MacRumors

Apple is planning to hold multiple product events in September, rather than its strategy from last year to break up its fall product launches into three separate events split across September, October, and November, according to sources who spoke to DigiTimes.

In a new paywalled report today, the publication states that Apple will "host a series of product launch conferences in September," with a highlight of one of the events being the ninth generation baseline iPad.

Apple has multiple new products in store for release this fall, ranging from the iPhone 13, Apple Watch Series 7, third-generation AirPods, an updated iPad mini, a new baseline iPad, and of course, the highly anticipated redesigned 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros.

Last fall, Apple released a similar lineup of products, and due to the global health crisis, all of the company's events since have been digitally rather than in-person. The digital form of the events has allowed Apple to more carefully plan out the releases of its products, given in-person events are more expensive and challenging to plan.

Apple's first fall event in 2020 was on September 15, where Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch Series SE, the eighth generation ‌iPad‌, and the redesigned iPad Air. Rumors at the time were conflicted on whether the flagship iPhones, which have historically been released in September, would be announced at the event.

Apple decided to instead dedicate its entire September event to the Apple Watch, its impact on users' health, and the ‌iPad‌. The ‌iPhone‌ 12 series, alongside the HomePod mini, were announced at the company's second event less than a month later, on October 13. Less than a month following that event, Apple held its Apple silicon-focused event on November 10.

The scenario ‌DigiTimes‌ is reporting, where Apple will hold multiple events in a single month is not entirely impossible, but may be unlikely. By having multiple events spread out across various months, Apple is better equipped to ensure that every new device gets highlighted thoroughly and adequately.

Alternatively, Apple may be taking into consideration the back-to-school season, where the majority of students will return to either digital or in-person learning in September. Some upcoming products, such as the baseline ‌iPad‌, updated ‌iPad mini‌, and the redesigned MacBook Pros, may be popular with students, and Apple may feel it wants to target some of its new products to students going back to school.

Additionally, today's report from ‌DigiTimes‌ lines up with a previous report by the publication, stating the redesigned 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros would be released in September. The laptops just recently entered mass production.

While not explicitly stating the timeframe of Apple's events this fall, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has reported that Apple will not release all of its new products in a single event but instead split them into multiple online events.

In a long and extensive interview with the Australian Financial Review, Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed many topics, from Apple's core values on privacy, the importance of user trust, his morning routine, App Store regulation, and more.

The interview, conducted in July, is in celebration of the Financial Review's 70th anniversary. Cook begins the interview by sharing his morning routine, noting he likes to read emails from customers as it helps him keep a "pulse on what customers are feeling."

Tim Cook likes to begin his days early; he's at his desk by 4am. "I do that because I can control the morning better than the evening and through the day. Things happen through the day that kind of blow you off course," he tells The Australian Financial Review. "The morning is yours. Or should I say, the early morning is yours."

The morning routine of the man at the helm of the world's most valuable company? Reading emails from customers. Cook estimates he gets through hundreds a day. "I cannot read all of them, no. I'd not admit to doing that. But I read an extraordinary number of them. It keeps my hands on the pulse of what customers are feeling and thinking and doing"

Speaking about the Apple Watch, which since its introduction in 2015 has gained new health monitoring and tracking capabilities, Cook said emails from customers on how the device has changed, or in many cases saved their life, "really mean something" to Apple. Cook notes that his company wants to create products that "enrich people's lives, and there's no better example of that than saving someone's."

Talking about artificial intelligence, Cook notes that Apple already utilizes AI in features on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch but believes that AI is just getting started in terms of on its impact on our lives. Cook also commented on augmented reality, calling it a way to "amplify the value of technology with people, without enclosing or shutting off the real world."

He's excited about artificial intelligence, which is already "all over the current iPhone, iPad and the watch et cetera" but "we're only at the early stages of what can be done". AI will take away some of the mundane things we do every day, he says, and free up our time so we can do more of what we love."

