MacRumors

Samsung is set to hold a virtual "Unpacked" event next week, on Wednesday, August 5. To build excitement for the event, Samsung today released a teaser video showcasing silhouettes of the products it will reveal next week (via Engadget).

The products in question appear to be new Samsung smartphones, like the Galaxy Note 20, a new tablet and stylus, new Galaxy Buds, and a new smartwatch. Samsung typically unveils new products at events in August, last year announcing the Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Home Speaker, and Wireless Charger Duo.

Of the new 2020 products that could be announced, one that has been seen in leaks is the Galaxy Buds Live. This accessory is a pair of Bluetooth in-ear headphones with noise cancellation support and a 4.5 hour battery life. The headphones are believed to compete with the AirPods Pro, although they undercut Apple's price tag at $169.

In another leak, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is said to include a Snapdragon 865 processor, an 11-inch LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 8,000 mAh battery. There will be an 8-megapixel front facing camera and 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, and 128GB of expandable storage.

You can also find complete 360-degree views of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 20 online, thanks to numerous leaks. If you're interested to watch the official unveiling of the products, Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event will be live streamed on the company's website at 10 a.m. ET.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

Australia's competition regulator has today accused Google of misleading users to get permission for use of their personal data for targeted advertising, reports Reuters.

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In Australian Federal Court, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) accused Google of not explicitly getting consent or properly informing consumers of a 2016 move to combine personal information in Google accounts with browsing activities on non-Google websites. This allowed Google to link the browsing behavior of millions of users with their names and identities, providing it with "extreme market power." As the change was "worth a lot of money to Google," the commission alleges that it was "achieved through misleading behavior."

Google argues that the change was optional and consumer consent was sought through prominent and easy-to-understand notifications. "If a user did not consent, their experience of our products and services remained unchanged," a Google spokesperson commented, adding that the company fully intends to defend its actions.

In June 2016, Google changed the wording of its privacy policy to remove a statement that it would not combine cookies from its advertisement display business, DoubleClick, with users' personal information. The new policy read, "Depending on your account settings, your activity on other sites and apps may be associated with your personal information in order to improve Google services."

The regulator believes that Google did not sufficiently inform Australian consumers about what it sought to do with their personal information, including internet activity on websites not related to Google itself. The case intends to clarify the common law on what providers in various jurisdictions could do, and is seeking a fine "in the millions".

Tag: Google

When Adobe introduced Photoshop for iPad late last year, it said it would provide regular updates to add missing features that are available on the desktop but not in the tablet version of the software.

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Adobe is living up to its promise once again today, with a Photoshop for ‌iPad‌ update that introduces the refine edge brush and the rotate canvas tool.

The refine edge brush enables much more precise image selection on the ‌iPad‌ for tricky subjects like hair and fur, which helps to achieve realistic, professional quality selections of objects with a mix of sharp and soft edges.

The interface has been simplified for use with touch controls, but Adobe says the tool delivers the same results as the desktop version.

adobe photoshop rotate ipad
Meanwhile, the rotate canvas tool allows users to rotate the canvas they're working on using a two-finger rotation gesture, which can also be zoomed in and out at the same time.

The rotation can snap at 0, 90, 180, 270 degrees, and users can reset the rotation and zoom by doing a quick zoom out pinch gesture. Rotation is not sticky and returns to zero degrees when re-opening a file, and both rotation and snapping can be toggled on/off in Settings -> Touch menu. More info about the rotate canvas tool is available here.

Adobe Photoshop can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but there are subscriptions required to use the software. Adobe Photoshop for ‌‌iPad‌‌ is available for all Creative Cloud plans that include Photoshop access.

In this week's App Recap, we've highlighted food and drink app "Soosee," productivity app "Tasks," and health and fitness app "Taurus" as three apps that are worth checking out. We've also compiled a list of apps that received major updates this week.

