MacRumors

Apple CEO Tim Cook and software engineering chief Craig Federighi will be summoned to testify in the ongoing Apple vs. Epic legal battle, a judge said this week.

fortnite apple featured
The court filing, first shared by iMore, says that Apple had already agreed to make Cook a "document custodian." Apple wanted a condition that would limit Cook's deposition to four hours, but the court says that the condition is not appropriate as Epic will not be able to assess necessary deposition length until the full range of documents in the case are made available.

Apple wanted to have Erik Neuenschwander serve as a second document custodian instead of Craig Federighi, but the court has ruled that Federighi should be the one to testify in the dispute.

Apple also must provide extensive documentation and data related to an App Store study conducted by Analysis Group that compared App Store fees with fees from other platforms. Apple had not been planning to share those documents under an attorney work product privilege as Apple is also using Analysis Group as an expert consultant, but the judge said Apple has to provide the information to Epic.

Epic has complained that it is skeptical Apple has produced all relevant employee communications, as some emails included hyperlinks to cloud-based documents and Epic has to ask Apple to provide each of the linked documents. Epic wanted Apple to provide all hyperlink documentation, but the court sided with Apple on this point and said that Apple does not need to identify all hyperlinked documents because of the burden of the work. Apple does, however, have to provide hyperlinked documents for a "reasonable number of emails."

The Apple vs. Epic dispute will continue on with smaller matters such as document requests over the course of the next several months as the two companies prepare for their July 2021 hearing where they will battle it out in court.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Big Sur 11.2 update to public beta testers, with the public beta coming one day after the software was provided to developers.

First Look Big Sur Feature2
Public beta testers can download macOS Big Sur 11.2 from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

There's no word just yet on what's included in ‌macOS Big Sur‌ 11.2, but it likely includes performance improvements, security updates, and fixes for bugs that weren't able to be addressed in the release version of ‌‌macOS Big Sur. No new features or changes were found in the developer version.

Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

Apple did not include a power button on the AirPods Max, so there's no definitive way to turn them off, but Apple says that putting the headphones inside the included Smart Case puts them into an ultra low power mode.

AirPods Max Smart Case Battery Life Feature2
That's left a lot of questions about what happens to the ‌AirPods Max‌ when they're not inside the case yet not being actively used, so we've done some testing to attempt to figure out what's going on.

YouTuber Marques Brownlee (aka MKBHD) has said that the ‌AirPods Max‌ enter into a sleep mode after about two hours when just removed from the head and set down somewhere, and it does appear that the ‌AirPods Max‌ are staying actively connected to an iPhone for hours at a time.

At 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time yesterday morning, we connected the ‌AirPods Max‌ to an ‌iPhone‌, played a song, and then took them off and set them down on a desk. At this time, the battery was at 63 percent.

At 10:00 a.m., the ‌AirPods Max‌ were still connected, and the same goes for 11:00 a.m. During this period, the ‌AirPods Max‌ dropped to about 62 percent right around 10:00, and then stayed at that level until 11:26 before dropping to 60 percent battery life.

At 12:00 p.m., three hours later, the ‌AirPods Max‌ remained connected to the ‌iPhone‌ over Bluetooth and did not disconnect or go to sleep. During this time, the ‌iPhone‌ was in use for various activities and also in a rest mode where it wasn't in active use. The ‌AirPods Max‌ were left alone and not touched.

airpods max in case
Over a four hour period, the ‌AirPods Max‌ didn't disconnect and the battery life drained a total of three percent.

With a second set of ‌AirPods Max‌ and a different ‌iPhone‌ that was set aside and not used, we left them connected for more than two and a half hours and saw the same two percent drop in battery life. YouTuber Andru Edwards did a similar test and saw three percent battery drain over the course of 10 hours with the ‌AirPods Max‌ sitting out on a desk.

