MacRumors

Irish lawmakers implementing European Union directives are proposing new legislation that would require streaming services, including Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix, to host at least 30 percent European content or face being shut down across the EU.

These clauses of the "General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill" come in response to the overwhelming amount of U.S.-centric content on video streaming services. The law, if ratified, will require all streaming services to feature at least 30 percent content that may be classified as "European Work." A new Irish Media Commission would oversee the administration of the law for the entire EU and determine if streamers are meeting their obligations.

The proposal, and its potential threat to ‌Apple TV‌+ in particular, was highlighted by journalist Adrian Weckler on Twitter, who pointed out that the Irish Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media Catherine Martin has specifically taken aim at ‌Apple TV‌+:

Other video streaming services, such as Netflix, produce a more balanced library of content in Europe, and would therefore find it much easier to meet the required quota. Out of the 42 movies and series on ‌Apple TV‌+, there has only been one European show thus far, British comedy "Trying." Apple would need to add 17 more European programs simply to meet the required quota, without adding any further non-European shows.

Curiously, the Q&A published alongside the proposed legislation states that "European Work" is broader than strictly EU content, which may afford streamers some flexibility. This means that video content produced in the United Kingdom, for example, which has now left the EU, would still be counted as "European Work." Trying was a British ‌Apple TV‌+ series produced by BBC Studios, so it would still be eligible towards Apple's "European Work" quota.

In spite of this, the vast majority of upcoming content for Apple TV+ continues to be U.S.-centric. If implemented, the legislation will force Apple to heavily invest in European content for ‌Apple TV‌+ or pull the service out of the EU entirely.

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.

Last-minute holiday shopping is in full swing as we enter the final few weeks before Christmas. For our readers, we have a collection of exclusive discounts that will remain ongoing through December 25, with a few exceptions. These sales offer the perfect chance to do some online Christmas shopping before it's too late for items to arrive before the 25th.

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

These sales largely focus on accessories for Apple products, including those from Mophie, Nomad, Nimble, Anker, Mujjo, Twelve South, and Pad & Quill. On these websites, you can shop for iPhone cases, MacBook sleeves, Apple Watch bands, screen protectors, leather bags, and much more. We also have an exclusive software sale this year, thanks to a fresh offer from 1Password.

Each sale has a different end date, and shipping will vary from site-to-site, so be sure to read on for more information. Most brands are still offering delivery for Christmas, as long as you place orders soon.

Pad & Quill

• What's the deal? Save 20 percent sitewide with MR20
• How long does it last? It ends on December 25

At Pad & Quill, our readers have a chance to save on Apple accessories all the way through Christmas day. With our exclusive discount code, you can save 20 percent sitewide on Pad & Quill, giving you a chance to save on accessories for iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and MacBook. To gain access to this sale, enter the code MR20 at checkout.

Nimble

• What's the deal? Save 30 percent sitewide with MACRUMORS30
• How long does it last?It ends on December 25

Eco-friendly brand Nimble is offering our readers 30 percent off sitewide this holiday season with the exclusive promo code MACRUMORS30. With this promotion you can save on Nimble's portable chargers, wireless chargers, iPhone cases, and more.

Nimble's products are made from highly sustainable materials and come inside plastic-free packaging. The company also runs a one-for-one tech recovery project, placing a disposable bag with every product it sells. In these bags, customers can send back their old or unused tech so that it can be recycled responsibly.

In terms of shipping, Nimble offers free two-day shipping and returns, so be sure to browse the retailer's website soon to place your order in enough time before Christmas.

Twelve South

• What's the deal? Save 20 percent off your order with MacRumors20
• How long does it last? It ends on December 25

At Twelve South, you can get 20 percent off your entire order with the promo code MacRumors20. This promo code will last through December 25 for users in the United States.

Twelve South has numerous accessories that are specifically made for Apple products, like AirSnap for AirPods, HiRise Wireless for iPhone, and BookBook Vol. 2 for iPad Pro. You can browse for some holiday shopping ideas of your own on Twelve South's website.

ZAGG

• What's the deal? Save 30 percent on one item with MACRUMORS30
• How long does it last? It ends on December 23

On ZAGG's website, you can get 30 percent off a single item, including from ZAGG itself, Mophie, Braven, InvisibleShield, IFROGZ, gear4, and HALO. This sale covers the gamut of Apple product accessories, including screen protectors, portable batteries, battery cases, charging cables, and more.