He goes on: “I'm a huge believer in augmented reality. It can enhance our conversations that we're having, and enhance learning and really amplify the value of technology with people, without it enclosing or shutting off the real world.”

Apple is widely rumored to be working on augmented reality glasses, and the company has stepped up its efforts in recent years on building outs its AR platform. Learn more about Apple's future augmented reality plans using our comprehensive guide.

With the emergence of AI and AR becoming more mainstream in the future, Cook spoke to concerns over how technology can be utilized for harm rather than to benefit people's lives. Cook said he believes that technology's impact on society is not based on the technology itself but on how its creators and users take advantage of it.

"Technology doesn't want to be good. It doesn’t want to be bad, it's neutral," Cook says when asked about the potential downsides from tech as we move towards the middle of this century. "And so it's in the hands of the inventor and the user as to whether it's used for good, or not used for good. And it depends on creativity. It depends on empathy. It depends on the passion of the people behind the technology. At Apple, when we make something, we make sure that we spend an enormous amount of time thinking carefully about how it will be used."

As is customary for any ‌Tim Cook‌ interview, the executive also touched on privacy and its role as a core value for Apple. It's worth mentioning that the interview was conducted in July, before Apple announced its controversial plans to scan ‌iPhone‌ users' photo libraries for CSAM or child sexual abuse material. As such, Cook's privacy and user trust comments during the interview don't address those plans.

Referencing Screen Time, a built-in feature of iOS and macOS that provides users with tools to monitor the amount of time they're spending on their device, Cook said that it was an important feature to launch, pointing out the potential risks of technology losing touch with people's lives.

Cook went on to discuss privacy as a whole, noting that the topic has become more mainstream over the last few years. Cook said that he believes people's trust in some ways has been taken advantage of and that steps need to be taken to rebuild that trust.

Does he think people's trust has been taken advantage of?

"In some cases the answer is undeniably yes. And I think it's incumbent on all of us to rebuild that trust."

"I think what's happened is that there are many more people today that view privacy as a mainstream issue," he tells the Financial Review. "Ten years ago, privacy was a niche issue. Today it's one of the primary issues in people’s minds because people know that the web has become this surveillance tool in all too many cases, and that the building of detailed profiles on people has gone well beyond any kind of reasonable thing."

In several countries, including Australia, Apple is under investigation for alleged monopolistic practices and behavior that could be considered anti-competitive. Probes, still ongoing in many cases, are likely pointing to increased regulation that would Apple and how it operates the ‌App Store‌.

Cook spoke about regulation and said it needs first to be determined where regulation is needed and where its specific focus should be. The CEO also pointed out the competition that Apple faces and said that he believes "competition is inherently good."

"Well, I think scrutiny of large companies is fair. And I start from the premise that regulation is necessary in some areas. And so it becomes a matter of determining where it's necessary and where the focus should be...In our model, the user is where the power exists because it's the user who decides when they buy a phone, are they going to buy an iPhone. Are they going to buy any number of Android phones? And so it's a fiercely competitive market. And then the market inside the App Store is also fiercely competitive ...And so there's huge competition in all areas of this.

Cook said that any form of regulation that could be implemented would need to "be justified by being great for the user," drawing the comparison between regulation and product innovations. Cook also touched on the idea of Apple's tight control of the ‌App Store‌, which has become a hot button issue for the company.

Criticism, mainly driven by game developer Epic Games, is that Apple holds a monopoly over the ‌App Store‌ and that it should instead open up its devices to allow users to download apps from platforms outside of its own. Cook said that he believes doing so would be considered a backdoor.

"It's the reality. If you put back doors in a system, anybody can use a back door. And so you have to make sure the system itself is robust and durable; otherwise you can see what happens in the security world. Every day you read about a breach, or you read about a ransomware."

In the remainder of the interview, Cook spoke about his childhood, the late Steve Jobs, and more. ‌Tim Cook‌ is being featured on the cover of the Finical Review's "Platinum 70" magazine for Friday, August 20.

