released on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time and will be followed by a conference call with Apple's CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Apple's stock price is up around 3% today.