MacRumors

Apple has adjusted the trade-in values of a number of its products, including the majority of the iPad and Mac lineup, while also making some changes to iPhone.

Apple's trade-in program allows customers to trade-in older devices, and receive a certain amount of value for them, to use towards a purchase of a new device. The exact trade-in value a device has is measured by its condition, when it was released, and its manufacturer. Apple last notably updated its trade-in prices in December, and furthermore, it has made some more changes over the weekend.

It's important to note that the value shown on Apple's website reflects the maximum possible trade-in value for a product.

On the ‌iPad‌ lineup, the iPad Pro has had its value go up by $45 to $580, versus the previous $535. The standard ‌iPad‌ trade-in value has gone down by $15 to $235. In the Mac family, the MacBook Air is now valued at $530, down from $600. The discontinued MacBook is down by $40 to $340, and the discontinued iMac Pro is valued at $2,940, down $100. iMac value has had a reduction by $130 to $1,050, and the Mac mini down $60, to a value of $770.

With the ‌iPhone‌, Apple has also made some changes. The maximum trade-in value of the iPhone 11 Pro Max is up by $15 to $515, the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro up by $5 to $465, and the ‌iPhone‌ 11 up by $20 to a maximum value of $380. The ‌iPhone‌ 6S Plus value has gone up to $65, versus $60.

Recently Apple also expanded the list of Android devices eligible for trade-in, adding the Google Pixel 4a, Pixel 5, and Samsung Galaxy Note 20. More information about Apple's trade-in options can be found on its website.

After five grueling years of financial losses and uncertainty about the future of its mobile handsets, LG Electronics today announced its intention to shut down its smartphone division.

In a press release, LG says the decision to shut down its smartphone business will allow it to focus on other sectors such as artificial intelligence, home computing, and business-to-business solutions.

LG's strategic decision to exit the incredibly competitive mobile phone sector will enable the company to focus resources in growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart homes, robotics, artificial intelligence, and business-to-business solutions, as well as platforms and services.

Despite its hardships, LG had multiple hits in the "incredibly competitive" market, including teasing the world's first rollable smartphone. For its devices still in the hands of customers around the world, LG says it will continue to provide user support and will sell its phones until the current stock runs out.

Current LG phone inventory will continue to be available for sale. LG will provide service support and software updates for customers of existing mobile products for a period of time which will vary by region. LG will work collaboratively with suppliers and business partners throughout the closure of the mobile phone business. Details related to employment will be determined at the local level.

In March, LG was considering exiting the smartphone industry, although, at the time, rumors suggested the company was aiming to sell the business instead of a complete shutdown. However, the lack of significant growth and mainstream adoption in recent years meant it was unable to find a potential buyer.

Despite the shutdown, LG says it will retain some of the core advancements that its smartphone business has made over the years, including research and development in 6G and connectivity to be applied to existing and future products.

Moving forward, LG will continue to leverage its mobile expertise and develop mobility-related technologies such as 6G to help further strengthen competitiveness in other business areas. Core technologies developed during the two decades of LG’s mobile business operations will also be retained and applied to existing and future products.

While the shutdown was announced today, LG says it expects its mobile division to completely cease by July 31.

Images shared by Japanese site Mac Otakara claim to show a 3D-printed mockup of the upcoming 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro with a smaller notch, and repositioned earpiece and front camera, but with minimal changes otherwise.

According to the images, Apple plans to move the earpiece to the top of the notch within the screen bezel, lining up with a previous photo shared by MacRumors that shows the same design change.

The alleged ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro mockup, which is presumably based on leaked design drawings that frequently circulate among case manufacturers and others well ahead of Apple's official unveiling, also shows the front-facing camera moved to the left side of the notch, a change compared to its current location to the right side of the notch. Pictures of the alleged front glass panel for the ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup shared with MacRumors also show a cutout on the left side of the notch for the camera.

‌Mac Otakara‌ has also shared specific dimensions of the notch for the upcoming ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro, demonstrating how much the notch is expected to shrink. Compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, the mockup suggests the 2021 Pro ‌iPhone‌ will feature a notch that is 5.35 mm in height vs. 5.30 mm for the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, and 26.80 mm in width, down from 34.83 mm. Visually, the notch will be smaller in width but will be slightly taller.