Twitter says it is rolling out a number of changes to the way direct messages work, including the ability to send a direct message to several people in different conversations.

Going forward, Twitter says users will be able to share the same tweet in up to 20 separate direct message conversations, which should ensure "no more (awkward) accidental group chats when you DM a tweet to multiple people."

Twitter says this change is rolling out on iOS and web over the next few weeks, with the changes coming "soon" on Android.

Twitter is also tweaking DM timestamps for iOS users in order to reduce "timestamp clutter." Rather than having each message within a DM conversation stamped with the date and time, Messages will be grouped by day.

In addition, the Twitter iOS app is gaining a couple of user interface tweaks, including a long-press gesture to access the "add reaction" buttons (previously only accessible via a double tap, and a new down-arrow button to return to the most recent message in a DM conversation after scrolling through.

Earlier this month, Twitter added support for Sign in With Apple, allowing new users to create an account using their Apple ID while hiding their true email address from the social network.

Apple has delayed its plan to return employees back to the office until at least January, due to concerns over an increase in COVID-19 cases and the possible emergence of new variants, Bloomberg reports.

Apple had previously planned to return to in-person work by early September, but the company delayed that timeline until October. Now, due to continued concerns, that timeframe has been further pushed back until at least January.

In a memo sent to staff, obtained by Bloomberg, the company's human resource and retail chief, Deirdre O’Brien, said that Apple is not planning to close its offices or retail stores that are currently open, but is encouraging employees to get vaccinated. Unlike other companies, Apple has yet to enforce a requirement for employees to be vaccinated.

The company told staff it would confirm the re-opening timeline one month before employees are required to return to the office. Apple had previously aimed to require all staff to return to corporate offices by early September before delaying that until October. When employees are required to return, they will be expected to work at the office at least three days a week -- Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays -- with remote work on Wednesday and Friday available.

The memo to staff, sent by human resources and retail head Deirdre O'Brien, added that the company does not currently expect to shutter its offices or retail stores. But she strongly encouraged staff to get vaccinated. The company is yet to require vaccinations or testing, though it is upping its testing program to as many as three at-home coronavirus tests per week. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the memo.

Apple's plans to return to the office have received criticism from Apple employees, who claim that the company is being insensitive to staff members who may prefer working remotely. When employees return, Apple plans to have employees in the office at least three days a week, with the remaining days working remotely.

Apple today sent out emails letting Apple Pay users know about its latest promotion, which offers $2 off any footlong sub from Subway when using ‌Apple Pay‌ and the Subway app to make the purchase.

To get the deal, customers will need to use the promo code APPLEPAY when checking out. The $2 discount is available through August 25, and it is applicable in participating U.S. restaurants only. It applies to footlong subs, but PRO and signature wraps are excluded.

The United States Federal Trade Commission today reinforced its antitrust case against Facebook by providing more detail on how the company either crushed or bought out its rivals in an attempt to get rid of competition.

The updated filing is longer than the original complaint and it offers additional evidence in favor of the FTC's argument that Facebook is a monopolist, plus it again asks the judge overseeing the case to force Facebook to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, the two social networking apps that Facebook also operates.

In the complaint, the FTC says that Facebook used an illegal "buy-or-bury" scheme to maintain its dominance in the social networking market after it failed to "develop innovative mobile features" during the transition from desktop to mobile devices. Facebook is also accused of luring developers to its platform, surveilling them for signs of success, and then burying them when they became a threat.

With no "serious competition," the FTC says that Facebook has been able to "hone a surveillance-based advertising model" that causes increasing harm to consumers.