After monitoring the ‌AirPods Max‌ for a four hour period, we put them in the case at 1:00 p.m. When placed in the case, the ‌AirPods Max‌ immediately disconnected from the ‌iPhone‌ and it was no longer listed as connected in Bluetooth nor were battery levels listed.

We left the ‌AirPods Max‌ in the case to test battery drain while in Apple's advertised "ultra low power mode." From 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, the ‌AirPods Max‌ drained approximately one percent while in the case. The battery was at 60 percent when they went in the case at 1:00, and 59 percent when they came out of the case at 5:00.

An hour of music playback on the ‌‌AirPods Max‌‌ with Active Noise Cancellation engaged appears to drain somewhere around four to five percent battery. Andru Edwards saw 3 percent battery drain in 10 hours and leaving a set of ‌AirPods Max‌ out all night we saw a total of 8 percent battery drain, so the amount of listening time you're losing will vary.

So while the ‌AirPods Max‌ do need the case to go into a low power mode that's the equivalent of a sleep mode, leaving them out and connected to your devices isn't the biggest hit on battery if you don't want the hassle of putting them into the case and taking them out. If you want maximum battery life, though, you need to put them in the case.

We still don't have a definitive answer on when the ‌AirPods Max‌ "sleep" when out of the case because they never appeared to disconnect from the ‌iPhone‌ in our testing without the case, but we do now have a better idea of what happens when they're used without a case.

Related Roundup: AirPods Max
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Max (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Parallels today began informing customers about the launch of a new Parallels Desktop 16 for M1 Mac Technical Preview Program, which is available today. The software cannot run an Intel x86-based OS, and requires an Arm-based operating system installation image.

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Microsoft is offering a version of Arm-based Windows that's available through the Windows Insider program that will run on ‌M1‌ Macs through Parallels, but there is no publicly available version of of Arm Windows that can be purchased.

m1 mac windows

An ‌M1‌ Mac running Windows, via forum member faffoo

Those who have signed up for the Technical Preview Program are able to be the first to test Parallels for ‌M1‌ Macs. There are several limitations that users should be aware of.

- It is not possible to install or start an Intel x86 based operating system in a virtual machine.
- It is not possible to suspend and resume a virtual machine, including reverting to a "running state" snapshot.
- It is not possible to use the close button when a virtual machine is running; Shutdown virtual machine instead.
- ARM32 applications do not work in a virtual machine.

The current versions of Parallels are not able to run on ‌M1‌ Macs, but Parallels in November following the launch of the new Macs said that a version of Parallels compatible with Apple's chips was in active development.

At the time, Parallels said that the software designed for Macs was looking "very promising."

When Apple Silicon Mac was first announced during the keynote at WWDC on June 22 of this year, Apple demoed a Parallels Desktop for Mac prototype running a Linux virtual machine flawlessly on Apple Silicon. Since WWDC, our new version of Parallels Desktop which runs on Mac with Apple M1 chip has made tremendous progress. We switched Parallels Desktop to universal binary and optimized its virtualization code; and the version that we are eager to try on these new MacBook Air, Mac mini and MacBook Pro 13″ looks very promising. Parallels is also amazed by the news from Microsoft about adding support of x64 applications in Windows on ARM.

Parallels Desktop 16 was first released in August for Intel-based Macs, but has since been updated with a universal binary that's now ready for ‌M1‌ Macs. Parallels is available for a one-time fee of $99.99, but the Pro and Business editions require a $79.99 per year subscription.

Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 updates to public beta testers, one day after providing the beta to developers.

iOS 14
Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the iOS and iPadOS‌ 14.4 updates over the air after installing the proper certificate from the Public Beta website on an iOS device.

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.

homepod mini 14 4 u1 chip
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.

There were no other new features or changes found in the first developer beta. The update likely focuses on bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements that weren't able to be included in the prior update.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Apple has picked up "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey" starring Samuel L. Jackson for Apple TV+, reports Variety. The six-episode limited series is based on the novel of the same name written by Walter Mosley.