To get the discount, head to ZAGG's website, browse for an item, add it to your bag, and when you do you'll notice a pop-up on the right where you can view your bag. Here you can enter the promo code MACRUMORS30 and click apply to see the 30 percent discount taken off the most expensive item in your cart.

1Password

• What's the deal? Get three months of 1Password Families for free
• How long does it last? It ends on December 25

In another deal partnership with popular password storage platform 1Password, this holiday our readers can get three full months of 1Password Families for free. After the promotion period ends, you'll need to pay $4.99/month for the service.

Anker

• What's the deal? Save up to 30 percent on Anker's best power accessories (listed below)
• How long does it last? It ends on December 13

Anker and MacRumors have partnered to offer our readers a few deals on potential stocking stuffers this holiday season. You can get a 2-pack of PowerWave Pad wireless chargers for $19.54, Anker's 6-in-1 USB-C Hub for $31.99, and more.

• 30W Dual USB Car Charger - $12.59 with code MRAK2225, down from $17.99
• PowerWave Pad 2-Pack - $19.54 with code MRANKERB3, down from $22.99
• PowerExpand 6-in-1 USB-C Hub - $31.99 with code MRAKA8365 and on-page coupon, down from $45.99
• PowerExpand 8-in-1 USB-C Hub - $34.99 with code MRAKA8383 and on-page coupon, down from $49.99
• USB-C Power Strip - $34.99 with code MRAK9162, down from $49.99

Nomad

• What's the deal? Save 20 percent off sitewide with MACRUMORS20
• How long does it last? It ends on December 25

Over at Nomad, you can get 20 percent off sitewide with our exclusive sale. This sale is available all the way through December 25.

Nomad offers a variety of high-quality accessories for Apple products, like the Base Station Pro wireless charger, Rugged Folio for iPad Pro, Rugged Case for iPhone 12, Rugged Case for AirPods Pro, and even a variety of straps for the Apple Watch.

Mujjo

• What's the deal? Save 20 percent sitewide with #macrumors
• How long does it last? It ends on December 24

Mujjo is offering our readers an exclusive 20 percent sitewide discount this holiday season, with opportunities to save on iPhone 12 cases, iPad sleeves, MacBook sleeves, and the company's Touchscreen Gloves, which are built to function with any touchscreen smartphone. You'll have until Christmas Eve to shop our exclusive Mujjo sale.

For more of the best Apple-related sales and bargains, head to our full Deals Roundup.

Following the introduction of the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Fitness+, Apple CEO Tim Cook participated in a podcast interview with Outside magazine's Michael Roberts to discuss topics like health, fitness, and the environment.

Asked about the future of the Apple Watch, Cook said Apple is still "in the early innings" with the device, noting that the company is testing "mind blowing" capabilities in its labs, although not everything will see the light of day. "Think about the amount of sensors in your car," said Cook, adding "and arguably, your body is much more important than your car."

Apple has gradually expanded the health features available on the Watch over the years to include heart rate tracking, irregular heart rhythm notifications, the ECG app, blood oxygen measuring, fall detection, and more.

Cook spoke a lot about his love of nature, noting that his time in nature and offline is "like a palate cleanser for the mind," and referring to the outdoors as a "window to the world." Cook said Apple Park has conference rooms named after U.S. national parks, noting that he is "right around the corner from the Grand Canyon room."

Cook goes on to reiterate many of Apple's common talking points and company values. The full interview can be listened to through the embedded player above, and a transcript is also available on Outside magazine's website.

Microsoft has today announced that its cloud-based gaming subscription service, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, will be available to iOS users starting Spring 2021.

The announcement detailed that, as expected, Game Pass will not be coming to iOS via an app, but rather through a web browser.

In Spring 2021, we will take the next step in our journey to reach more players around the world by making cloud gaming as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate available on Windows PCs through the Xbox app and browser, and iOS devices through mobile web browser. By adding over a billion devices as a path to playing in the Xbox ecosystem, we envision a seamless experience for all types of players; whether it's playing Minecraft Dungeons with your Xbox friends using touch controls on an iPhone, or jumping into a Destiny 2: Beyond Light strike on a Surface Pro when you have a break between meetings.

Earlier this year, plans to bring an Xbox streaming app to iOS stalled due to Apple's App Store rules, which forbid apps from streaming multiple games from the cloud via a single app. This is because Apple believes that its inability to review each game in the service's library is a potential security risk. Game Pass streaming would only be viable if each game was available as its own app under Apple's rules.

