Apple's new iPhone 12 models don't come with EarPods or a power adapter in the box in order to save on packaging materials to reduce environmental impact, and following today's event, Apple has removed the power adapter and EarPods from the box for all other iPhone models as well.
As was rumored this morning, the iPhone 11, XR, and SE will no longer be shipped with power adapters or EarPods, much like the iPhone 12 models. This will allow Apple to use new, slimmer packaging.
All of the iPhone models will, however, come with a USB-C to Lightning cable, an upgrade from the standard USB-A to Lightning cable that used to be included.
Despite rumors that Apple would introduce a Lightning cable with a braided design, that did not happen, and iPhones new and old ship with a standard Apple-designed rubber USB-C to Lightning cable.
While the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini and 6.1-inch iPhone 12 are advertised as starting at $699 and $799 respectively in the United States, this pricing only applies to Verizon and AT&T models, which qualify for an "instant discount" of $30 at launch.
Pricing for T-Mobile, Sprint, and SIM-free versions of the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 starts at $729 and $829 respectively.
There is no price discrepancy with iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models, which start at $999 and $1,099 respectively regardless of the model selected.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro pre-orders begin Friday, October 16 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, with shipments starting Friday, October 23. The smaller 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini and larger 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max are launching later, with pre-orders beginning Friday, November 6 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time and shipments starting Friday, November 13.
Update: A spokesperson for T-Mobile has informed MacRumors that the carrier will also have iPhone 12 offers that will go live on Apple's website on Friday, the day that pre-orders of the devices begin.
Update: T-Mobile and Sprint are now offering the same "instant discount" of $30 off the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini as AT&T and Verizon.
Following the introduction of the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, Apple has released iOS and iPadOS 14.1 golden master betas for developers, with the iOS 14.1 update presumably coming pre-installed on the new iPhones at launch.
The new updates are available for download from Apple's developer portal. Earlier today, these software releases were positioned as new publicly available software updates, but that is not the case. Apple pulled the initial downloads and has re-released them as downloads exclusive to developers.
There's no word yet on what's included in these updates, but we'll update this article as soon as we find out. Apple has also released a tvOS 14.1 golden master for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models.
Update: This article has been updated to clarify that iOS and iPadOS 14.1 that are available to developers in a beta capacity and have not yet been publicly released.
With the launch of the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, Apple has decided to keep the iPhone SE, iPhone XR, and iPhone 11 around as lower-cost options.
The only iPhones that are no longer available for purchase are the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, which have been eliminated in favor of the new iPhone 12 Pro models.
Apple's full lineup now features iPhones at every price point starting at $399.
iPhone SE - $399
iPhone XR - $499
iPhone 11 - $599
iPhone 12 mini - $699
iPhone 12 - $799
iPhone 12 Pro - $999
iPhone 12 Pro Max - $1099
The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 feature 64GB for starting models (upgradeable to 128GB or 256GB), while the iPhone 12 Pro models start at 128GB of storage, which can be upgraded to 256GB or 512GB of storage.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will be available for pre-order this Friday, with the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max to be available for pre-order on November 6.
To install the watchOS 7.1 beta, developers need to download the proper configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 7 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.
To update to the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.
There were no new features discovered in the first two betas of watchOS 7.1, so we don't yet know what new additions may be included in the update. It likely focuses on under-the-hood improvements and bug fixes for issues that weren't able to be addressed in the initial watchOS 7 release.
If new features are found in the third beta of watchOS 7.1, we'll update this article. watchOS 7.1, like watchOS 7, is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 3 and later.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 14.2 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second beta and a month after releasing the tvOS 14 update.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 14.2 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode.
tvOS updates other than new releases are typically minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. No new features or major changes were discovered in the first two betas of tvOS 14.2.
Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.
iOS and iPadOS 14.2 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.
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.
The iOS 14.2 update also brings a new Music Recognition control for the Control Center, which enhances 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. While Apple devices have been able to use Shazam through Siri or the Shazam app for some time, the Control Center option makes it easier to get to the music recognition tool.
The new update also includes a redesigned Now Playing widget for the Control Center, which lists recently played albums that you might want to tap into and 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 the Apple Watch app on the iPhone, Apple tweaked the design slightly, updating the watch with one of the new Solo Loop Apple Watch bands.
