MacRumors

A new report from Canalys has forecasted the global smart speaker market for next year, projecting that it will reach 163 million units, a growth of 21 percent.

Mainland China is expected to be the main market for smart speakers next year with a growth of 16 percent. The rest of the market is expected to grow by just three percent. In spite of this, 2021 is believed to be a much stronger year for smart speakers due to increased demand, as well as improved products and availability.

HomePod mini is presumed to pose a challenge to incumbent smart speakers, although Canalys Research Manager Jason Low says that the new device may yet face some challenges.

Apple still has much to prove to attract users, especially as the HomePod mini is up against other new US$99 devices, which are larger in size and with assistants perceived to be smarter. Apple must deliver its acclaimed premium user experience by leveraging its proprietary ecosystem of hardware, software and services. The HomePod mini would give its competitors a run for their money if the sound quality proves to be better despite its smaller size, and if the UWB and Intercom features work seamlessly for users.

It is also notable that Apple will be the only global platform vendor selling hardware and services within China.

"The US$99 (approximately CYN700) price segment is pretty much a no-mans-land in China, yet adequate to appeal to Apple’s user-base. Apple should take this opportunity to drive the uptake of its music and other services consumed at home," said Canalys Research Analyst Cynthia Chen.

The global smart speaker installed base is forecast to reach 640 million units by 2024, which Canalys says is "paving the way for the ambient computing paradigm shift."

Feral Interactive has today announced that a remastered edition of classic first-person shooter game "BioShock 2" is now available for macOS.

BioShock 2 is the second game in the cult-classic first-person shooter series. Mac gamers can now return to the fallen city of Rapture to rescue Little Sister Eleanor from its sinister inhabitants. Players can now appreciate the gleaming art-deco architecture of the underwater metropolis better than ever with all-new high-resolution textures and models.

Play as a fearsome Big Daddy and rescue your Little Sister, Eleanor, from the clutches of the frenzied Rapture Family, a collectivist cult conspiring to transform her into a genetically modified messiah. Wield gene-altering Plasmids against vicious Splicers and violently protective Big Sisters as you navigate Rapture’s dripping art-deco halls.

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the original Bioshock in 2017, Feral Interactive released "BioShock Remastered" for macOS. The release of BioShock 2 Remastered also comes ten years after the release of the original BioShock 2 in 2010.

The studio is also responsible for publishing some of the most popular AAA games on the Mac App store, such as "Shadow of the Tomb Raider," "Alien: Isolation - The Collection," "Life is Strange 2," "Total War: Warhammer II," and more.

BioShock 2 Remastered is available now from the Mac App Store or the Feral Store for $19.99, with the "Minerva's Den Remastered" DLC also available for $9.99.

Apple is reportedly rolling out a new tool to Apple service providers for testing AirPods, according to leaker known as "Fudge," who shared images of the tool on Twitter.

Apple appears to be seeking to reduce unnecessary AirPods services by more accurately diagnosing the cause of a fault. Instances of a dirt-blockage, which may be difficult to ascertain visually, can apparently be identified by the use of a simple new tool. This could cut-down on needless services in instances where a deep clean is all that is required.

A dedicated service-provider's iPhone is inserted into a tray, which can run an app to determine if AirPods are genuinely faulty or simply malfunctioning due to a build-up of dirt. The tool tests first and second-generation AirPods by directing them at an ‌iPhone‌'s microphone.

The original post states the diagnosis functions similarly to the "existing ‌iPhone‌ Audio test in principle."

It does not appear to be compatible with AirPods Pro, but it seems possible for Apple to develop a different holder for ‌AirPods Pro‌ to connect to the ‌iPhone‌ tray in the future.

In collaboration with Apple, Porsche is adding Apple Podcasts and Apple Music's time-synced lyrics to its all-electric Taycan.

Last year, Porsche added Apple Music integration to the Taycan, allowing users to access Apple's music streaming service via the car's infotainment system without a smartphone connection. Now, Porsche is adding ‌Apple Music‌ time-synced lyrics appear on the passenger-side display.

‌Apple Podcasts‌ is also coming to the Porsche Taycan, with support for Apple's entire catalog of podcasts and Top Charts for shows and episodes.

"A great podcast can make any drive more enjoyable," said Oliver Schusser, Apple's Vice President of Apple Music, Beats, and International Content. "With Apple Podcasts, drivers can effortlessly catch up on the latest news, hear incredible stories and enjoy the company of their favorite hosts. And with Apple Music, passengers can easily sing along to their favorite songs with time-synced Lyrics."