"Facebook lacked the business acumen and technical talent to survive the transition to mobile. After failing to compete with new innovators, Facebook illegally bought or buried them when their popularity became an existential threat," said Holly Vedova, FTC Bureau of Competition Acting Director. "This conduct is no less anticompetitive than if Facebook had bribed emerging app competitors not to compete. The antitrust laws were enacted to prevent precisely this type of illegal activity by monopolists. Facebook's actions have suppressed innovation and product quality improvements. And they have degraded the social network experience, subjecting users to lower levels of privacy and data protections and more intrusive ads. The FTC's action today seeks to put an end to this illegal activity and restore competition for the benefit of Americans and honest businesses alike."

According to the FTC, Facebook was unable to integrate its desktop-based technology to mobile devices, and when it was unable to fairly compete, Facebook executives addressed the threat by buying up new innovators in the space like Instagram and WhatsApp, who had "succeeded where Facebook failed."

Facebook's policies of hindering third-party developers on its Facebook Platform impacted companies like Circle and Path, and also "deprived consumers of promising and disrupting mavericks" that would have been able to force Facebook to make improvements to its own social network.

The FTC says that its amended complaint provides direct evidence that Facebook has the power to control prices, drive competitors out of business, and reduce the quality of the product delivered to consumers without losing a significant number of users.

The FTC originally filed an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook in December 2020, teaming up with 46 states, the District of Columbia, and the territory of Guam to accuse Facebook of maintaining an illegal social networking monopoly.

Major features like SharePlay, Safari updates, Photos changes, and more have received most of the attention when it comes to iOS 15 coverage, but there are some notable new translation-related features that are being introduced in the update.

System-wide translation, Live Text translation, and other new options add useful new functionality to the iPhone. This guide highlights everything that's new with the Translate app and the translation features in iOS 15.

System-Wide Translation

Apple in iOS 14 introduced a new Translate app that can be used to translate conversations from one language to another, and also added translation features to Safari.

In iOS 15, translation capabilities are expanding further and can be used system-wide. You can select any text anywhere in iOS 15 and choose the new "Translate" option to translate it into your preferred language.

Live Text

iOS 15 adds a Live Text feature that lets your ‌iPhone‌ detect text in any image or photo on your device. You can select text in images and it works like any other text on your ‌iPhone‌.

You can copy text, paste text, and use the built-in system-wide translation feature to translate text. So if you're in another country and need to read a sign or a menu in a foreign language, you can snap a quick picture, highlight the text, and choose the translate option to see just what it says.

Live Text can be selected and translated in ‌Photos‌, screenshots, Quick Look, Safari, and even live previews with the Camera app.

Translate App

In addition to the system-wide translation feature, Apple has made several improvements to the dedicated Translate app, which is designed for communicating with someone who speaks another language.

Conversation Updates

The Translate app's conversation feature has been updated to make it easier to get into conversation mode. Just tap on the Conversation tab in landscape or portrait view, which is located at the bottom of the Translate app.

Chat bubbles have been added to the conversation mode so that it's easier to follow along with the chat.

Auto Translate

The Translate app is now able to auto translate speech without the need to tap on the microphone button when in conversation mode.

It automatically detects when you start speaking and when you stop, so the other person can just respond without the need for interacting with the ‌iPhone‌.

• iOS 15: How to Turn on Auto-Translate in the Translate App

Face to Face View

The conversation view has a face to face option so that each person participating in the conversation through the Translate app can see their own side of the chat.

Language Selection Improvements

Apple has made it easier to select languages through drop-down menus.

Guide Feedback

Have questions about the updated Translate app features in iOS 15, know of a feature we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.

Apple supplier Foxconn is making a major push into electric vehicle manufacturing and has long been aiming to get into the vehicle market, according to a new profile of Foxconn's car ambitions that was shared by Nikkei.

"If we can make iPhones, why can't we make EVs?" Foxconn founder and former chairman Terry Gou said in an internal meeting. "It is an iPhone with four wheels."

Foxconn has been pursuing electric vehicles since 2014 when there was an "A-Fu Initiative" to build an electric vehicle prototype. That project ultimately folded because of the complexity of creating a car, but Foxconn is once again building up a vehicle supply chain with plans to get into EV manufacturing.