Apple TV Ray Light 2 Yellow
Mosley is adapting the book for the television screen, with Jackson set to play titular character Ptolemy Grey. Grey is a 91-year-old recluse who has been all but forgotten and abandoned by his family, his friends, and himself.

As he is on the brink of sinking deeper into dementia, Ptolemy is given a chance to regain his memories when he meets 17-year-old Robyn at his nephew's funeral. Robyn challenges Ptolemy to interact more with the world around him, giving him a better grasp on his disappearing consciousness. He's then given a chance to take a drug that hastens his demise, but also clears his mind.

Ptolemy uses his time and lucidity to solve his grand-nephew's death, which involved a drive-by shooting.

In addition to starring in the series, Jackson will also serve as a producer. He previously worked with Apple on "The Banker," a movie that he starred in alongside Anthony Mackie.

In other ‌Apple TV‌+ news, Jared Leto is in discussions to star as WeWork founder and former CEO Adam Neumann in the WeWork series that's in the works for ‌Apple TV‌+.

Belkin, known for the accessories that it makes for Apple's devices, recently announced its first MagSafe products, the Boost Charge Pro MagSafe 3-in-1 Wireless Charger and the Car Vent PRO. The wireless charger isn't out just yet, but the Belkin Car Vent Mount PRO with ‌MagSafe‌ has launched.

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The Car Vent PRO is, as the name suggests, a mount that's been created for use in the car with a design that attaches to a car's vents. Priced at $40, the Car Vent PRO is not a charger and has no charging capabilities.

belkin car vent 1
The accessory is a simple magnet-based mount that attaches to ‌MagSafe‌ devices that include the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max, adhering to the ‌MagSafe‌ magnet built into those devices. It also works with ‌MagSafe‌ cases attached to ‌iPhone‌ 12 models.

I'm not entirely sure why the Car Vent PRO has "Pro" attached to its name because it's a fairly simple mount. It's made from a lightweight plastic material that's designed to look like aluminum with a softer material on the mount portion of the accessory to ensure an attached ‌iPhone‌ isn't scratched or otherwise damaged.

belkin car vent 2
The lightweight design is nice because it's not putting unnecessary weight on the car's vents. There's a silicone prong on the back of the Car Vent PRO that grabs right into a car's vents, with about an inch and a half space between the vents and the front of the mount. The grip is tight enough that I'm confident it's not going to come loose from the vent.

belkin car vent mount 3
I'm not often in the car these days so I haven't been able to do extensive terrain testing on how well the magnetic connection works. With my ‌iPhone‌ attached, if I give the mount a good shake I can dislodge my ‌iPhone‌, but I do have to put a decent amount of effort into it.

belkin vent mount 4
I suspect that there are situations where a huge bump could dislodge the ‌iPhone‌ from the mount, but for day to day smoother driving, it feels well-adhered. I took several trips on a fairly bumpy road and had no problems with the magnetic connection with an ‌iPhone‌ 12 or a heavier iPhone 12 Pro Max even at fast speeds and during turns.

belkin vent mount 5
While there's no built-in charging, you can attach the Vent PRO to an in-car Lightning cable if you already have that setup, which makes it more useful. There is a spot for routing a cable around the back if you do want to use it with a charger. My car's charging ports are located in the center console under a lid, so it's not a convenient setup for my situation and I wasn't able to test it with a cable attached.

belkin vent mount 6
The Car Vent PRO can be used in either portrait or landscape mode with an attached ‌iPhone‌, so depending on your in-car setup and how you prefer Maps to look, you can get it working the way that you like. To facilitate use in either orientation, the Car Vent PRO itself rotates thanks to an adjustable ball joint that can also change the angle of the phone as needed.