As Microsoft suggested earlier this year, using a browser instead of an app allows the company to avoid Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules while still providing the same service. Xbox chief Phil Spencer said that Apple "remains open to the user experience we would like people to see."

Microsoft's games streaming service is bundled as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for $14.99 per month, with more than 100 games available.

Apple began working on its recently unveiled AirPods Max headphones over four years ago, according to tweets by a former Apple engineer.

Rumors that Apple was developing high-end over-ear headphones began way back in early 2018, when the first mention of own-brand headphones appeared courtesy of Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

However, the timeline of their development apparently extended much further than that, based on now-deleted tweets by former Apple engineer Dinesh Dave (@appleidinesh).

Weather Line developer Ryan Jones screenshotted images of the tweets and shared them, so there's a record after they were removed. In the tweets, Dave linked to Apple's AirPods Max announcement and claimed that "the last product NDA I signed is finally out!"

Responding to another Twitter user who asked when the NDA was signed, Dave replied: "~4 years."

Apple first launched the AirPods line almost exactly four years ago, in December 2016, after which their popularity grew rapidly. As Jones notes in his tweet, Apple likely saw the "insane demand" for AirPods and decided to explore additional potential products in the now-vast "hearables" category.

Prior to their official announcement on Tuesday, subsequent rumors about the headphones focused not only on design and features, but also protracted delays that Apple was said to be experiencing in production. Rumors predicted various launch dates for the headphones that continually missed their mark, from launching in late 2018 to sometime in the second half of 2019.

‌AirPods Max‌ are now available to pre-order on Apple's website, with a launch date of December 15, although there are already massive wait times for shipping running into March 2021.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that Apple tested at least two versions of the headphones, including a "premium version with leather-like fabrics" – aka ‌AirPods Max‌ – and a "fitness-focused model that uses lighter, breathable materials with small perforations," so we may well see an additional version of the headphones sometime next year.

WhatsApp is protesting Apple's requirement that developers submit information about what user data they collect to create new privacy labels on the App Store (via Axios).

WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, has accused Apple of anti-competitive behavior because iMessage is preinstalled on iPhones and does not need to be downloaded from the App Store, where the new privacy labels will be shown.

"We think labels should be consistent across first and third party apps as well as reflect the strong measures apps may take to protect people's private information," a WhatsApp spokesperson told Axios. "While providing people with easy to read information is a good start, we believe it's important people can compare these 'privacy nutrition' labels from apps they download with apps that come pre-installed, like iMessage."

Apple has tried to streamline the privacy labels into broad terms such as "financial information" or "user content" to describe the kind of data that apps collect. WhatsApp says that these terms may worry users about the data WhatsApp collects, giving it a competitive disadvantage.

WhatsApp submitted the required information to Apple on Monday, but said in a blog post that "Apple's template does not shed light on the lengths apps may go to protect sensitive information." The spokesperson told Axios, "while WhatsApp cannot see people's messages or precise location, we're stuck using the same broad labels with apps that do."

Apple's privacy "nutrition labels" are part of a wider privacy effort following its iOS 14 update in September. The various updates, such as limits to app tracking, have attracted major criticism from Facebook and there is significant ongoing diasgreement between the companies.

The deadline for developers to submit the required privacy information about their apps was yesterday. It is unknown when exactly the privacy labels will begin appearing in the ‌App Store‌, but now that the deadline for submissions has passed, they will likely be added soon.

Apple has designed a new algorithm that Apple Watch uses to measure electrocardiogram (ECG) waves, according to developer documentation for the iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2 betas.

In the official documentation, a new "version 2 algorithm" declaration has been added. No other information is included.

The ECG feature includes irregular heart rhythm detection, which intermittently measures the user's heart rate in the background and sends a notification if it detects an anomaly it categorizes as atrial fibrillation, which can be a serious heart arrhythmia condition.

Based on beta code uncovered by MacRumors, it's likely that the new algorithm will allow the ECG app to check for atrial fibrillation (AFib) at higher heart rates - during exercise, for example.

iOS 14.3 will introduce support for Apple Fitness+, Apple's upcoming fitness service that will work with the Apple Watch, plus it brings a new Cardio Fitness feature that lets you know if your VO2Max levels are low. VO2Max is a useful measurement of overall fitness and heart health.

iOS 14.3 is set to be released on Monday, December 14, which is also the day that Apple Fitness+ is coming out.

(Thanks, Simon!)

Apple has begun selling the Apple Watch models with cellular connectivity in Portugal for the first time.