Rumors about a smaller notch have been present since the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ X, which first introduced the TrueDepth system and the notch. Apple may be able to reduce the footprint of the notch thanks to the relocation of the earpiece and the repositioning of the front camera. Other than the reduced notch, the images shared by Macotakara reveal no changes to the rear camera or other aspects of the ‌iPhone‌'s design.

While lacking in design changes, the ‌iPhone‌ 13 is rumored to come with some key new features. The higher-end ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max are rumored to come with a ProMotion 120Hz display, and the entire lineup is expected to feature a faster A15 chip, improved cameras, and new colors, including matte black.

Less than a month after releasing Adobe Photoshop for Apple silicon, and more than three months after releasing Adobe Premiere Pro, Premiere Rush, and Audition for Apple silicon in beta, Adobe has begun testing Illustrator on Apple's latest chip architecture.

Adobe released the first beta for Illustrator for Apple silicon late last week, saying that many "core features" of Illustrator are supported in the native version of the program for Apple silicon. Until now, users have needed to run Illustrator on Apple silicon using Apple's Rosetta 2 emulation.

With native support, Illustrator and other apps such as Photoshop not only offer faster performance but improved reliability on newer Mac machines. Adobe customers interested in testing Illustrator with Apple silicon can download beta version 25.3.1 from the Beta Apps section in the Creative Cloud Desktop app.

Update: Adobe has also released a new version of its Premiere Pro public beta for Apple silicon.

Credible leaker l0vetodream today endorsed widespread speculation that one of the newly redesigned iMacs, expected to launch sometime this year, will feature a larger display than the current largest offering in the iMac lineup.

Apple currently sells a 21.5-inch and 27-inch ‌iMac‌. Apple is rumored to be replacing both with updated designs and faster performance. Its desktop computer has not received a significant overhaul since 2012.

According to l0vetodream, the new model replacing the 27-inch size will feature a larger display. The private tweet translates to "The ‌iMac‌’s screen is really big, bigger than the biggest one".

While new information, the larger display size can easily be expected. Bloomberg has reported that the new ‌iMac‌ will feature slimmer bezels, the removal of the metal chin, and a design language similar to the Pro Display XDR. The Pro Display XDR, Apple's standalone high-end monitor, features a 32-inch display.

Alongside a redesign, the new ‌iMac‌ will come equipped with next-generation Apple silicon chips. Internally, Apple is testing chips with as many as 16 high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, according to Bloomberg. Hit-and-miss leaker Jon Prosser also suggests the new iMacs will come in colors.

While we're still waiting on word of a potential Apple event in April, we did get confirmation about another upcoming Apple event this week, WWDC 2021, which will return to its usual early June timeframe but remain in an all-virtual format similar to last year's edition.

Other Apple news and rumors this week included a report about future iPhone SE models, a crazy Apple patent filing that shows an iPhone with the same metal lattice design as the latest Mac Pro, and some new changes in the latest iOS 14.5 beta as we patiently await its public release. Read on for details on these stories and more from the past week!

Apple Announces Digital WWDC 2021 Event in June

Apple this week announced that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place from June 7 through June 11. For the second consecutive year, the conference will be held in an all-online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One benefit of WWDC 2021 being held digitally is that admission is free for all developers, with sessions and other content to be shared on the Apple Developer website and in the revamped Apple Developer app. By comparison, Apple has historically required developers to purchase a $1,599 ticket to attend WWDC in person, and only after winning a lottery to attend.

As usual, Apple says WWDC 2021 will provide a look at the future of its software platforms, which will presumably consist of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS 12, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15. There's always a chance for a hardware announcement or two at WWDC as well, such as redesigned MacBook Pro and iMac models with Apple silicon.

Now through April 18, Apple is accepting submissions for its annual Swift Student Challenge, a coding contest that tasks students with creating an interactive scene in the Swift Playgrounds app. Winners will receive exclusive WWDC 2021 outerwear, a customized pin set, and one year of membership in the Apple Developer Program.

All in all, WWDC is always one of the most exciting weeks of the year in the Apple world for both developers and users, and we'll have in-depth coverage of the conference as it unfolds!