Bottom Line

Belkin's Car Vent PRO does what it's supposed to do - it successfully provides a way to mount your ‌iPhone‌ in the proper position for using apps like Maps while in the car. The magnetic connection held up well in my testing, and the adjustable ball joint allows the mount to work in most vehicle setups.

Compared to other mounting options, it's simple because it requires no extra hardware or magnets, and it's basically the only ‌MagSafe‌ mounting option at the moment. If you need a mount for the car and have an ‌iPhone‌ 12, Belkin's option is worth checking out.

How to Buy

The Belkin Car Vent PRO can be purchased from Apple for $39.99.

Note: Belkin provided MacRumors with a Car Vent PRO for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Tag: Belkin

You can save on a few of the latest Macs this week at retailers like Amazon, Adorama, and B&H Photo. These sales include discounts on the iMac, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, with up to $400 off select models.

iMac and MBP SaleNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Notable deals include $50 off the new M1-enabled Mac mini (512GB), priced at $849.00 on B&H Photo. Otherwise, you'll find $50 off the new M1 13-inch MacBook Pro (512GB) at Amazon, up to $400 off the 16-inch MacBook Pro from 2019, and up to $100 off various iMacs.

iMac

MacBook Pro

Mac mini

You can keep track of ongoing sales on Apple's iMac line by visiting our guides for the Best iMac Deals and Best MacBook Deals. There, we keep track of the best iMac offers from Amazon, Adorama, B&H Photo, and other retailers, so be sure to check back often if you're shopping for an iMac for the first time, or thinking of upgrading.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

In a recent interview with Japanese website Casa BRUTUS, shared by Mac Otakara, Apple's VP of industrial design Evans Hankey, VP of product marketing Bob Borchers, and industrial designer Eugene Whang reflected on the new AirPods Max.

airpods max smart case video
The interview is in Japanese, but with a translation, some key points can be gathered. For starters, Hankey said that Apple prototyped hundreds of AirPods Max designs over a lengthy development period, as the company worked to balance comfort and sound quality. Apple's design team conducted a significant amount of research on the shape of the headphones to ensure they are comfortable to wear while delivering a tight seal.

The interview also reveals that Apple tested touch controls for the AirPods Max, as exist on some over-ear headphones from competitors like Sony and Bose, but Apple ultimately settled with a larger version of the Apple Watch's Digital Crown, offering precise, tactile volume control. The headphones also have a noise control button for switching between Active Noise Cancellation and the more natural sounding Transparency mode.

AirPods Max come with a carrying case called the Smart Case, and many reviewers and customers have criticized the case's peculiar design. Whang, who apparently oversaw design of the case, said that while many headphones come with a large, cumbersome case, the Smart Case was designed to be storage efficient. Whang added that it was not necessary for the headband to be covered since it was built to be strong.


AirPods Max are designed with magnetically-attachable memory foam ear cushions, stainless steel telescoping arms, and a headband with a "breathable knit mesh" that distributes weight to reduce on-head pressure, according to Apple. Priced at $549, the over-ear headphones are available to order on Apple.com with a lengthy 12-14 week delivery estimate.

Related Roundup: AirPods Max
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Max (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular HomeKit accessory maker Eve has today announced that its app is now available for M1 Macs.

eve 5

Via an update, the Eve app can now run on Macs with an ‌M1‌ chip, allowing users to view their home, create scenes, and control accessories directly from a Mac. Apple forbids accessories from being added on the Mac, but otherwise the app works exactly the same as it does on iOS or iPadOS.

Eve 5 has received a number of visual improvements, such as support for the iPhone 12 lineup's screen resolutions, a native sidebar for the iPad and Mac, and a dark app icon option.

The update also brings a number of improvements to Eve's existing accessories, such as support for schedules with the Eve Light Strip, refinement to the secondary information display for Eve Degree and Eve Room, and improvements to the schedule editor of Eve Thermo. For the third-generation Eve Door & Window, there's a new Thread-enabled firmware update. Thread technology improves connectivity between various accessories by adding a new communication method.