As was the case with ‌Apple Music‌, ‌Apple Podcasts‌ integration directly in a vehicle is the first of its kind. Porsche has also teased that more Apple features for the Taycan could be arriving in the future.

"The new Apple Music and Apple Podcast offerings expand the emotional driving experience with the Taycan with a seamlessly integrated digital feature for music lovers. There is more to come," said Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG.

‌Apple Podcasts‌ and ‌Apple Music‌'s time-synced lyrics are available to new Taycan customers now and the features will roll out to all owners in January 2021.

Apple has introduced the option to download iOS software updates using 5G cellular data on the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, according to a support document published this week.

To download iOS updates over 5G, users will have to enable the "Allow More Data on 5G" mode in the Settings app under Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Data Mode. Apple says this mode also enables higher-quality video and FaceTime calls, and allows third-party apps to use more cellular data for enhanced experiences, when connected to 5G networks.

According to an internal Verizon document obtained by MacRumors, the ability to download iOS updates over cellular is limited to 5G iPhones with the "Allow More Data on 5G" mode enabled. On all previous-generation iPhones, and on iPhone 12 models that are connected to an LTE network, downloading iOS updates will still require a Wi-Fi connection.

Apple's support document also confirms that when using iPhone 12 models in Dual SIM mode, 5G is not supported on either line, except in China. Apple plans to enable 5G in Dual SIM mode in other countries later this year.

Apple's longtime head of design Jony Ive left the company back in mid-2019 to start his own company called LoveFrom, and one of Ive's first clients is Airbnb.

Airbnb today announced that it is working with Ive's LoveFrom company on a "special collaboration" that will include a multi-year relationship to "design the next generation of Airbnb products and services."

Today, I'm thrilled to announce that Jony and his partners at LoveFrom will be engaging in a special collaboration with me and the Airbnb team. We have made the decision to work together through a multi-year relationship to design the next generation of Airbnb products and services. Jony will also help us continue to develop our internal design team, which he believes to be one of the world's best. I know he is particularly excited about a relationship that will evolve to become a deep collaboration with our creative team.

I hope all of this speaks to the seriousness of our design-driven approach. We believe that working together will be an important and powerful creative partnership. We're both excited about the ideas we already have, as well as ideas that are currently beyond our imagination.

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky says that he has long admired Ive's work, and that he and Ive have been friends for "many years," sharing a belief in the "value and importance of creativity and design."

When Jony Ive left Apple, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the Cupertino company would continue to work with Ive's LoveFrom, with Apple serving as one of LoveFrom's "primary clients." At the time, Ive said that he was looking forward to working with Apple "for many years to come" and remaining "very involved."

Ive's company, LoveFrom, was created in partnership with Marc Newson, who Ive has worked with for many years. LoveFrom is a collective of designers, architects, engineers, artists, writers, and musicians.

When Ive left, his design duties were taken over by Evans Hankey and Alan Dye, who head up Industrial Design and Human Interface Design, respectively. Both report to Jeff Williams, Apple's Chief Operating Officer.

Apple is seeking tax breaks from the U.S. government for domestic chip production, which suggests Apple may be aiming to move more iPhone manufacturing to the United States.

According to Bloomberg, second and third-quarter lobbying disclosure reports indicate that Apple lobbied officials from the Treasury Department, Congress, and the White House on tax issues that included "tax credits for domestic semiconductor production."

Apple designs many of its own chips, including the A-series chips used in iPhones and iPads and the Apple Silicon chips that will be used in future Macs. Development of chips is done in-house in Cupertino, but production is outsourced to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

Apple's lobbying efforts indicate that it perhaps wants to move production to the U.S., where it would not have to deal with tariffs and trade tensions between the United States and China.

Apple's recent lobbying coincides with a push by the company and its partners to move some production away from China and even back to the U.S. in a few cases. There's also a broader effort by the U.S. semiconductor industry to get government support for increased domestic production.

Apple veteran and director of federal government affairs Tim Powderly is leading Apple's lobbying efforts, according to Bloomberg. Apple's prior policy exec, Cynthia Hogan, left the company in May after being selected as one of the members of Joe Biden's vice presidential selection committee.

Most Apple products are made overseas, but the 2013 Mac Pro was manufactured in Austin, Texas. The same Texas plant is also responsible for the final assembly of the new ‌Mac Pro‌ models, and Apple decided to use the plant after being provided with tariff exemptions.

Apple chip partner TSMC in May announced plans to open an advanced chip factory in Arizona, and once that plant is open, it is expected to produce 5-nanometer chips. Apple's most recent A-series devices use A14 chips built on a 5-nanometer process.