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.
The new iOS 14.2 beta will likely be in testing for some time as Apple works on releasing new iPhones, with the new iPhones expected to debut sometime in October.
Apple today announced that the 6.1-inch models of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will be available to pre-order beginning this Friday, October 16 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, with deliveries and in-store availability beginning one week later on Friday, October 23.
The smaller 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini and larger 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max are launching later, with pre-orders beginning Friday, November 6 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time and shipments beginning one week later on Friday, November 13.
iPhone 12 Pro pricing starts at $999, while the iPhone 12 starts at $799 and the iPhone 12 mini starts at $699.
Key features of the iPhone 12 lineup include a new flat-edge design, 5G connectivity, a faster A14 Bionic chip, a new MagSafe system for precise wireless charging and easy-to-attach magnetic accessories, more durable glass, camera improvements, and more. iPhone 12 Pro models also feature a LiDAR Scanner for enhanced augmented reality.
Apple's Beats brand today is introducing Beats Flex wireless earphones, which add some upgrades to the previous BeatsX earphones yet come with a much lower $49.99 price tag. The new price makes them the cheapest way to get into Apple's wireless earphone ecosystem, which is especially important now that Apple is no longer including earphones in the box with its iPhones.
As with BeatsX, the new Beats Flex earphones are wireless Bluetooth earphones with a cord between the two earpieces that drapes around the neck and provides access to some physical controls. Beats Flex will be available in four colors, with Beats Black and Yuzu Yellow available for pre-order today ahead of an October 21 launch and Smoke Gray and Flame Blue coming in early 2021.
Beats Flex employs a proprietary layered driver with dual-chamber acoustics to achieve rich, balanced sound with outstanding stereo separation. Laser cut micro-venting and an optimized driver angle ensure ear pressure relief and accurate sound delivery. Additionally, an advanced digital processor fine-tunes the audio for accurate bass, precise mids, and low distortion across the frequency curve.
On the design side, Beats Flex feature a lightweight and comfortable Flex-Form cable made of durable Nitinol to connect the earpieces, and as with the previous BeatsX, the Beats Flex earpieces magnetically click together to keep them secure around your neck when not in use. Overall, Beats Flex are 8% lighter than BeatsX.
Beats Flex also have automatic play/pause support, starting up playback when they are inserted in your ears and stopping playback when they are attached around your neck. Four sizes of eartips offer a personalized fit.
As with the previous BeatsX, Beats Flex include Apple's W1 chip that supports quick pairing with iOS devices, iCloud syncing for seamless switching between devices, Audio Sharing to allow two sets of compatible Beats or AirPods earphones to listen to connect to the same device, and more.
On-device controls on the cable of the Beats Flex offer a built-in microphone with wind noise reduction and voice clarity optimization, as well as controls for adjusting volume, controlling playback, taking phone calls, and accessing Siri.
Beats Flex offer up to 12 hours of listening time on a single charge, and they recharge using USB-C to help provide maximum compatibility for Apple and Android users. A 10-minute Fast Fuel charge when the battery level is low will provide up to 1.5 hours of playback.
As expected, the entire iPhone 12 lineup ships without EarPods or a power adapter in the box, with only a Lightning to USB-C charging cable included. Apple touted the environmental benefits of no longer bundling these accessories, noting that the move reduces carbon emissions and avoids the mining and use of rare-earth elements.
With these accessories removed, iPhone 12 models ship in a thinner box, as seen below.
"As part of our efforts to reach our environmental goals, iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini do not include a power adapter or EarPods," reads Apple's website, with a similar message shown for the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. "Please use your current Apple power adapter and headphones, or purchase these accessories separately."
Last month, the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE launched without chargers in the box, so it is no surprise that iPhones have followed suit. Starting today, the iPhone SE, iPhone 11, and iPhone XR also ship without EarPods or a charger in the box. In contrast, iPads are still bundled with power adapters in the box for now.
Apple today introduced the iPhone 12 mini with a 5.4-inch edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR display, a new flat-edge design with new colors, 5G support, a faster A14 Bionic chip, an improved dual-lens rear camera system, and more.