Next iPhone SE to Feature 4.7-Inch Display, 2023 Version to Have Hole Punch Full Screen Design

The third-generation iPhone SE that's rumored to launch in the first half of 2022 will feature the same 4.7-inch display as the current version, according to display industry analyst Ross Young.

Young said he is also hearing that a 2023 model of the iPhone SE could feature a so-called "hole punch" display design like some Samsung smartphones, which would result in a nearly full-screen, notch-less design with only a small hole for the front camera. It's unclear where the Face ID sensors would be housed with such a design if Apple continues to offer Face ID, but under-display fingerprint and facial recognition systems do exist for smartphones. In fact, under-screen Touch ID is rumored for at least some iPhone 13 models.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said the "hole punch" display will debut on at least some high-end 2022 iPhone models, so it is plausible that the design would be extended to the iPhone SE the following year.

iOS 14.5 Adds New Siri Voices, No Longer Defaults to Female

The sixth beta of iOS 14.5 released this week adds two new Siri voices for the English language, and introduces a new setup option that will let people choose their preferred ‌voice for Siri, which currently defaults to a female voice in the United States.

"This is a continuation of Apple's long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, and products and services that are designed to better reflect the diversity of the world we live in," said Apple, in a statement regarding the change.

Apple has also announced that iOS 14.5 will recalibrate maximum battery capacity and peak performance capability on iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max models to address inaccurate estimates of battery health reporting for some users. Apple said the bug does not reflect an issue with actual battery health.

iOS 14.5 has been in beta testing since February 1 and is packed with new features, such as the ability to unlock an iPhone with an Apple Watch while wearing a mask, support for 5G in Dual-SIM mode on iPhone 12 models, new Waze-like features in Apple Maps, new emoji, AirPlay 2 streaming for Apple Fitness+ workouts, and much more. Apple previously said the software update will be released for all compatible devices in "early spring."

Apple Researching Mac Pro's 'Cheese Grater' Design for Other Devices Like iPhone

Apple is considering expanding the 2019 Mac Pro's distinctive "cheese grater" lattice design to other devices, including the iPhone and a "trash can"-style ‌Mac Pro‌, according to a newly granted patent filing.

Apple introduced the innovative milled lattice pattern on the ‌Mac Pro‌ and Pro Display XDR in 2019, which is created by machining a spherical array into the internal and external surfaces of the aluminum. The result is a lightweight lattice pattern that maximizes airflow while creating an extremely rigid structure.

While patent filings are typically all encompassing and cannot be taken as solid evidence of Apple's plans for actual consumer hardware, they can provide an interesting view into the company's areas of research.

Bitcoin Scam App Approved by Apple Robs iPhone User of $600,000+

A scam bitcoin app that was designed to look like a genuine app was accepted by Apple's App Store review team and ended up costing an iPhone user 17.1 bitcoin, or upwards of $600,000 at the time of the theft, according to The Washington Post.

In a statement, Apple said in the "limited instances" when criminals defraud its users, the company takes "swift action" to prevent similar violations in the future.

"User trust is at the foundation of why we created the ‌App Store‌, and we have only deepened that commitment in the years since," said Apple. "Study after study has shown that the ‌App Store‌ is the most secure app marketplace in the world, and we are constantly at work to maintain that standard and to further strengthen the ‌App Store‌'s protections."

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.

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Google will soon make it harder for third-party apps to see what other apps are installed on a user's Android device, a policy change that evokes similar privacy protections Apple introduced in iOS 9, way back in 2015.

According to XDA-Developers, upcoming amendments to Google's Developer Program Policy will limit which apps can access an Android user's full list of installed apps. As noted by Ars Technica, such lists can provide developers with various private habits like dating preferences, banking information, and political affiliations.

Specifically, any Android 11 app that requests the "QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES" permission can see the full list of apps stored on a user's device. Google says it now regards this data as "personal and sensitive user data." Therefore, starting May 5, Google's app review process will restrict access to the permission to apps that the company believes really need it.

Once the change goes live, apps can only make use of the permission if "core user facing functionality or purpose, requires broad visibility into installed apps on the user's device." Google's list of permitted apps mentions file managers, antivirus apps, and banking apps, including other apps that involve financial transactions.

If an app doesn't meet these requirements, the developer must remove the permission from the app's manifest to comply with the policy, or risk their app being removed from the Google Play Store. If a developer believes their app justifies access, they will have to complete a declaration form explaining why.