Apple in 2018 committed to spending $350 billion to boost the U.S. economy over the course of five years, and has contributed funds to U.S. companies that make ‌iPhone‌ components, including Corning and Finisar.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

In April 2019, Apple and Qualcomm announced an agreement to dismiss a long-running legal battle between the two companies worldwide, paving the way for Apple to use Qualcomm's 5G modems for its iPhone 12 lineup and beyond.

A teardown video shared earlier today revealed that Apple is using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X55 modem in iPhone 12 models, and beyond that, we have now uncovered Apple's roadmap for Qualcomm modems in future products.

As alerted to us by Danny Walsh on Twitter, page 71 of an Apple-Qualcomm settlement filing reveals that Apple intends to launch new products with the Snapdragon X60 modem between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022. Apple has also committed to using as-yet-unannounced X65 and X70 modems in products launched between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2024.

From the settlement document:

Apple intends to commercially launch (i) New Models of Apple Products during the time period between June 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021 (the "2020 Launch"), some of which use the SDX55 Qualcomm Chipset, (ii) New Models of Apple Products during the time period between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022 (the "2021 Launch"), some of which use the SDX60 Qualcomm Chipset, and (iii) New Models of Apple Products during the time period between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2024 (the "2022/23 Launch"), some of which use the SDX65 or SDX70 Qualcomm Chipsets (each a "Launch" and collectively the "Launches").

While these settlement details are over a year old, Apple's roadmap for Qualcomm modems in future products went largely under the radar.

Built on a 5nm process, the X60 modem packs higher power efficiency into a smaller footprint compared to the X55. Smartphones equipped with the X60 will also be able to aggregate data from both mmWave and sub-6GHz bands simultaneously to achieve an optimal combination of high-speed and low-latency network coverage.

When it introduced the X60 modem in February 2020, Qualcomm said that 5G smartphones featuring the chip would begin launching in 2021, so it is a prime candidate for inclusion in next year's iPhones as Apple's roadmap suggests.

Short form video streaming service Quibi is shutting down, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal and The Information. Employees and investors were notified about the impending shutdown over phone calls that went out this afternoon.

Quibi, which launched in April, is similar to Netflix or Hulu but it provides video content in shorter 5 to 10 minute snippets for $4.99+ per month. Quibi envisioned its short form video being watched on smartphones, with the company pouring more than $1 billion into original content.

Following its launch, Quibi saw a slow start, which Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg attributed to the pandemic. Katzenberg called Quibi's launch "not close to what we wanted," and the service ended up with an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 subscribers.

Quibi believed that it would garner approximately 7.4 million subscribers during its first year after launching, and it has so far come nowhere close to meeting that target.

Katzenberg approached several tech executives to see if Quibi might be able to be sold off, but no companies were interested. Katzenberg spoke with Facebook, Warner Media, and even Apple's software and services chief Eddy Cue, all of whom declined a purchase.

Companies were not interested in Quibi because of its unappealing licensing deals. Quibi's content is exclusive to Quibi for just two years, with creators then able to license it to other services, and after seven years, creators get back show ownership. Quibi is also facing a lawsuit from interactive video company Eko, with Eko claiming Quibi stole its horizontal/vertical video content technology.

Quibi also attempted to expand outside of its smartphone-only streaming format, offering apps on other platforms such as the Apple TV. An ‌Apple TV‌ app for Quibi launched yesterday, but the platform expansion has come too late to save the service.

Quibi had backers that included most major Hollywood studios, Alibaba, and Google, and The Information says it will shut down with $850 million in cash and several hundred million in debt. It is not clear how much money will be returned to shareholders, and investors in the company stand to lose money.

At least two customers who have purchased iPhone 12 cases have received defective cases that do not have speaker holes, which obscures the sound.

There have been two separate threads on Reddit from ‌iPhone‌ 12 customers who purchased a case and received one without speaker holes.

One customer was told by an Apple advisor that the case wasn't meant to have speaker holes, which is, of course, incorrect. One of the original posters uploaded a video showing the defective case from more angles.

There have been limited reports about cases with no speaker holes, but anyone who receives one should be able to get a replacement case from Apple by contacting Apple's support staff or visiting a retail store location.

The majority of the cases that are being sent out to customers do indeed have speaker holes by design, with the non-speaker hole cases representing a clear manufacturing defect.

Apple's iPhone 12 lineup appears to be equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X55 modem, which is in line with rumors that we heard about the new devices prior to their launch.

An iPhone 12 teardown video on Chinese social networking site Weibo gives a close look at the L-shaped logic board and the modem chip.