6.1-inch iPhone 12 on left and 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini on right
Equipped with an edge-to-edge display with a notch for Face ID, the iPhone 12 mini is a smaller device than the 4.7-inch iPhone 8, despite having a larger 5.4-inch display.
First introduced in the new iPad Air last month, the A14 Bionic chip is the fastest smartphone chip ever, and the first to be built on a 5-nanometer process. Apple says the six-core CPU in the A14 chip is up to 50 percent faster than any other smartphone chip. And for machine learning, the Neural Engine in the A14 chip is up to 80 percent faster than in the A13 chip.
iPhone 12 models feature a new "Ceramic Shield" front cover for improved durability, with Apple advertising 4x improved drop test performance compared to the previous-generation iPhone. Apple says the devices feature "tougher" glass than any other smartphone.
Equipped with a dual-lens rear camera system, the iPhone 12 mini's 12-megapixel Wide camera lens has an ƒ/1.6 aperture, the fastest yet on an iPhone. Apple says this lens provides 27 percent more light improved low-light photos and videos. The other lens is a 12-megapixel Ultra-Wide lens with a ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view.
On the back of the iPhone 12 models is a new magnet-based MagSafe system that allows for precise wireless charging and easy-to-attach accessories from Apple, like a leather wallet for the Apple Card, which will be available to order starting Friday.
iPhone 12 mini will be available in five aluminum finishes, including blue, green, black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED. Pre-orders begin Friday, November 6 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, with shipments and in-store availability beginning one week later on Friday, November 13. Pricing starts at $699 with AT&T or Verizon activation, or $729 otherwise.
Apple today unveiled the new 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max at its pre-recorded "Hi, Speed" digital event.
The new Pro variants feature 5G, OLED Super Retina XDR displays with a hardened Ceramic Shield covering, and a new flat-edged design with a stainless steel band that's similar to the frame of Apple's iPad Pro.
The Super Retina XDR displays feature reduced borders and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 2,778 x 1,284 pixels, 1,200 nits peak brightness, and 458 ppl. iPhone 12 Pro Max offers the largest display ever on an iPhone and the highest resolution, featuring nearly 3.5 million pixels.
Both devices include Apple's new 5-nanometer A14 Bionic processor and come with triple-lens cameras with advanced photography features, including an Ultra wide 12MP camera with f/1.6 aperture, and a 7-element lens.
The iPhone 12 Pro has a 52mm telephoto camera, bringing the optical zoom range to 4x, while the Pro Max model has a 65mm focal length telephoto lens for closer shots, tighter crops, and a 5x optical zoom range. The camera on the Pro Max also has a 47 percent larger sensor, with 1.7μm pixels for an 87 percent improvement in low-light conditions, and an "expansive" Ultra Wide camera.
Apple says there are improvements to Night mode, which has been expanded to the TrueDepth and Ultra Wide cameras, allowing for an even brighter picture. A new Night mode Time-Lapse option delivers longer exposure times for sharper videos, better light trails, and smoother exposure in low-light scenarios when used with a tripod. Deep Fusion also comes to all cameras and is better and faster than before, and with the new Smart HDR 3, users can expect more true-to-life images, even in complex scenes.
The cameras are capable of recording video in 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR in 4K resolution at 60 fps, with live preview of HDR content. There's also a LiDAR Scanner for enhancing augmented reality applications and providing faster autofocus for photos and videos, with focus time in low-light scenes improved sixfold.
Both models in the U.S. support millimeter wave, the higher frequency version of 5G, allowing iPhone 12 Pro models to reach speeds up to 4Gbps, even in densely populated areas. iPhone 12 Pro models also feature Smart Data mode, which extends battery life by intelligently assessing 5G needs and balancing data usage, speed, and power in real time.
The Ceramic Shield front cover is infused with nano-ceramic crystals to improve toughness and increase drop performance by 4x. Both models are water and dust resistant to IP68, can survive water submersion to 6 meters for 30 minutes, and are protected against everyday spills, including coffee and soda. They also support Apple's new MagSafe wireless chargers and iPhone cases, as well as accessories like the magnetic card wallet.