Gou's successor Young Liu is aiming to have Foxconn designs, components, and mechanical parts or software inside five percent of electric vehicles by 2025, and Foxconn is building factories in the U.S. and Thailand for car assembly.

Apple too is making inroads into car manufacturing with its long running "Project Titan," and though the project has evolved and shifted over the years, rumors suggest that Apple is working on creating a full electric vehicle that could come out by 2028.

Foxconn subsidiaries already supply parts to companies like Tesla and BMW, and Foxconn has signed vehicle supply deals with Fiat and Chrysler owner Stellantis and is working with Geely to develop software platforms and whole vehicles. It is also planning to manufacture vehicles for Fisker.

As Foxconn is already a major Apple supplier, Foxconn could play a key role in Apple's future vehicle plans. According to Nikkei, Foxconn is assumed to be a candidate to produce Apple Cars.

Rumors have suggested that Apple is pursuing manufacturing partners and talking with multiple companies at the current time, though there's no concrete word yet on the companies that Apple will end up working with for the Apple Car.

Apple has temporarily shut down its retail store located in Charleston, South Carolina after more than 20 staff members were exposed to or tested positive for COVID-19, reports Bloomberg.

According to the website for the store, it will be shuttered until Monday, August 23. According to Bloomberg, stores of this size typically have 70 to 80 employees, so around a quarter of the staff may have been exposed.

Apple appears to be suffering from staff shortages at the Charleston store and other retail locations, both because of COVID exposures and the difficult labor market. Stores remain operational at this time, but some have been forced to close earlier and open later because of a lack of staff.

Continuing issues with the delta variant of COVID-19 have impacted Apple's store plans. Apple stopped requiring customers and employees to wear masks back in June, but then reinstated mask mandates at many retail locations in the United States in late July. So far though, Apple has not reinstated widespread store shutdowns.

Apple had also planned to bring back in-person Today at Apple classes on August 30, but has since pushed back those plans because of the prevalence of the delta variant.

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.

With the introduction of iOS 15, Apple rebadged its paid iCloud plans to "‌iCloud‌+" to reflect the fact that subscribers now get access to additional privacy features like Private Relay and Hide My Email. This article explains what Hide My Email is and how to use it.

Hide My Email builds on the idea of Sign in With Apple by providing you with unique, random email addresses that forward to your personal inbox whenever you want to keep your personal email address private.

It's especially useful if you suspect that a business you're transacting with is likely to share your email address with ad agencies or other third-parties for marketing purposes. Using a random email address means you can delete the address at any time, ensuring unsolicited emails don't reach your inbox.

How to Create an Email Address Using Hide My Email

The following steps show you how to create a new dummy email address with Hide My Email, for use in Safari and Mail. Make sure your iOS device is running iOS 15 or later.

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad
2. Tap your Apple ID name at the top of the main settings menu.
3. Tap iCloud.
   
   

4. Tap Hide My Email.
5. Tap Create new address.
   
   

6. Tap Continue, then give your address an identifying label. You can also optionally make a note about it.
   

7. Tap Next, then tap Done.
   

You can now use the random email address when you send emails in Mail, or when you're asked to enter your email address on a website in Safari.

How to Deactivate an Address Using Hide My Email

If you aren't currently using a random address generated by Hide My Email, you can temporarily deactivate it so that you don't receive any forwarded email from it.

1. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌
2. Tap your ‌Apple ID‌ name at the top of the main settings menu.
3. Tap iCloud.
   
   

4. Tap Hide My Email.
5. Tap the email address in the list that you want to deactivate.
6. Tap Deactivate email address.
7. Tap Deactivate to confirm.
   

From now on, you won't receive emails sent to that address anymore. If you want to re-activate the address at any time, you'll find it in an "Inactive addresses" section at the bottom of your active addresses list. Tap the address in question, then tap Reactivate Address. Alternately, you can delete it by selecting Delete Address.