The X55 offers support for both 5G mmWave networks and 5G Sub-6GHz networks, along with 5G/4G spectrum sharing, and it is Qualcomm's second-generation 5G chip after the X50.

Reports in 2019 indicated Apple would use the X55 modem in its ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup, and at the time, the X55 was Qualcomm's fastest and newest 5G modem. Qualcomm in February 2020 introduced the X60 modem built on a 5-nanometer process, which is more power efficient than the 7-nanometer X55.

There was some speculation that Apple could adopt the X60 for the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup, but the X60 likely came out too late in the ‌iPhone‌ 12 development process to be considered for the new devices.

Next year's iPhones will likely use the Snapdragon X60 modem from Qualcomm, which is the third-generation 5G modem chip that Qualcomm has manufactured. It will bring notable performance improvements in terms of battery draw, component size, and connectivity speed because it offers carrier aggregation for combined mmWave and sub-6GHz networks.

Apple used Intel chips for the ‌iPhone‌ 11 lineup, but switched back to Qualcomm's technology for this year's lineup after it became clear that Intel would not be able to provide the 5G modem chip capabilities Apple needed for its devices. Apple settled a long-running legal battle with Qualcomm to get access to Qualcomm's chip technology.

Belkin today announced the launch of the Boost Charge Pro USB-C GaN Wall Charger 60W, which it says is the smallest GaN 60W solution on the market.

The new USB-C Boost Charge Pro 60W charger joins Belkin's lineup of other gallium nitride (GaN) power adapter options. GaN technology has become widespread over the last few years and allows for much smaller power adapters that take up less space than the standard silicon power adapters.

According to Belkin, the Boost Charge Pro 60W is 53 percent smaller than standard 60W laptop chargers and is able to work with USB-C Apple devices including MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iPad Pro. It can also fast charge an iPhone (including the new ‌iPhone‌ 12 models) when paired with a USB-C to Lightning cable.

The compact Boost Charge Pro 60W is equipped with overcurrent and overvoltage protection to keep devices safe while charging.

Belkin is selling the Boost Charge Pro USB-C PD GaN Wall Charger 60W for $50, and it can be ordered from the Belkin website.

Belkin's Wemo brand today announced the launch of a new WiFi-connected HomeKit-compatible Outdoor Smart Plug that joins Wemo's other smart plugs, light switches, and dimmers.

The Outdoor Smart Plug is ideal for outdoor lighting, holiday decorations, and other outdoor appliances, and it does not require a hub to function.

It is equipped with two splash-proof, weather resistant AC outlets that allow the items that are plugged in to be controlled using Siri voice commands, the Wemo app, and the Home app. The Outdoor Smart Plug is also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Hey Google for those that don't have a ‌Siri‌ ecosystem.

The WiFi Outdoor Smart Plug can be pre-ordered from Belkin or from Amazon for $39.99, with orders set to ship out in late October.

Apple today seeded the fourth public betas of upcoming iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 updates to its public beta testing group, one week after releasing the third betas and a day after providing the fourth betas to developers.

Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the iOS and iPadOS‌ 14.2 updates over the air after installing the proper certificate from the Public Beta website on an iOS device.

Apple in iOS and iPadOS 14.2 is adding new Emoji 13 emoji characters, with options that include smiling face with tear, ninja, pinched fingers, anatomical heart, black cat, mammoth, polar bear, dodo, fly, bell pepper, tamale, bubble tea, potted plant, piñata, plunger, wand, feather, hut, and more, with a full list available here.

iOS 14.2 introduces a new Music Recognition control for the Control Center, deepening the integration of the Apple-owned Shazam app in the iOS operating system. Music Recognition lets you discover music playing around you and it can recognize music playing in apps even when you're wearing AirPods.

The Shazam Music Recognition feature can be added to Control Center through the Control Center options in the Settings app. To use the feature, open up Control Center and then tap on the Shazam icon to initiate a single recognition.

The update brings a redesigned Now Playing widget for the Control Center that lists recently played albums that you might want to listen to when you have no music playing. There's also a redesigned interface for AirPlay, making it easier to play music across multiple ‌AirPlay‌ 2-enabled devices in the home.

For those who have low vision, Apple added a "People Detection" feature in the Magnifier app that uses the camera to let iPhone users know how far away other people are, which can be useful for social distancing purposes.

For Apple Card users, the iOS 14.2 update adds a yearly spending history option so ‌Apple Card‌ holders can see how much they've spent in the current calendar year and how much Daily Cash they've earned. Prior to iOS 14.2, ‌Apple Card‌ offered spending activity information in a weekly or monthly summary.