App Recap Soosee Tasks Taurus e1595809205359

Apps to Check Out

  • Soosee: Food Scanner (iOS, Free) - Soosee scans ingredient labels from food and intelligently checks for allergens as well as any other dietary restrictions users may have. Upon downloading the app, users are able to select from preset common food allergen groups like gluten, nuts, lactose, and more. Additionally, users can create their own list of ingredients to be checked when a label is scanned. Soosee is also great for those who are vegan or vegetarian, as the app can scan labels for foods that may contain animal-based products. Although the app is free to download, some features are limited to subscribers of the Soosee Supporter plan, which is available in monthly and annual plans as well as a lifetime plan priced at $0.99, $8.99, and $12.99 respectively. Becoming a Soosee Supporter lets users create an unlimited number of custom groups, auto scan labels, change the app's icon, and more.
  • Tasks: Smart Lists & Reminders (iOS, Free) - Productivity app Tasks takes a traditional to-do list a step further with the ability to create tasks with automatic date detection and tag suggestions, group all tasks in an organized manner through projects, and add priority levels to each task. Users have the ability to add images and notes to tasks, sync projects across iCloud devices, and more. Tasks is free to download, but some features like project collaboration, iCloud sync, and an unlimited number of projects are reserved for those who subscribe to Tasks Plus. Tasks Plus is available in both a yearly subscription as well as a one time purchase and is priced at $9.99 and $34.99 respectively.
  • Taurus (iOS, Free) - Taurus is an app that lets users easily log gym workouts, add and customize workout routines, select from over 100 built-in strength exercises, and more. Users can add notes to specific sets in a workout and conveniently create timers during set and rest periods. In addition, all workout data is stored in iCloud. The app also automatically calculates workout statistics and conveniently displays charts to help visualize progress.

App Updates

  • Facebook Messenger - Facebook this week announced its Messenger app would be gaining various privacy enhancements including a new "App Lock" feature, which will require Face ID or Touch ID authentication before the app is opened.
  • Google Fit - Google this week updated its Google Fit app with a weekly recap of users' daily goals, favorite workouts, activity, and sleep. The app also now lets users view workouts with pace breakdowns and distance markers.
  • Mario Kart Tour - Nintendo this week shared news that its Mario Kart Tour game will now support landscape mode. The app was previously limited to portrait mode since its initial launch in 2019.
  • Spotify - Spotify this week announced a new video podcast feature available for select podcasts in all markets where podcasts are supported. The new feature is available for both Spotify Premium and free users.

Are you using a great new app we've missed? Let us know in the comments and we'll check it out for next week's App Recap. Are you a developer of a unique app you'd like us to consider? Send us a message through our tip line at the top of the page and we'll check it out.

macOS Catalina 10.15.6 seems to have introduced a bug that causes system crashes, especially when using virtualization software such as VirtualBox or VMware.

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Users of virtualization software have reported that macOS 10.15.6 crashes repeatedly when running virtual machines.

A regression in the App Sandbox component of macOS 10.15.6 is reportedly leaking kernel memory, causing macOS to crash. The purpose of an App Sandbox is to provide protection to system resources and limit an app's access to resources, such as memory.

VMware engineers have today diagnosed the issue and filed a "comprehensive" report with Apple, including a minimal reproduction case which should allow them to easily identify and address the issue. The engineer cautions that "it isn't looking good" going forwards, and it will likely fall to Apple to resolve the issue in a software update to macOS. It is unclear if this issue exists in developer and public betas of macOS Big Sur.

The workaround suggested by many users and VMware engineers is to refrain from installing macOS 10.15.6, or shutting down virtual machines when they are not in use and rebooting the host as often as possible.

Tags: macOS, VMware

Images emerged on Chinese social media platform Weibo over the weekend purporting to show display panels for Apple's upcoming "iPhone 12" lineup. The images also appeared briefly on Slashleaks before being taken down on Monday.

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The photos depict what looks like several packed rows of smartphone panels from an assembly line. At first blush, the panels seem to have the same notch size as the ‌iPhone‌ 11, but an improved screen to bezel ratio, although it's possible this could just be down to their pre-assembly appearance.