Eve 5 is now available on the App Store for ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and Mac. Existing users need only update the app to get the new features.

Apple today shared the trailer for "Palmer," an original film starring Justin Timberlake, who plays a former college football phenomenon who returns to his hometown after a stint in prison. The film is set to debut exclusively on Apple TV+ on January 29.


Here is how Apple described the film earlier this year:

Written by Cheryl Guerriero, "Palmer" follows a former college football phenomenon named Eddie Palmer (played by Timberlake) who, after a stint in prison, returns to his hometown to get his life back on track. There, he faces not only lingering conflicts from his past but also a much more surprising challenge as he finds himself suddenly in charge of a unique young boy who has been abandoned by his wayward mother. Along with Timberlake, "Palmer" stars Juno Temple, Academy Award nominee June Squibb, Alisha Wainright, and introduces Ryder Allen.

"Palmer" is produced by Sidney Kimmel, John Penotti, Charlie Corwin, Daniel Nadler and Academy Award winner Charles B. Wessler.

Apple's streaming video service is accessible through the Apple TV app on a variety of platforms, including the Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV box, Xbox One and newer, PS4 and newer, select Roku devices, select smart TVs from Samsung, Sony, LG, Vizio, and more, and on the web at tv.apple.com. The service costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.

(Thanks, Aaron!)

Apple has adjusted the trade-in values of many of its products overnight. Some devices, such as iPads, have seen moderate increases in value, while others, such as Macs, have experienced decreases.

iphone trade in 202010 FMT WHH

Apple incentivizes customers to upgrade by offering the option to trade in older devices in exchange for credit towards a new purchase. The latest changes to the trade-in program's values, spotted by iMore, include iPads, Apple Watches, Macs, and even some Android devices.

Apple has increased the maximum trade-in value of many products in its iPad lineup. The iPad Pro has increased by $25 to $525. The iPad Air and entry-level ‌iPad‌ have gained $40, reaching $250 and $240 respectively. Finally, the iPad mini has increased from $175 to $205.

Apple has given a minor boost to the value of the Apple Watch models. The Apple Watch Series 3 and Apple Watch Series 4 have increased by $10 to $95 and $150, while the Apple Watch Series 1 has increased from $30 to $35.

On the other hand, various Macs have seen cuts to their trade-in value. The MacBook Pro is down from $1,760 to $1,530, which is a reduction of $230. The MacBook Air has also lost $100, down to $630, while the MacBook is down to $380 from $450.

With regards to desktops, the iMac Pro has seen a significant cut of $540, down to just $3,040. The ‌iMac‌ is down to $1,180 from $1,390, and the Mac mini is down to $830 from $930. The Mac Pro appears to be the only Mac to have gained value, with a major increase of almost double the previous $1,490 price. Customers can now trade in the ‌Mac Pro‌ for $2,930.

For Android devices, the Samsung Galaxy S20 has fallen in price from $270 to $225, while the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+, as well as Google Pixel devices, have seen minor increases.

These prices reflect the maximum value that customers can expect for their device. The actual valuation will be dependent on the condition of the device.

Analysts have recently suggested that Apple's trade-in program could become a key part of an all-in-one hardware and software subscription service in the future, should Apple combine with the iPhone Upgrade Program and Apple One.

See Apple's full list of maximum trade-in prices for more information on trade-in values.

Some Messenger and Instagram features are temporarily unavailable to users in Europe in order to comply with new rules on data usage currently being rolled out in EU countries.

instagram features missing eu
Affected users are seeing alerts in the Facebook-owned apps that some features aren’t available to "respect new rules for messaging services in Europe."

The alert doesn't specify what the missing features are, but The Verge notes that polls on both Messenger and Instagram are currently disabled in Europe, while stickers in Instagram are unavailable, as are personalized replies in Messenger. Each support page for the above features currently carries the notice:

This feature may be unavailable if you're located in Europe or messaging an account based in Europe to respect new messaging service rules. We're working to bring it back.