Apple Watch Series 6 and SE models with cellular connectivity went on sale in the country on Tuesday, December 8, and can be ordered on Apple's regional online store.

Cellular models are available in aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium variants, but Watch Edition and Hermès LTE versions are currently unavailable.

As of now, Portuguese provider NOS is the first and only provider to support the Apple Watch LTE feature in the country. Apple has yet to update its regional Apple Watch cellular service list to reflect the launch.

Apple has been working to bring Apple Watch Cellular models to more European countries, with Belgium recently joining the LTE Apple Watch club. Ireland, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg are countries still waiting for the feature to arrive.

(Thanks, Ricardo!)

Set to launch on Monday, December 14, Apple Fitness+ is designed to help Apple Watch owners keep fit through a series of guided workouts across multiple workout categories. While many of the workouts don't require special equipment, for some you need things like dumbbells, a yoga mat, a stationary bike, a rowing machine, or a treadmill.

To that end, Apple's online store has started listing select exercise gear on its online store for the first time. Apple has kicked off its exercise equipment offering with yoga accessories, including a Manduka eKOlite Yoga Mat ($77.95), a Manduka 6 mm Performance Yoga Mat ($119.95), and a Cork Yoga Block ($19.95).

According to the listing's description, the Manduka eKOlite Mat is an eco-friendly and biodegradable surface that's naturally grippy and catches if you start to slip, while the more expensive Manduka 6mm Performance mat is "ultra-dense" and offers a spacious surface with "unmatched comfort and cushioning" that's guaranteed to never wear out.

Meanwhile, the Manduka Cork Yoga Block is made of sustainable cork and provides a level of firmness not found in foam blocks.

It's unclear whether Apple plans to build out its exercise equipment offering in its online store, but Apple Fitness+ includes 10 workout categories including HIIT, strength, and cycling, so there's plenty of scope for more.

Fitness+ will be available for $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, which breaks down to $6.67 per month. For that price, up to six family members total can use the Fitness+ service. Fitness+ is also included in the Apple One Premier bundle, which is priced at $29.99 per month and also offers ‌Apple Music‌, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and 2TB iCloud storage.

With the purchase of a new Apple Watch Series 3 or later, Apple is offering a free three-month trial of the Fitness+ service. watchOS 7.2 also includes support for Apple Fitness+, Apple's newest streaming service. The update is set to come out on Monday, December 14, which is also the Fitness+ release date.

Apple today sent out a new Apple Pay promotional email, offering ‌holiday ‌Apple Pay‌‌ discounts from a range of merchants including

The promotions provide discounts or credits for future purchases when using ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ to check out in an app or on the web, with a list below:

• Puma - 20% off with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Ray-Ban - 25% off custom styles with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Under Armour - 25% off in the Under Armour app.
• Warby Parker - A set of three free custom-designed pins.
• Columbia - 15% off purchases at columbia.com.
• Cuyana - Free leather card case when spending $200 or more.
• J. Crew - Extra $25 off when spending $150+ with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Foot Locker - 15% off when spending $99+ with promo code ‌Apple Pay‌.
• Kids Foot Locker - 15% off when spending $99+ with promo code ‌Apple Pay‌.
• 1-800-Flowers - $15 off when spending $39.99+ with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Champs Sports - $15 off when spending $99+ on select styles with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Cole Haan - 20% off with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Madewell - $25 off when spending $150+ with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Stadium Goods - Free ground shipping in Stadium Goods app.
• Sunglass Hut - 25% off select items with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Baublebar - $15 off full priced items with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Bed Bath and Beyond - Extra 5% in My Funds rewards to be used toward a future purchase.

The deals will be available through December 21 when using ‌Apple Pay‌ in partner apps or websites in the United States. A full list of holiday ‌Apple Pay‌ discounts can be found on Apple's website with links to each site and more information on the deals.

Apple's new AirPods Max headphones are not equipped with a U1 chip for Ultra Wideband, according to Apple's tech specs, and confirmed by MacRumors. (This chip is not to be confused with the H1 audio chip in each of the AirPod Max's ear cups.)

First introduced in iPhone 11 models last year, the U1 chip enables improved spatial awareness. The distance between two devices that support Ultra Wideband can be measured precisely by calculating the time that it takes for a radio wave to pass between them, with much more accuracy than Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi.

Apple's rollout of the U1 chip has been inconsistent, with all iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models, Apple Watch Series 6 models, and the HomePod mini equipped with the chip, but not the second-generation iPhone SE, Apple Watch SE, or the latest iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Pro models. Apple has also yet to release a Mac with Ultra Wideband support.