That said, despite the hand in the image, it's not immediately obvious from the photos which size of ‌iPhone‌ 12 that the panels are supposed to be destined for. Weibo blogger Digital Chat Station claims they are for the 5.4-inch model, which could suggest we're looking at a smaller notch than the one on the 5.8-inch ‌iPhone‌ 11.

Apple is expected to release four OLED iPhones this fall, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model. Rumors suggest the 6.7-inch ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and one 6.1-inch model will be higher-end devices with triple-lens cameras, while the 5.4 and 6.1-inch models will be lower-end iPhones with dual-lens cameras and a more affordable price tag.

According to Bloomberg, at least two of the high-end iPhones Apple plans to offer in 2020 will have the new design with flat, stainless steel edges instead of curved edges, reminiscent of the design of the iPad Pro.

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We've heard conflicting rumors about the size of the notch on these new "‌iPhone‌ 12" devices. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg believe that at least one new ‌iPhone‌ in 2020 will feature a smaller front camera lens for an improved screen to bezel ratio, ultimately resulting in a smaller notch at the front.

Leaked images said to depict the ‌iPhone‌ 12 have also pictured a notch that is approximately 1/3 smaller than the current notch on iPhones. Meanwhile alleged ‌iPhone‌ 12 schematics that surfaced in April have suggested Apple will implement a smaller notch by integrating the front speaker for the device into the bezel. The updated hardware layout also features the ambient light and proximity sensors moved to a more central position within the TrueDepth camera system.

However, other alleged leaked CAD images have suggested Apple's new devices will have the same size of notch and triple-lens camera layout as found on the current ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro series. CAD images of unreleased iPhones shared online are usually presented as official designs leaked from production factories, but are often made by case makers themselves to predict the design of unreleased devices.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple plans to launch its ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup in 2020, but mass production on the devices will be delayed for around a month.

Apple supplier Broadcom believes the 2020 ‌iPhone‌ models will be delayed for several weeks, and will launch later than usual in the fall.

Related Forum: iPhone

Serial leaker Jon Prosser has moved to quash sketchy rumors that Apple could release a new iMac as soon as this week.

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Rumors about the imminent launch of an Intel-based ‌iMac‌ with an unchanged design appeared over the weekend, but originated from Twitter accounts with no track record for accurate leaks.

In a tweet responding to a news report on the rumors, Prosser said simply, "Nope," and then followed up with:

If you want the new iMac, keep an eye out for August.

No redesign.

Shipping times for current ‌iMac‌ models have been delayed for weeks, which has led many observers to believe an ‌iMac‌ refresh may be on the horizon.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said Apple plans to refresh its existing Intel-based ‌iMac‌ in the third quarter of 2020 prior to launching an ‌iMac‌ with Apple Silicon later this year.

Kuo's report didn't specify if the Intel-based ‌iMac‌ refresh would include a redesign or if it would be saved for the ‌Apple Silicon‌ model.

Reliable leaker CoinX claimed in March that an ‌‌iMac‌‌ update was coming "soon," but no further information has been shared since then.

Apple's ‌iMac‌ redesign is rumored to feature "iPad Pro design language" and thinner bezels, similar to those seen on Apple's Pro Display XDR that accompanied the new Mac Pro last year.

Prosser on Sunday also responded to a question on Twitter about whether the new ‌iMac‌ would be powered by ‌Apple Silicon‌ or be Intel-based, saying, "The first ARM Mac will likely be a 13.3" MacBook Pro."


Apple analyst ‌Ming-Chi Kuo‌ believes that the first Mac to be updated with an Apple Silicon chip will be the 13.3-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, which should see a refresh with the Apple chip before the end of 2020. DigiTimes has also said that ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips will be coming to the 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ before the end of the year.