How to Change Your Hide My Email Forwarding Address

You can change the forwarding address for the dummy accounts that Hide My Email randomly generates. Here's how.

1. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌.
2. Tap your ‌Apple ID‌ name at the top of the main settings menu.
3. Tap iCloud.
   
   

4. Tap Hide My Email.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the address list and tap Forward to.
6. Select one of your email addresses, then tap Done.
   

Paid ‌iCloud‌+ plans also include another premium feature called Private Relay, which ensures that all traffic leaving your device is fully encrypted, so that no third party between the website and your device can see the website being viewed. Check out our dedicated how-to for all the details.

Actor Hank Azaria has signed on to play Apple CEO Tim Cook in upcoming Showtime series "Super Pumped," reports Variety. "Super Pumped" is a series set in Silicon Valley that details the rise of ride-sharing company Uber.

Hank Azaria is known for his roles in movies like "Mystery Men," "Godzilla," "The Smurfs," and "America's Sweethearts." He has also starred in TV shows that include "Ray Donovan," "Huff," "Mad About You," and "Brockmire."

"Super Pumped" is planned as an anthology, and the first season will focus on Uber. The show is based on Mike Isaac's "Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber" book that focuses on Uber founder Travis Kalanick and the "roller-coaster ride of the upstart transportation company."

In the series, Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play Travis Kalanick, and Kyle Chandler will play his mentor Bill Gurley.

Nanoleaf today announced the addition of Thread Border Router technology to the Nanoleaf Shapes and Elements Controllers, with the functionality available through a firmware update in the Nanoleaf app.

With the Nanoleaf Border Router, Nanoleaf Essentials devices will be able to connect to the Thread network automatically when the Shapes or Elements Controller is connected to WiFi.

Nanoleaf is also partnering with Eero for similar capabilities. The Eero Pro, Eero Beacon, Eero Pro 6, and Eero 6 will function as Border Routers with the Nanoleaf Essentials line. Eero will expand compatibility with other products in the future.

Nanoleaf is one of the first companies bringing Thread Border Routers to the HomeKit network, making Thread technology available to other Thread-based smart home devices.

Thread technology is designed to improve the smart home networking and usage experience. Thread is a networking protocol designed for smart home products, and it offers improved connectivity, reliability, and range compared to the single connection points of Bluetooth and WiFi. Border Router technology connects a Thread network to another network like WiFi and is essential for the Thread system.

With Thread Border Router functionality built into the Nanoleaf Shapes Controller, Elements Controller, and Eero routers, there is no need for an extra hub because these devices serve as a bridge to connect the WiFi network and the Thread network together.

Apple is researching a MacBook keyboard that features a removable key to be used as a precision mouse, according to a newly published patent application.

The patent application, first spotted by Patently Apple, is titled "Deployable Key Mouse" and was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The filing envisages a standard-looking MacBook scissor-system keyboard that features a hidden removable key. This key would contain a position sensor to be used as a pointing device. Apple describes the system as providing a "comfortable, portable, and precise pointer input for a computer input system."

The filing explains that some precise tasks, such as graphic design, computer-assisted design and modeling, and editing large and complex documents, are better suited to a handheld mouse than a trackpad. Apple acknowledged that carrying a separate mouse with the computer can be a burden and may be "redundant when the computer already has built-in pointing devices."

The removable key is a viable solution to this issue, according to Apple. In some embodiments, the key would be able to work as normal on the keyboard when it is not deployed and feature a small battery.

Apple outlined various mechanical systems to facilitate the removable key, including sliding a single or set of multiple keys out of the housing vertically, as well as sliding a key out from the side of the machine horizontally. The patent's illustrations showed the deployable key located toward the edge of the keyboard so that it would not be a key that sees frequent use.