The temporary changes are said to be Facebook's compliance with the national implementations of the 2002 Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive (ePrivacy Directive), which imposes stricter rules on data use across communications services that operate in countries that are part of the EU.

Other missing features may include a disabling of file sending on Messenger, missing nicknames, and the ability to share AR effects in DMs on Instagram.

Users in the United Kingdom are also missing the features, because EU law continues to apply to the U.K. during the Brexit transition period (currently due to last until 31 December 2020).

Facebook has not given a specific timeframe for reinstating the missing features, but told The Verge they would return "very soon."

Microsoft has updated its Edge browser with native support for Apple Silicon, promising optimized performance for Macs with the M1 chip.

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The update was announced through the official Edge developers Twitter account, which invited users to download the new version from the Microsoft Edge Canary Channel, a subsection of the Microsoft Edge Insiders website.


Microsoft didn't specify what kind of performance improvements users can expect from the M1-optimized version of its browser, but if it's anything like Firefox's supercharged Apple silicon update, loyal Edge users should have something to celebrate.

Earlier this week, Apple shared a list of popular apps optimized for M1 Macs that are available in the Mac App Store, such as Pixelmator Pro, Adobe Lightroom, Affinity Designer, Darkroom, Fantastical, OmniFocus, BBEdit, Instapaper, and Twitter. Apple boasted that apps optimized for the ‌M1‌ chip deliver "game-changing speed and capabilities."

Screen Shot 3
Last month, Apple released its first Macs with the ‌M1‌ chip, including a new 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini.

whatsappiconcleanedWhatsApp will soon let Mac users make voice and video calls from the platform's desktop client, according to a new report from forthcoming feature specialist WABetaInfo.

WhatsApp has offered voice and video calling in its mobile app for some time, but the feature doesn't extend to the encrypted messaging platform's web and desktop clients.

However, that looks set to change, based on a beta of WhatsApp's desktop variant. As the screenshot below shows, users involved in the beta testing stage of the client can see new voice and video calling buttons in the chat header of the app window.

WA CALLS BUTTON BETA WEB
Clicking either button initiates a voice or video call to the selected contact, and then displays a separate pop-up window showing options to enable or disable video, mute the call, or hang up.

WA WEB CALL
Meanwhile, a call recipient using the desktop client sees a similar pop-up window indicating someone is calling them and offering them options to accept or decline the incoming call.

WA WEB DECLINE ACCEPT CALL
It's not clear how long voice and video calls will remain in beta testing on the desktop client, but WhatsApp is fairly quick at introducing new features, so if we could well see the functionality appear in an update in the next few weeks.

Back in August, Twitter began calling retweets with comments Quote Tweets, and a couple of months later the social media platform changed the way retweets worked so that users were prompted to Quote Tweet a retweet first before deciding to share it.

twitterquotetweets
Users didn't have to type anything in the quote tweet prompt, and could still retweet with no added context. Still, the idea behind the small change was to encourage more thoughtful amplification of tweets, so that users didn't just mindlessly retweet something without due consideration.

However, it turns out that the tweak didn't have the intended effect, as Twitter explained on Wednesday in a blog post.

We hoped this change would encourage thoughtful amplification and also increase the likelihood that people would add their own thoughts, reactions and perspectives to the conversation. However, we observed that prompting Quote Tweets didn't appear to increase context: 45% of additional Quote Tweets included just a single word and 70% contained less than 25 characters.

Twitter said it also saw a 20% decrease in retweets and quote tweets while the automatic quote tweet prompt was active. As a result, Twitter is reverting the retweet action to its original behavior, and users will no longer see the Quote Tweet prompt when they tap the Retweet button.