"This is a huge leap for iPhone, bringing the best 5G experience in the market and delivering our most advanced technologies to users who want the absolute most from their iPhone," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Each generation of iPhone has changed what we expect from a smartphone, and now with 5G, iPhone 12 Pro provides a new generation of performance. Our tight integration of hardware and software enables incredible computational photography features like the expansion of Night mode to more cameras, and introduces support for HDR video with Dolby Vision. A state-of-the-art LiDAR Scanner means users can experience AR like never before, and also offers benefits to the camera with faster autofocus in low light and the introduction of Night mode portraits. These experiences and so much more make this the best iPhone lineup ever."
Both models are available in Pacific Blue, Graphite, Gold, and Silver. The iPhone 12 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 12 Pro Max starts at $1099, with both featuring a 128GB starting capacity, going up to 256GB/512GB.
The iPhone 12 Pro will be available to preorder at 5 a.m. PDT on Friday, October 16, and will be available Friday, October 23, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available for preorder at 5 a.m. PST on November 6, with shipping commencing on Friday, November 13.
The above dates apply for customers in Australia, China, Germany, Japan, the UK, the US, and more than 30 other countries and regions. iPhone 12 Pro will be available in India, South Korea, and more than a dozen other countries beginning Friday, October 30.
Apple today announced that the iPhone 12 family is gaining support for MagSafe, which will offer high-powered wireless charging as well as a new ecosystem of accessories that attach to the iPhone 12. Previously, MagSafe was Apple's brand for the MacBook's breakaway charging cables.
The company said that MagSafe will improve the charging experience on iPhone 12, with magnets that are optimized for alignment and efficiency, and support 15W of charging. iPhone 12 will still support existing Qi charging mats.
On the accessory side of things, there will be a new ecosystem of magnetic cases that snap on and off of the iPhone 12. For cases, this includes new silicone, leather, and clear cases that easily snap onto the back of the iPhone. There's also a separate leather wallet accessory.
In regards to chargers, there's a MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger that accommodates both the iPhone 12 and Apple Watch. Apple confirmed that more third-party MagSafe accessories will launch later this year as well.
Apple today introduced the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 with a flat-edged design, 5G support, a faster A14 Bionic chip, a dual-lens rear camera system, and more. Pricing starts at $799 with activation on AT&T or Verizon, or $829 otherwise.
First introduced in the new iPad Air last month, the A14 Bionic chip is the fastest smartphone chip ever, and the first to be built on a 5-nanometer process. Apple says the six-core CPU in the A14 chip is up to 50 percent faster than any other smartphone chip. And for machine learning, the Neural Engine in the A14 chip is up to 80 percent faster than in the A13 chip.
iPhone 12 models feature a new "Ceramic Shield" front cover for improved durability, with Apple advertising 4x improved drop test performance compared to the previous-generation iPhone. Apple says the devices feature "tougher" glass than any other smartphone.
On the back of the iPhone 12 models is a new magnet-based MagSafe system that allows for precise wireless charging and easy-to-attach accessories from Apple, like a leather wallet for the Apple Card, which will be available to order starting Friday.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro pre-orders begin Friday, October 16 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, with shipments starting Friday, October 23. The smaller 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini and larger 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max are launching later, with pre-orders beginning Friday, November 6 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time and shipments starting Friday, November 13.
The device is the first addition to the HomePod product lineup since the launch of the original HomePod, and is much smaller at just 3.3-inches tall, as opposed to the original's 6.8-inches, and looks substantially different with a new spherical design. Following in the footsteps of the original device, the HomePod mini offers Siri, smart home capabilities, and high-quality audio.
The HomePod mini is powered by the S5 processor, which is also used in the Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch SE, to deliver "Computational audio." It sports a full-range dynamic driver, two passive radiators for bass response, and an acoustic waveguide to offer 360-degree sound. HomePod mini uses complex tuning models to optimize loudness and dynamic range. A three-microphone array listens for "Hey Siri," and a fourth inward-facing microphone helps isolate sound coming from the speaker to improve voice detection when music is playing.