Apple's use of Ultra Wideband technology has been limited so far, such as a directional AirDrop feature in iOS 13 and later, but the company has promised more exciting use cases in the future. One of those use cases will likely be its long-rumored AirTags items trackers, which analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously said will support Ultra Wideband, which should allow users to locate their lost items with greater accuracy.

Multiple leakers had suggested the AirPods Max (which were dubbed AirPods Studio in rumors) would be equipped with the U1 chip, including Jon Prosser.

Delivery estimates for the AirPods Max are well into January for most colors, which means there's no chance for orders placed now to arrive in time for the December holidays, but as it turns out, you can get AirPods Max quicker if you choose an engraving.

In the pink color, for example, ‌AirPods Max‌ with an engraving can be delivered between December 30 and January 7, while without an engraving, the shipment estimate is 12 to 14 weeks. The green version will deliver between January 21 and 28 with an engraving instead of the 12 to 14 week estimate, and in blue, adding an engraving cuts the wait by a month.

Silver and space gray ‌AirPods Max‌ are still delivering at the end of December, so adding an engraving only cuts a couple of days off of the shipping time. Engravings can include anything from a single emoji to up to 14 characters.

It's not entirely clear why ‌AirPods Max‌ headphones with engravings are shipping out faster, but it seems that Apple has separate stock set aside for people who choose the headphones with an engraving and without, which explains the shorter shipping times.

It's also possible that Apple will soon have in-store ‌AirPods Max‌ stock, with pickup options that will be available more quickly than waiting for a shipment. ‌AirPods Max‌ are priced starting at $549 and the first deliveries will start on December 15.

Note that there seems to be some confusion over whether Apple products with engravings can be returned to Apple. Apple may not have allowed these returns in the past, but there is no language in Apple's return policy about engravings and Apple's support staff has confirmed that engraved items can be returned.

Apple is continuing work on developing some kind of autonomous vehicle product, and the project is under new leadership. Apple artificial intelligence lead John Giannandrea is now overseeing Apple Car development as prior lead Bob Mansfield has retired, reports Bloomberg.

It's been quite some time since we heard news about the Apple Car, but Project Titan as the car development is known is now in the hands of Giannandrea, though day to day operations continue to be overseen by Doug Field.

Field was reporting to Bob Mansfield, who came out of retirement in 2016 to handle the Apple Car project. Mansfield first retired in June 2012, but ultimately remained at Apple as an advisor. Prior to being led by Mansfield, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering Dan Riccio was overseeing work on the Apple Car.

Giannandrea is Apple's senior vice president of AI and machine learning, and Project Titan's hundreds of engineers are now under his watch. Giannandrea also heads up Siri development and Apple's work on machine learning.

Apple has been working on some kind of self-driving car technology since 2014, but development has been stymied by technical and leadership challenges. Apple was originally working on a full car, but focus seems to have shifted to an in-car autonomous driving system. Apple continues to have dozens of self-driving test vehicles out on the road.

Back in 2017, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that Apple is working on autonomous driving software. "We're focusing on autonomous systems. It's a core technology that we view as very important. We sort of see it as the mother of all AI projects. It's probably one of the most difficult AI projects actually to work on," he said.

Apple Fitness+ is set to launch on December 14, and ahead of its debut, Apple's senior director of fitness technologies Jay Blahnik did an interview with WSJ. Magazine to answer some questions about Apple's newest streaming service.

Though now is an excellent time for a home workout program, Apple has been developing Fitness+ for more than five years. Apple has recruited a total of 21 trainers after an "intensive search" where "no gym was too gritty to visit." Fitness+ syncs the Apple Watch to the Apple TV, iPad, or iPhone so you can see progress, including relative to others. "Metrics is motivation," said Blahnik of the feature.

The metrics react to the things the trainer says and the things that you do. We believe that makes it much more immersive than simply following content that's available anywhere else.

Apple Fitness+ has a robust recommendation engine to suggest workouts to people. "We always say: it shouldn't take 20 minutes to find a 20 minute workout," said Blahnik. Fitness+ suggestions will work based on the workouts that you've done, with some gentle encouragement to try other workout types.

The service is meant to be "equipment agnostic." Many of the workouts can be done with no equipment, and others, such as cycling, will work with existing equipment from many brands. It's also designed for users of all levels.

We love the fact that [Fitness+] is integrated with Apple Watch. It's really inclusive. We put music at the center to motivate a wide variety of people. We've made it really easy to find your next workout, whether you're a beginner or not, and allowed you to use it across all your screens. We treat all areas that we get engaged with as marathons, not sprints.