Tag: Twitter

Facebook has expressed additional criticism towards Apple over an upcoming iOS 14 privacy measure that will require users to grant permission for their activity to be tracked for personalized advertising purposes.

apple vs free internet facebook ad
For the second consecutive day, Facebook is running a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post that claims Apple's tracking change will harm not only small businesses, but the internet as a whole. Facebook says that due to Apple's new policy, many apps and websites will have to start charging subscription fees or add more in-app purchase options to make ends meet, making the internet "much more expensive."

The full text from the ad:

Apple vs. the free internet

Apple plans to roll out a forced software update that will change the internet as we know it—for the worse.

Take your favorite cooking sites or sports blogs. Most are free because they show advertisements.

Apple's change will limit their ability to run personalized ads. To make ends meet, many will have to start charging you subscription fees or adding more in-app purchases, making the internet much more expensive and reducing high-quality free content.

Beyond hurting apps and websites, many in the small business community say this change will be devastating for them too, at a time when they face enormous challenges. They need to be able to effectively reach the people most interested in their products and services to grow.

Forty-four percent of small to medium businesses started or increased their usage of personalized ads on social media during the pandemic, according to a new Deloitte
study. Without personalized ads, Facebook data shows that the average small business advertiser stands to see a cut of over 60% in their sales for every dollar they spend.

Small businesses deserve to be heard. We're standing up to Apple for our small business customers and our communities.

Facebook's ad concludes with a link to its new "Speak Up For Small Business" page where small business owners express concerns about Apple's change.

In an email, a Facebook spokesperson said Apple's move "isn't about privacy, it's about profit," echoing comments the company shared yesterday. "Paying for content may be fine for some, but most people, especially during these challenging times, don't have room in their budget for these fees," the spokesperson added.

"We disagree with Apple's approach and solution, yet we have no choice but to show Apple's prompt," Facebook said yesterday. "If we don't, they will block Facebook from the App Store, which would only further harm the people and businesses that rely on our services. We cannot take this risk on behalf of the millions of businesses who use our platform to grow."

In a statement responding to Facebook, Apple said "we believe that this is a simple matter of standing up for our users," adding that "users should know when their data is being collected and shared across other apps and websites — and they should have the choice to allow that or not." Specifically, users will be prompted to allow or deny ad tracking as necessary when opening apps on iOS 14 starting early next year.

Apple said it welcomes in-app advertising and is not prohibiting tracking, but simply requiring apps to obtain explicit user consent in order to track users for personalized advertising purposes, providing users with more control and transparency.

apple vs free internet full ad

The iOS 14.4 beta that was introduced today didn’t appear to include any new features, but an accompanying HomePod 14.4 beta will introduce new HomePod mini functionality that takes advantage of the U1 ultra wideband chip in the device.

homepod mini 14 4 u1 chip
The ‌HomePod‌ beta software is not made available to developers like iOS and macOS software and is instead provided to a limited number of Apple-selected testers. One of those testers shared the details on Reddit, along with screenshots, which were highlighted on the MacRumors forums.

When the ‌HomePod mini‌ launched, Apple said that an update “later this year” would bring visual, audible, and haptic effects when songs are transferred from one device to another. Personalized listening suggestions are also designed to appear on the iPhone when next to the ‌HomePod mini‌, complete with instant controls that are available without having to unlock the ‌iPhone‌.

According to the Redditor, 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.

Starts the process when you’re like… 12” away from the HomePod? When it works correctly. First beta is pretty buggy and may not be the best one to explain

Basically when your phone gets 12” away from the HomePod the banner shows and any minuscule phone movements result in haptic feedback which gets stronger as you move towards the HomePod. If you move away it gets weaker, get too far away and it stops and the banner goes away.

Get closer and closer and the haptics will get stronger until it’s so close that you must purposely be doing it and want to engage in handoff, at which point the banner expands into the full platter shown in the last photo.

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.

Related Roundup: HomePod mini
Buyer's Guide: HomePod Mini (Caution)