The device features a backlit touch surface with controls for volume, play, and pause, and it glows when Siri is invoked. Multiple HomePod mini speakers work together to stream music or podcasts to multiple rooms in sync. By placing two HomePod mini speakers in a single room, a stereo pair can be created for a wider soundstage.
HomePod mini works with Apple Music, podcasts, radio stations from iHeartRadio, radio.com, and TuneIn, and in the coming months, popular music services including Pandora and Amazon Music.
Later this year, HomePod mini will offer a new handoff experience that understands when a user's iPhone is nearby to give visual, audio, and haptic effects. Moreover, a new "Intercom" feature can send messages from one HomePod to another within a home, as well as other devices such as iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and even CarPlay-enabled vehicles.
HomePod mini is priced at $99 and is available in both White and Space Gray. Pre-orders begin on November 6, and deliveries begin on November 16.
Apple's virtual "Hi, Speed" event kicked off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, with Apple expected to debut four new models as part of its iPhone 12 lineup, as well as a new HomePod mini.
Apple did announce several items at today's event:
Apple provided a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across its platforms.
We've provided a summary video of the event which covers all the announcements in 7 minutes:
Sign up for our newsletter to keep up with Apple news and rumors.
Live blog transcript ahead...
9:10 am: The event kicks off in just 50 minutes, so start thinking about getting your snacks and drinks ready and get settled in for all of the festivities.
9:41 am: With 20 minutes remaining until the show begins, more than 180,000 people are waiting for the event to begin on YouTube alone.
9:57 am: With less than five minutes to go, nearly half a million people are ready to watch on YouTube.
10:00 am: We're beginning with artistic video of Apple Park at sunrise.
10:01 am: "It's a good day for dreaming." We zoom in on Tim Cook in black long-sleeve shirt from the Steve Jobs theater.
10:01 am: Reiterating the items launched last month.
10:01 am: "An exciting new product for the home we know you're going to love."
10:02 am: "Must provide a truly great experience."
10:02 am: Three key attributes:
Must be easy to use from initial setup to the way you interact with it every day.
Design our products to work better together.
Design them to be secure and protect your privacy. You should be in control of how your personal data is used.
10:03 am: We did all these things when we built HomePod. Newest addition to HomePod family...
10:03 am: It... looks like the leak!
10:03 am: This is HomePod Mini!
10:04 am: Bob Borchers is now in a house showing off HomePod Mini.
10:04 am: Backlit touch surface with controls for volume, play/pause and glows when Siri is invoked.
10:04 am: Amazing sound, intelligent assistant, smart home, and privacy and security.
10:05 am: Now going to Dave Wilkes Jr. to break down the device.
10:05 am: Full-range dynamic driver and two passive radiators for bass response. Acoustic waveguide to send 360-degree sound.
10:05 am: Apple S5 chip on-board. "Computational audio."
10:05 am: Complex tuning models to optimize loudness and dynamic range.
10:06 am: Not just about breakthrough audio quality, but syncing multiple HomePod Mini speakers around the house. Place two in the same room and they'll intelligently become a stereo pair.
10:07 am: Later this year, there's a new handoff experience that's magical. HomePod Mini will understand when your iPhone is nearby. You'll get visual, auto and haptic effects so it feels like your devices are physically connected. Listen to Apple Music, Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Radio.com, TuneIn, Pandora and Amazon.
10:08 am: Siri keeps getting better. In the past three years, speech recognition is twice as accurate. Siri and HomePod Mini do everything you'd expect from a smart speaker.
10:08 am: "Hey Siri, what's my update?" Gives info from calendar, weather, reminders, etc.
10:09 am: Can recognize voices of each member of the household.
10:09 am: Can send suggestions from HomePod to CarPlay automatically.
10:10 am: New "Intercom" feature to send messages from one HomePod to another.
10:11 am: Can broadcast audio messages through the house, and through iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and CarPlay.
10:12 am: Reiterating privacy, noting that you can opt out of Apple storing recordings.
10:12 am: White and Space Grey, available for $99. Order November 6, shipping November 16.
10:13 am: Now back to Tim to talk about iPhone.
10:13 am: iPhone has led the industry in customer satisfaction every year since it was introduced.