Patent filings cannot be taken as evidence of Apple's immediate plans, but they do indicate areas of interest for the company and what it is considering developing behind the scenes. While the prospect of a removable key may seem like an outlandish potential MacBook feature, it may be less obtrusive than other unusual features such as the Touch Bar and could appeal to certain pro-users who require maximum portability but could still benefit from occasional precise input.

An email from Steve Jobs surfaced as part of evidence of Apple's ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, has confirmed that in 2010, the company had internal plans of working on an "iPhone nano," a possible miniature version of the ‌iPhone‌ 4.

The email, spotted in a trove of evidence by The Verge, was sent by late Apple CEO Steve Jobs to fellow executives in October of 2010, months after the company had released the ‌iPhone‌ 4. The email consists of several different business plans for 2011, including Jobs wanting Apple to find its identity, its best selling points, and Apple's "Holy War with Google."

One section of the email, labeled "‌iPhone‌ - Joz & Bob," referring to current Apple executive Greg Joswiak and former Apple executive Bob Mansfield, aimed to lay out the roadmap for the ‌iPhone‌. Jobs notes in the email that for 2011, Apple would want to release a "plus" version of the ‌iPhone‌ 4 with improved antennas, a point likely inspired by antennagate, improved performance, camera, and software. Apple did ultimately follow through with that plan with the ‌iPhone‌ 4S.

The last point of the email is perhaps the most interesting, where Jobs lists "‌iPhone‌ nano plan," with a "cost goal" and "show model (and/or renderings) - Jony" sub-bullet points. Rumors were swirling between 2009 and 2011 about Apple planning to release an "‌iPhone‌ nano," which never came to fruition.

In the email, Jobs also listed wanting to create a "low-cost ‌iPhone‌ model based on iPod touch to replace 3GS". However, as The Verge notes, it's unclear if the ‌iPhone‌ nano referenced in the email is that low-cost ‌iPhone‌ Jobs was envisioning or an entirely different device.

Apple, up until 2014, had only offered one sized ‌iPhone‌. With the ‌iPhone‌ 6 in 2014, the company introduced the ‌iPhone‌ 6 Plus, introducing the "Plus" nomenclature into the ‌iPhone‌ for the first time. The company has since drastically altered its ‌iPhone‌ strategy, offering a wide range of ‌iPhone‌ sizes, hoping to target customers who enjoy larger and smaller handsets.

Apple is scaling back its work on a critical internal initiative within its health department, possibly presenting a significant setback to the company's long-term health goals, as well as the departure of multiple staff members, according to a report from Business Insider.

The initiative in question is an internal app used by employees called "HealthHabit" that allowed them to monitor and log a wide range of health metrics, such as fitness goals, management of hypertension, and gain direct access to clinicians in the AC Wellness group, a doctors group that has Apple has partnered with.

According to Business Insider, Apple is "scaling back" HealthHabit, which had a dedicated team of 50 employees working on the app. The report notes that employees who previously worked on the app will be dismissed unless they find another role within the company.

More than 50 employees were spending a significant amount of time working on the app. Some of them will be laid off with severance if they're unable to find other roles inside Apple in the next few weeks, two of the people said. The people requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Their identities are known to Insider.

At its original inception, Apple had hoped that HealthHabit would allow for experimentation of possible new health services. HealthHabit is one project part of Apple Health, a division within Apple that consists of hundreds of engineers, scientists, doctors, designers, and more that oversee Apple's health features, such as the ones inside the Apple Watch.

Despite the cutback on staff and resources, the report notes that HealthHabit may continue internally at a much smaller scale or possibly shut down entirely. A report in June by The Wall Street Journal detailed how Apple has piloted the idea of launching a healthcare service based on a subscription model with "Apple Doctors." That project, spearheaded by Dr. Sumbul Desai of Stanford University, has, however, stalled.

Over the past few years, Apple has continued to build health features into the iPhone and Apple Watch. In the years to come, Apple is looking to expand the capability of the Apple Watch itself by adding new sensors, such as temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood alcohol monitoring.