Apple made a similar change to its mobile operating system in 2015 to prevent advertisers from accessing app download data, which left third-party apps unable to see all of the apps downloaded on a user's device. Prior to iOS 9, apps like Twitter and Facebook had been misusing a communication API to access the user app download data for ad targeting purposes.

However, Google is only just getting round to introducing a similar privacy restriction on its Play Store, as the company tries to balance the rising demands of privacy-conscious consumers with the financial needs of developers and advertisers.

The search giant has reportedly been discussing internally how it can limit data collection and cross-app tracking on the Android platform in a way that is less stringent than Apple's upcoming App Tracking Transparency feature (ATT), in order to protect its $100 billion annual digital ad sales.

Starting in iOS 14.5, ATT will require apps to get opt-in permission from users to collect their random advertising identifier, which advertisers use to deliver personalized ads and track how effective their campaigns were.

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. Google has already warned iPhone developers that rely on Google ads that Apple's ad-tracking update may mean they'll see a "significant impact" on their ad revenue.

Recently, Google has itself been on the wrong end of a digital privacy issue related to Apple's ‌App Store‌, after it was perceived to be dragging its feet in adding App Privacy labels to its iOS apps in accordance with Apple's rules.

Apple has been enforcing App Privacy labels since December, but many of Google's major apps did not start getting privacy labels until late in February. Google delayed adding the labels for so long that its apps went more than two months without being updated, leading some to claim that it "wanted to hide" the information that it collects.

In a preview of an interview with The New York Times' Kara Swisher, set to be published on Monday, April 5, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he's "shocked" at the criticism Apple has received in recent months over upcoming privacy changes in iOS, and claimed that they're "hard to argue against."

Apple plans to begin enforcing App Tracking Transparency (ATT) changes following the release of iOS 14.5, meaning all apps that access an iPhone's ad identifier, or IDFA, will need to ask a user's permission before tracking is allowed.

The move has provoked criticism from some companies, particularly Facebook, which argues that the new changes will hurt small businesses.

Facebook says that small businesses rely on tracking to provide personalized ads and that with ATT, those ads will be less effective. However, when asked in the interview how ATT will impact Facebook, Cook said he's "not focused on Facebook" and that he doesn't know.

Swisher asked: "What is your response to Facebook's response — which is quite vehement — calling you essentially an existential crisis to their business?" Cook answered: " All we're doing, Kara, is giving the user the choice whether to be tracked or not. And I think it's hard to argue against that. I've been — I've been shocked that there's been pushback on this to this degree."

Facebook initially went all out against ATT; however, the company has recently shifted its tone. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg now claims it's possible that the new change may benefit Facebook by giving it an upper hand in the online commerce space.

It's possible that we may even be in a stronger position if Apple's changes encourage more businesses to conduct more commerce on our platforms by making it harder for them to use their data in order to find the customers that would want to use their products outside of our platforms.

Cook's latest comments are just a snippet of the full interview set to be published on Monday in which the CEO discusses the removal of Parler from the App Store, the power of Big Tech, and what it's like being called "Tim Apple."

Apple today updated its dedicated leadership website to add a profile for John Ternus, reflecting his new role as Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering.

Apple in January announced that former Hardware Engineering SVP Dan Riccio was transitioning to a new role to focus on an unspecified project, and that Ternus would take over.

Riccio has been removed from the executive page as he's now a vice president of engineering, and while Apple has not said what he's working on, Bloomberg recently said that he is focusing on Apple's AR/VR headsets.

John Ternus initially joined Apple as part of the Product Design team in 2001, and has been a vice president of Hardware Engineering since 2013. From his biography on the leadership page:

John Ternus is Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, reporting to CEO Tim Cook. John leads all hardware engineering, including the teams behind iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, and more.

John joined Apple's Product Design team in 2001 and has been a vice president of Hardware Engineering since 2013. Throughout his tenure at Apple, John has overseen hardware engineering work on a variety of groundbreaking products including every generation and model of iPad, the latest iPhone lineup, and AirPods. He has been a key leader in the ongoing transition of the Mac to Apple silicon.