10:14 am: The next-generation of iPhone is here. Today is the beginning of a new era for iPhone. "We're bringing 5G to iPhone."
10:15 am: Touting the advantages of 5G, including super fast, more advanced, and advantages of privacy and security because you won't need to connect to public hotspots.
10:15 am: "5G is the most exciting step yet."
10:15 am: What you may not know about is the incredible collaboration between Apple and our carrier partners around the world.
10:16 am: Chairman and CEO of Verizon, Hans Vestberg, on stage.
10:17 am: "Our 5G network gives double the peak download speeds, over 4.0Gbps in ideal conditions, and will go even higher over time." 200Mbps upload speeds in ideal conditions.
10:17 am: Building it to remove bottlenecks in crowded places.
10:17 am: "One day, we'll be safely back in those places." Doubling 5G-enabled stadiums, venues, airports, train stations, etc.
10:19 am: In addition to 5G Ultra Wideband network, extensive 5G network — turning on 5G nationwide network across 1800 cities and towns. 200 million people. 5G nationwide plus 5G Ultra Wideband.
10:19 am: "We can finally say '5G just got real.'"
10:20 am: Been a while since we've seen a carrier CEO on stage.
10:20 am: 5G coming to entire lineup of new iPhone models today.
10:20 am: Introducing iPhone 12.
10:21 am: Smooth, flat edges with aluminum frame and glass.
10:21 am: iPhone rearchitected to fit technologies in smaller form factors. All-new antennas around the aluminum frame. Five colors, black, white, product red, green, blue.
10:22 am: 6.1-inch display, but smaller borders so smaller iPhone. 11% thinner, 15% smaller in volume, and 16% lighter.
10:22 am: Super Retina XDR display.
10:22 am: 2x pixels. 2532x1170
10:23 am: HDR formats supported, too. Cover glass from Corning, on new cutting-edge material: Ceramic Shield. "Goes beyond glass" by adding high-temperature crystallization step.
10:24 am: Tough and optically clear.
10:24 am: Tougher than any smartphone glass.
10:24 am: 4x better drop performance.
10:24 am: Biggest jump in reliability we've ever had on iPhone.
10:25 am: Now we're in an anechoic chamber.
10:25 am: Custom 5G antennas and radio components.
10:25 am: Including the most 5G bands of any smartphone.
10:25 am: Silicon to software to take advantage of 5G. Optimized iOS frameworks to apps can get the benefit of 5G without using more power.
10:26 am: Smart Data Mode — when your iPhone doesn't need 5G speeds, it drops to LTE to save battery. But instantly launches 5G when necessary.
10:27 am: Collaborated with carrier partners to improve call quality, speeds, etc. Up to 3.5 Gbps in ideal conditions in testing. Speeds will vary by carrier and region.
In US, iPhone 12 supports mmWave, including Verizon's Ultra Wideband network.
10:27 am: 4.0 Gbps in ideal conditions and 1Gbps in typical conditions on Verizon.
10:27 am: Now diving into the chip. A14 Bionic launched last month on the iPad.
10:28 am: A14 Bionic built on 5nm process technology - first smartphone to use 5nm.
10:28 am: 11.8 billion transistors, up 40% from A13 Bionic.
10:29 am: 6-core CPU, fastest in any smartphone. 50% faster.
4-core GPU. Fastest in any smartphone. 50% faster than any other smartphone chip. There's a trend here.
10:30 am: Neural engine to 16 cores, and 80% faster than before. 11 trillion operations per second. Machine Learning accelerators are 70% faster.
10:30 am: "Console-quality games."
10:30 am: Later this year, one of the best games of all-time is coming to iPhone.
10:30 am: League of Legends.
10:31 am: League of Legends is the world's most popular PC game, but it's coming to iOS as League of Legends Wild Rift.
10:32 am: Dual-camera system with ultra wide 12MP camera, plus new 12MP wide camera with f/1.6 aperture.
10:33 am: First seven-element lens. 27% improvement in low-light performance.
10:34 am: Using machine learning and smart HDR via computational photography. Night mode gets better, thanks to faster aperture and night mode expanded to ultra-wide and front-camera.
10:34 am: Adding Night mode time-lapse when using a tripod.