Apple Fitness+ will come with a three month free trial for anyone who purchased an Apple Watch Series 6, Series 3, or SE after the September 15 launch of those devices. The service will be accessible through the Fitness app on ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and ‌Apple TV‌.

Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi today spoke at the virtual European Data Protection & Privacy Conference, where he highlighted Apple's approach to privacy and commitment to keeping customer data safe.

Federighi's keynote speech is available through the YouTube embed above, but make sure to skip to the 49 minute mark. Apple executives often speak about privacy, so much of what Federighi had to say at the event wasn't new. He focused on the four key privacy principles that guide Apple.

1. Not collecting unnecessary data through data minimization.
2. Processing as much data on device as possible.
3. Making it clear to customers what data is collected and giving them tools to control how that data is used.
4. Keeping data safe through security, including Apple's unique integration of hardware and software. Security is the foundation of privacy.

Federighi said that other companies "gather, sell, and hoard" as much personal data from customers as possible, which Apple finds "unacceptable."

Now, others take the opposite approach. They gather, sell, and hoard as much of your personal information as they can. The result is a data-industrial complex, where shadowy actors work to infiltrate the most intimate parts of your life and exploit whatever they can find--whether to sell you something, to radicalize your views, or worse.

Federighi reiterated that Apple believes privacy is a "fundamental human right," which is something that Apple executives often say, and he shared details on how Apple works on privacy behind the scenes. Apple's privacy engineers, for example, evaluate new features to collect as little data as possible.

Federighi also pointed out Apple's lead in the privacy field, such as end-to-end encryption, which inspired other companies to adopt better encryption after it was added to Apple's products. "As Tim Cook says, we want to be the ripple in the pond that creates larger changes."

He highlighted some of the new privacy-focused features in iOS, including the iOS 14 feature that will require apps to disclose when they're using tracking functionality to follow your movements across apps and websites. The App Tracking Transparency feature is set to be enabled in early 2021, and it has some developers and advertising companies up in arms.

Of course, some advertisers and tech companies would prefer that ATT is never implemented at all. When invasive tracking is your business model, you tend not to welcome transparency and customer choice.

Just as with ITP, some in the ad industry are lobbying against these efforts--claiming that ATT will dramatically hurt ad-supported businesses. But we expect that the industry will adapt as it did before--providing effective advertising, but this time without invasive tracking.

Getting this right will take time, collaboration, listening--and true partnership across the entire technology ecosystem. But we believe the result will be transformative.

Federighi said that Apple would love to see competition among companies for the "best, the strongest, and the most empowering privacy features."

In other words, we don't define success as standing alone. When it comes to privacy protections, we're very happy to see our competitors copy our work, or develop innovative privacy features of their own that we can learn from.

Federighi went on to conclude that he hopes Apple will be remembered not just for its devices, but for "helping humanity enjoy the benefits of this great technology... without requiring that they give up their privacy to do it."

"It's in our power today to end that false tradeoff... to build, for the long term, not just a foundation of technology, but a foundation of trust," he said.

Apple's new AirPods Max headphones feature magnetically attachable ear cushions, and replacement ear cushion sets will soon be available for $69 on Apple's online store, providing customers with the opportunity to mix and match colors.

MacRumors graphics designer Ryan Barrieau has mocked up all 25 possible combinations, providing a helpful look at the various options. While many of the colors do not look great together, there are a few combinations that may prove to be popular, such as space gray AirPods Max with red cushions or sky blue AirPods Max with silver cushions.

• All 25 AirPod Max Headband/Ear Cushion Combos (With Same Color for Each Cushion)
• All 125 AirPods Max Headband/Ear Cushion Combos (With a Different Color for Each Cushion)

AirPods Max are available to order starting today, with delivery estimates for some colors already slipping into 2021. The replacement ear cushions are currently listed as "coming soon" on Apple's online store, with no specific release date provided.

The design of AirPods Max includes a meshed headband, stainless steel frame, and memory foam ear cups. Apple says the headband is designed to distribute weight and reduce on-head pressure. Like the Apple Watch, the AirPods Max have a Digital Crown for volume control, audio playback, answering or ending phone calls, and activating Siri.

While early rumors suggested that AirPods Max would be bidirectional, the headphones have dedicated left and right ear cups after all.

AirPods Max will begin arriving to customers on December 15. For more details about the headphones, read our announcement coverage.