Prior to Apple, John worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems. He holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in January said that Ternus' "deep expertise and wide breadth of experience" would make him a "bold and visionary leader" of Apple's Hardware Engineering teams.

Following the release of iOS 14.4.2 on March 26, Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.4.1, the previously available version of iOS 14. With iOS 14.4.1 no longer being signed, it is not possible to downgrade to iOS 14.4.1 from iOS 14.4.2 if you've already updated your iPhone or iPad.

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

iOS 14.4.1 was a security update that addressed a WebKit vulnerability that could allow maliciously crafted web content to execute code. iOS 14.4.2 is also a security update that addresses a vulnerability where processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to universal cross site scripting.

Apple said that the vulnerability addressed in iOS 14.4.2 was actively exploited in the wild, so those who have not updated should do so.

iOS 14.4.2 is the current publicly available version of iOS that people can download, but Apple has also provided iOS 14.5 to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes. iOS 14.5 is one of the biggest updates to ‌‌iOS 14‌‌ to date, introducing a feature for unlocking an ‌‌iPhone‌‌ when wearing a mask with an Apple Watch, adding Dual-SIM 5G support, introducing compatibility with the latest gaming controllers, and more.

MacRumors is an Apple-focused site, but sometimes we like to share notable new features that Apple's competitors add to their devices, as a look at what Apple might explore in the future and just to keep tabs on what other companies are up to. Oppo recently released a smartphone with a microscope lens, and we thought it would be fun to check it out and see how it works in our latest YouTube video.

The Oppo Find X3 Pro isn't a phone that's sold in the United States and it's rather expensive at 1,149 euros (~$1350), but it has an included 3-megapixel "Microlens," which may be a first for a smartphone.

The Find X3 Pro's Microlens offers 60x magnification and a ring light, so you can see things up close, as you can see in the video. It's an incredibly niche feature, but it definitely makes the Find X3 Pro stand out and it's fun to play with.

You can see the weave of the AirPods Max mesh headband, a strand of hair, the veins of a plant leaf, and more. You're going to need a steady hand or a tripod to get most items in focus, which is one downside.

Aside from the Microlens camera, Oppo's Find X3 Pro is a top-tier flagship smartphone that easily competes with other Android smartphones out on the market. It also features a 50-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera, a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera, and a 13-megapixel telephoto camera, so it's still offering what most competitors have, just with the bonus microscope lens.

You can get high-magnification microscopes that are able to wirelessly connect to a smartphone for less than $50 so this is functionality that you can replicate rather affordably, but it's certainly fun to have it right at your fingertips for your on-the-go magnification needs.

Since this smartphone isn't sold in the United States at this time it has to be imported, and even with the high-end features and microlens, it's probably not worth paying the $1300 asking price along with shipping fees to get one. A built-in microscope probably isn't something we're going to see in the iPhone in the near future, but it's an interesting concept.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Astropad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Luna Display adapter that's able to transform an extra Mac or iPad into a secondary display for your primary Mac.

Priced at $80, the Luna Display adapter is a small dongle that plugs into your Mac using a USB-C port (on newer Macs) or a Mini DisplayPort and when used in combination with the Luna Display software, your main Mac (or a PC) can be connected to an ‌iPad‌ or another Mac over WiFi, giving you a new way to take advantage of old hardware or add an extra display without having to invest in another device.

When connected, the Luna Display extends the primary Mac's display to the secondary Mac or ‌iPad‌ to allow the extra device to be used as a second screen, which is useful as people continue working and learning from home with makeshift office setups in 2021.

The Mac and ‌iPad‌ have built-in Sidecar functionality that can turn an ‌iPad‌ into a secondary display for a Mac without an accessory, but the Luna Display sets itself apart with the Mac-to-Mac support, which ‌Sidecar‌ can't do. Luna Display is also able to work with older iPads that don't support ‌Sidecar‌.

In Mac-to-Mac mode, the primary Mac needs to have OS X El Capitan or later installed, while the secondary Mac can be running OS X Mountain Lion or later, so Luna Display works with machines that are quite old. For best performance, the main Mac should be a 2012 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac, or later, or a 2013 Mac Pro or later. As of November 2020, the Luna Display adapter has native support for M1 Macs, too.