10:36 am: We love wireless charging but we want to improve the experience.
10:36 am: With iPhone 12, we're making this so much better.
10:36 am: Showing off magnetic cases and other options... "MagSafe for iPhone"
10:36 am: Starts by improving the wireless charging experience.
10:37 am: Has magnets optimized for alignment and efficiency. 15W of charging.
10:38 am: Can recognize and provide a better experience for accessories. New ecosystem of magnetic cases to snap on and off the phone. Can use MagSafe charger on top of accessories. MagSafe wallet that snaps on top of the phone. MagSafe Duo Charger for iPhone and Apple Watch.
10:38 am: Belkin is working on new accessories including car mount and multi-charger dock.
10:39 am: Big environmental news for iPhone. Apple is carbon neutral for global operations. Offices, data centers, retail stores. By 2030, Apple wants to have net zero climate impact including manufacturing supply chain and product life cycles.
10:39 am: 100% recycled rare earth elements in the magnets, in camera, haptics, and MagSafe.
10:40 am: Customers already have 700 million Lightning headphones, and many customers have moved to wireless experience. 2 billion Apple power adapters out in the world, plus billions of third-party adapters. Removing these items from the iPhone box.
10:40 am: Smaller, lighter iPhone box, too. 70% more products on a shipping pallet.
10:40 am: Should cut 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually. Like removing 450,000 cars from the road per year.
10:41 am: USB-C to Lightning cable in the box.
10:42 am: iPhone 12 Mini!
10:42 am: Smaller and lighter than 4.7" model like iPhone 8, but with 5.4-inch edge-to-edge display.
10:42 am: Same features as iPhone 12, only difference is screen size. Smallest, thinnest, lightest 5G phone in the world.
10:44 am: iPhone 12 mini starts at $699 and $799 for iPhone 12.
10:45 am: Verizon, trade in iPhone 10 or newer and get iPhone 12 for $15/mo for 24 months, or iPhone 12 mini for $12/mo for 24 months.
10:46 am: Now iPhone 12 Pro.
10:46 am: Similar design but with three-camera setup.
10:47 am: Premium materials, including stainless steel band and precision-milled back glass. Silver, graphite, gold, Pacific Blue.
10:47 am: Ceramic Shield, water and dust resistant to IP68. Water submersion to 6 meters for 30 minutes.
10:48 am: 5.8-inch to 6.1-inch display. iPhone 12 Pro Max goes from 6.5-inch to 6.7-inch. Form factor is nearly identical even with larger display.
10:48 am: 2778x1284 on the big phone.
10:49 am: Pro performance, promoting computational photography up front. Deep Fusion, using all compute engines of A14.
10:49 am: Deep Fusion coming to all four cameras, including front-facing camera.
10:50 am: Pro camera system that is unlike any other device. Ultra wide 12MP camera, wide 12MP with f/1.6 aperture and 7-element lens, and 52mm telephoto camera.
10:51 am: Brand-new telephoto camera with 65mm focal length. Optical zoom in 2.5x.
10:51 am: New wide sensor, 47% larger with 1.7 micron pixels.
10:51 am: 87% improvement in low light.
10:52 am: New system for optical image stabilization. Sensor-shift approach. Stabilizes the sensor rather than the lens.
10:52 am: Stabilized exposure times of up to two-seconds in handheld shots.
10:53 am: New feature that gives control of shooting in RAW with the power of our computational photography. Apple ProRAW. Coming in iPhone Camera app for iPhone 12 Pro later this year.
10:54 am: New pipeline that takes components of the processing in CPU/GPU/ISP/Neutral Engine and combines that into a new image file.
10:54 am: Full creative control over color, detail and dynamic range.
10:55 am: Can edit Apple ProRAW in Photos app or other professional editing apps. API for third-party apps to capture images is coming as well.
10:57 am: HDR video recording is coming to iPhone. Record in 10-bit HDR, 700 million colors or 60x more colors than before. Live preview of HDR content. First camera to record in Dolby Vision HDR. Grading each frame in Dolby Vision live while recording. 4k60fps
10:57 am: iPhone 12 Pro can edit direct in Dolby Vision.