As for smaller but interesting tweaks, iOS 14.2 brings a new icon for the Apple Watch app, with the watch now sporting one of Apple's new Solo Loop bands.

The fourth beta released for developers yesterday confirmed that there are several new wallpapers in the update, which work in both light and dark modes.

For info on all of the new features that were introduced with the initial iOS 14 update, make sure to check out our iOS 14 roundup.

The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are set to be delivered to customers this Friday, but there are already a few out in the wild. Leaker DuanRui this morning shared a video featuring a short teardown of the new ‌iPhone‌ 12, giving us a quick look at the internals.

In the video, the ‌iPhone‌ 12 is taken apart component by component, with comparisons to corresponding ‌iPhone‌ 11 parts provided. The new ‌iPhone‌ 12 has an L-shaped logic board, which we initially saw in a leak in May. The ‌iPhone‌ 12 logic board isn't identical to the leaked logic board, so that leaked version is likely from another one of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models.

The logic board is longer than the logic board that was used in the ‌iPhone‌ 11, and it has the aforementioned L design rather than just a straight design.

There's a 2,815mAh battery in the ‌iPhone‌ 12, which was seen in Brazilian regulatory filings last week. Comparatively, the ‌iPhone‌ 11 has a higher capacity 3,110mAh battery. Apple lists similar battery lengths for both ‌iPhone‌ models, though, due to efficiency improvements introduced through the A14.

Smaller batteries may have been included because Apple may have needed extra space for the 5G components in this year's iPhones, but there have already been some concerning early tests about faster than normal battery drain when using 5G networks. That's not necessarily a surprise because it's well known that 5G drains battery faster, but it's something ‌iPhone‌ 12 and 12 Pro users should be aware of.

The Taptic Engine, which provides haptic feedback, is a good deal smaller in the ‌iPhone‌ 12, and the teardown also shows off that magnetic ring that works with MagSafe accessories.

There are also comparisons between other components such as the display, dual-lens camera setup, flash, and more, which those interested can see in the video.

iFixit will have in-depth teardowns of both the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro coming in the future, which we can count on seeing after the new devices are released.

With iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, Apple allowed users to select third-party apps as the default email app and browser. Last month, a widespread bug reverted these settings to Apple's default apps whenever a user's device was rebooted.

Although that bug was fixed, a new bug in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 is now afflicting the selection of third-party email apps and browsers. It appears that whenever a selected third-party app is updated, the default app selection for email app or browser is reset to Apple's Mail or Safari.

The Verge has now confirmed that whenever you update your chosen default app via the App Store in iOS 14.1, it gets removed from the default app slot.

Users should be aware that they will need to re-select their preferences every time a third-party mail app or browser that has been set as default is updated. You may wish to avoid updating your preferred third-party browser or mail app until it is convenient to reselect the default in settings, or until Apple has released a fix.

However, MacRumors understands that the bug may have already been fixed in the iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 betas.

The likes of Chrome, Edge, DuckDuckGo, and Firefox can be set as default browsers, while Gmail, Spark, and Microsoft Outlook can be set as default Mail apps, among others. Users who prefer an alternative to Safari or Apple's native Mail app can choose an alternative and it should be opened automatically whenever the system requires it, providing the app has not recently been updated, that is.

After the news that France would be the only territory to continue to include EarPods with the iPhone, it seems that Apple is not packing the earbuds within the ‌iPhone‌'s box (via iGeneration).

The French ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro does not have a different retail box to accommodate EarPods, meaning that all ‌iPhone‌ boxes are consistent worldwide. Since the new ‌iPhone‌ boxes are slimmer without a tray for EarPods or a power adapter below the ‌iPhone‌, in France the EarPods are in the bottom of a separate box that is large enough to also contain the standard ‌iPhone‌'s box. The additional box appears to be much larger than the new, slimmed-down ‌iPhone‌ boxes.

Apple is continuing to include EarPods with iPhones in France due to legal obligations. French law demands that manufacturers provide a hands-free accessory with smartphones due to concerns about the effect of electromagnetic waves on the brains.

In addition to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and 12 Pro, the ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ XR, and iPhone SE no longer include EarPods outside of France.

Apple's website encourages customers to use their existing Apple power adapter and headphones or buy these accessories separately, and Apple has now lowered the price of its EarPods with a Lightning connector from $29 to $19.

Apple touted the environmental benefits of no longer including EarPods or a power adapter with iPhones, noting that the move reduces carbon emissions and avoids the mining and use of rare-earth elements. ‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌ models also ship in a thinner box as a result, with Apple claiming that it can fit 70 percent more ‌‌iPhone‌‌ boxes on a single pallet during shipping.