Luna Display offers full keyboard, trackpad, and mouse support on both connected Macs in Mac-to-Mac mode, with more information on how it works available on the Luna Display website.

For iPads, the Luna Display is compatible with almost all modern iPads, including the ‌iPad‌ 2 or later, all iPad mini models, all iPad Pro models, and all iPad Air models, with iOS 9.1 or later as the only requirement. Performance is faster on newer iPads, but older models work well too.

For those who have PCs, there is a Luna Display adapter for Windows. The PC version of Luna Display extends your desktop from PC to ‌iPad‌, allowing your devices to work interchangeably.

We have five Luna Display adapters to give away to MacRumors readers. 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 MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. 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. 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 (April 2) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on April 9. The winners will be chosen randomly on April 9 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

Since 2019, Spotify has been working on "Car Thing," a voice-controlled music and podcast assistant. After Spotify announced Car Thing, little else was said about it, but it appears the company is gearing up for some kind of launch.

Back in January, Car Thing showed up in FCC filings, and now, images of Car Thing have been located in the Spotify app code. MacRumors contributor Steve Moser found several pictures of the Car Thing, giving us a clear look at the new device.

Spotify's original Car Thing had a small circular screen with several controls available on a side panel, but the new version features a much larger rectangular display that's closer in design to a smartphone, along with a large control knob and a smaller button.

We don't know what the control knob or the smaller button do, but Spotify's FCC filing described Car Thing as a "voice controlled accessory for phone/Spotify App with supporting display and buttons." It is Bluetooth-enabled and able to communicate with in-car head units, and it is powered from a 12V outlet.

Photos of various mounts are also included in Spotify's app, indicating that Car Thing will be able to be attached to a dash or mounted to a vent in the car, and it will perhaps be sold with these mounting options. There are indications that directions will be supported in some capacity, perhaps through the Waze/Spotify partnership.

When Car Thing was announced, Spotify said it was a test device developed to help the company understand more about how people listen to music and podcasts, and that there were no plans to make the device available to consumers. Spotify has, however, continued work on this device for the last two years and has changed its design significantly, which suggests it could eventually see a launch.

The Spotify app also has code for paid subscriptions for podcasts as the company gears up to launch its Anchor podcast creation tool. Spotify will eventually launch a paid podcast subscription feature, but there is some groundwork that needs to be established first. Spotify's paid podcasts will let Anchor creators that sign up offer paid podcast subscriptions that their listeners can subscribe to.

There's one other unreleased feature for Podcasts that's worth noting - comments. In the Spotify app, there's code for leaving comments on podcasts, something that's not currently available. Spotify users will be able to comment on podcast episodes, and creators will be able to respond.

An inventive MacRumors forums member has successfully retrofitted a water-cooling system to their 15-inch Intel-based MacBook Pro, thereby eliminating fan noise and boosting performance.

MacRumors forums member "theodric" explained that the noise of their ‌MacBook Pro‌'s fans had become disruptive during conference calls, so amid ordering an M1 MacBook Air, they decided to fit a water cooling system to their machine.

theodric used inexpensive parts such as Bitcoin ASIC miner blocks from AliExpress, an Aquastream XT Ultra water pump, and a Zalman radiator and reservoir from 2005 to create the system.

High-transmissivity thermal pads were added between the case shell and various motherboard components to conduct heat away from the ‌MacBook Pro‌ and into the water cooling system. The thermal shielding from the bottom of the case was also removed, as well as the feet, to ensure full contact with the new cooling plates. The pump, which requires Windows software to operate, was run via a virtual machine, and a Raspberry Pi was used for monitoring.

theodric says that they have "hardly heard the fan since I started using it" and have seen benchmark scores significantly improve under the system. See theodric's full post for more information about the ambitious project.

Although water-cooling a Mac makes for a challenging project, with the advent of Apple silicon chips, which are able to run much cooler than Intel chips, it is very unlikely that we will ever see an official Mac with water-cooling in the future. Nevertheless, there are still cooling upgrades slated to come to the Mac, with the next model due a thermal upgrade seemingly being the new 14-inch MacBook Pro.

The upcoming 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ is expected to adopt the improved thermals of the current 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ model, with a larger heat pipe, added thermal pads, and a 35 percent larger heat sink to increase the machine's performance potential and allow it to run at cooler temperatures.

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.