10:58 am: Showing a film with a professional cinematographer talking about how the "next great film director is already making movies" with an iPhone.
10:59 am: Adding LiDAR scanner to the iPhone 12 Pro.
10:59 am: Builds a precise depth map of a scene.
11:00 am: Instant AR and "endless opportunities" within apps.
11:00 am: LiDAR can be used for autofocus in low-light scenes.
11:00 am: Faster autofocus for photos and videos. Focus time in low-light scenes improved 6x.
11:01 am: Talking up 5G to download diagnostic scans for on-call doctors.
11:03 am: Showing a movie about the iPhone 12 Pro.
11:05 am: Keeping the price the same. iPhone 12 Pro starts at $999. Doubling starting capacity to 128GB — 256/512GB. Pro Max starts at $1099.
11:06 am: iPhone 12 and Pro available for preorder Friday October 16, and available October 23. Pro Max available for preorder November 6, shipping November 13.
11:06 am: "What an amazing day!" says Tim.
11:07 am: "This marks the start of a new era for iPhone."
11:08 am: "Thank you for joining us. Stay safe, and have a great day."
Last month, the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE launched without chargers in the box, so it would be natural for iPhones to follow suit. This briefly excluded higher-end Edition and Hermès versions of the Apple Watch Series 6, but those models now ship without chargers too. iPads continue to be bundled with a power adapter in the box.
Apple is set to host an event later today, where it is widely expected to unveil four new iPhone models, including the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini, 6.1-inch iPhone 12, 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. All four devices are expected to feature 5G support, OLED displays, and a new flat-edged design like the iPad Pro.
Apple's event begins at 10 a.m. Pacific Time today — here's how to watch. Follow along with MacRumors for live coverage of the announcements.
Update 9:01 a.m.: In a follow-up Tweet, Gurman says EarPods will also be removed from all iPhone models in Apple's lineup and that the USB-A to Lightning cable will become a USB-C to Lightning cable. As a result, boxes for current phones like the iPhone SE that will continue to be sold alongside the iPhone 12 lineup will "shrink considerably."
After it was reported last week that Apple's T2 Security Chip could be vulnerable to jailbreaking, the team behind the exploit have released an extensive report and demonstration.
Apple's custom-silicon T2 co-processor is present in newer Macs and handles encrypted storage and secure boot capabilities, as well as several other controller features. It appears that since the chip is based on an Apple A10 processor, it is vulnerable to the same "checkm8" exploit that has been used to jailbreak iOS devices.
The vulnerability allows for the hijacking of the T2's boot process to gain access to the hardware. Normally the T2 chip exits with a fatal error if it is in Device Firmware Update (DFU) mode and it detects a decryption call, but by using another vulnerability developed by team Pangu, it is possible for a hacker to circumvent this check and gain access to the T2 chip.
Once access is gained, the hacker has full root access and kernel execution privileges, although they cannot directly decrypt files stored using FileVault 2 encryption. However, because the T2 chip manages keyboard access, the hacker could inject a keylogger and steal the password used for decryption. It can also bypass the remote Activation Lock used by services such as MDM and Find My. A firmware password does not prevent this since it too requires keyboard access, which requires the T2 chip to run first.
The exploit can be achieved without user interaction and simply requires a modified USB-C cable to be inserted. By creating a specialized device "about the size of a power charger," an attacker can place a T2 chip into DFU mode, run the "checkra1n" exploit, upload a key logger, and capture all keys. macOS can be left unaltered by the jailbreak, but all keys can still be logged on Mac laptops. This is because MacBook keyboards are directly connected to the T2 and passed through to macOS.
A practical demonstration shows checkra1n being run over USB-C from a host device. The targeted Mac simply displays a black screen while the connected computer confirms that the exploit was successful.
These cables function by allowing access to special debug pins within a USB-C port for the CPU and other chips that are usually only used by Apple.
Apple has not fixed the security flaw and it appears to be unpatchable. For security purposes, the T2's SepOS custom operating system is stored directly in the chip's SEPROM, but this also prevents the exploit from being patched by Apple via a software update.
In the meantime, users can protect themselves from the exploit by keeping their Macs physically secure and avoiding the insertion of untrusted USB-C cables and devices.