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

Apple chief Tim Cook and other big tech CEOs will participate in a rescheduled antitrust hearing on Wednesday.

WWDC 2020 Tim Cook
The hearing to be held by the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee was supposed to happen on Monday, but it was postponed to avoid a conflict with a memorial service for the late representative John Lewis.

Cook is expected to join Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Alphabet/Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the hearing, which is the culmination of a more than year-long investigation into the four tech giants.

Cook is said to have spent the better part of a month preparing for the hearing, which may touch on a wide range of subjects, from App Store policies and Apple's disputes with the FBI over providing methods for law enforcement to access locked devices, to Apple's relationships with China.

After the hearing, lawmakers plan to publish a report based on their findings and propose legislation to bring antitrust laws up to date to deal with issues unique to digital marketplaces.

The hearing is due to take place at noon Eastern time and will be live streamed here.

Some users have noticed that Instagram is unexpectedly accessing the camera, reports The Verge.

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Users have reported that the green "camera on" indicator was displayed in iOS 14 when scrolling through their feed, but not taking a photo or a video. In a statement to The Verge, a spokesperson for Instagram said that the behavior was a bug and is being fixed.

"We only access your camera when you tell us to — for example, when you swipe from Feed to Camera. We found and are fixing a bug in iOS 14 Beta that mistakenly indicates that some people are using the camera when they aren't," the spokesperson said. "We do not access your camera in those instances, and no content is recorded."

Instagram's bug is the latest in a series of unexpected app behavior controversies revealed by iOS 14's aggressive privacy notifications. iOS 14 notifies users when an app or widget pastes text from the clipboard or accesses the camera or microphone. Since the release of the iOS 14 developer and public beta, a large number of popular apps, such as LinkedIn, Reddit, and TikTok, have been discovered to be covertly accessing clipboard data.

Last year, Instagram's parent company, Facebook, was found to be accessing the camera in the background whenever the app was in use, without the users' knowledge.

Related Forum: iOS 14

In iOS 14, Apple continues to build out its extensive accessibility features, and here we're going to show you how you can use the new Headphone Accommodations to amplify certain sounds if you're having difficulty hearing them.

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Headphones Accommodations works with Apple and Beats headphones, and is designed especially for those who are hard of hearing: It's able to amplify soft sounds and adjust frequencies to make music, movies, calls, and more sound crisper and clearer.

Follow the steps below to activate the Headphones Accommodations feature in iOS 14 and later.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Scroll down to the Physical and Motor menu and select AirPods.
    settings

  4. Tap the Audio Accessibility Settings option in blue text.
  5. Tap Headphone Accommodations.
  6. Toggle the switch next to Headphone Accommodations to activate it and extend the menu of options.
    how to use headphone accommodations c

From here, you can access a range of options such as tuning audio for Balanced Tone, Vocal Range, or Brightness, and adjusting the volume of soft sounds to be louder.

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There's also a Custom Audio Setup that walks through a test with soft speaking and different music to determine whether you have specific audio preferences that should be compensated for with the Headphone Accommodations feature.

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Headphone Accommodations works with the Transparency mode on ‌AirPods Pro and AirPods Max‌ too, making quiet voices louder and tuning the sounds of the environment around you to meet your audio needs.

A trailer for the second season of Apple Original series "For All Mankind" has today been shared on IMDb, but it has not yet been officially released by Apple.

for all mankind season 2

Visit this IMDb page to view the trailer for Season 2.

Apple TV+ trailers and promotional videos are usually shared on the ‌Apple TV‌+ YouTube channel and via the ‌Apple TV‌+ newsroom, but the "For All Mankind" season two trailer has yet to appear on either. It is possible that the trailer has been prematurely uploaded to IMDb today ahead of an official announcement from Apple. A release date for the second season has also not yet been announced.

"For All Mankind" was among the first Apple TV+ series, and premiered when the service launched. Less than a week after the launch of ‌Apple TV‌+, "For All Mankind" was renewed for a second season.

The show stars Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Wrenn Schmidt, Shantel VanSanten, Sarah Jones, and Jodi Balfour, and imagines what the world might have been like if the global space race never ended, telling the story through the lives of NASA astronauts, engineers, and their families.

YouTube Trailer now available:

Apple's beta train kept on rolling this week with the third beta versions of all of the major operating system updates coming later this year. The new beta of iOS 14 includes some interesting tweaks like a new color theme for the Music app icon, new informational pop-ups for some of the new features, a new clock widget, and more.


In other news, we heard some more rumors about the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup, the potential for some new hardware that's "ready to ship," and the possibility of Face ID coming to Macs in the future.

Read on below and check out our video above for more of this week's biggest stories.

Everything New in iOS 14 Beta 3: New Music Icon, Clock Widget and More

Apple is continuing its cycle of beta releases for its next major operating system updates, and this week saw the third set of developer betas for iOS 14, macOS Big Sur, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14.

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The third beta of iOS 14 features some interesting changes, including a striking one that sees the Music app icon changed back to a red and white color theme from the white and multicolor one seen since Apple Music launched in iOS 8.4.

Make sure to click through to check out our overview of everything new we've found in the third beta, and if you're a member of the public beta program, there's an equivalent iOS 14 update now available for you.

Apple's 2020 5G iPhones to Support Both Sub-6GHz and mmWave, But That Might Change in 2021

5G is the big buzzword for smartphone technology these days, and there are two flavors of it: mmWave 5G that delivers the fastest speeds but has short range and is only suitable for dense urban environments, and sub-6GHz 5G that isn't quite as fast but offers much broader coverage.

iPhone 12 5G New 1
Apple's iPhone 12 lineup launching later this year is said to be including support for both 5G technologies, but a new report says that in 2021 Apple may introduce some iPhone models that only support one of the technologies, depending on which one is most prevalent in specific markets.

In other iPhone 12 news, we've once again heard that the new models may not be available until the October/November timeframe, we've seen a new battery leak that might shed some more light on the capacities for each iPhone 12 model, and we've seen some new photos of a white braided Lightning to USB-C cable that could come with the iPhone 12.

Leaker Suggests New Apple Products Are 'Ready to Ship' Amid Rumors of Intel-Based iMac Refresh

WWDC came and went without any significant new hardware launches, but a frequent leaker has cryptically claimed that some new products are "ready to ship."

MR Future Products 2020 Jul Dark
We don't know exactly what products these are, but we've been waiting on an update for the iMac, and there have been other rumors of a refreshed Apple TV being ready to go. Other product rumors floating around have included a smaller, cheaper HomePod, new over-ear headphones, and AirTags item trackers.

Best macOS 11 Big Sur Features: Control Center, Safari Updates, Notifications Overhaul, Design Changes and More

macOS Big Sur is a major update for Apple's Mac platform, and it brings not only a host of new and updated features, but also a design overhaul.

Big Sur Best Features Feature
In one of our most recent videos, we took a look at some of our favorite features in Big Sur, including the new Control Center, a revamped Notification Center, updates for Safari, Messages improvements, and more.

Code in macOS Big Sur Suggests Face ID Could Be Coming to Macs

Apple's Face ID feature that allows a device to be unlocked with a facial scan is limited to the iPhone and the iPad at the current time, but code found in the latest macOS Big Sur beta suggests that Face ID may come to Macs in the future.

FaceID iMac REREREREMIX
References to a "PearlCamera" function that matches the "Pearl" codename of Face ID for iOS devices have been discovered, including mentions of "FaceDetect" and "BioCapture" that strongly hint at Face ID coming to the Mac.

There no word yet on when Face ID might make its debut on the Mac, but we'll likely hear more as work on the feature progresses.

Apple Lining Up Periscope Telephoto Lens Suppliers for 2022 iPhone

2022 is a long way off, but Apple is already looking far ahead with its iPhone roadmap, and a new report from noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple is working to find suppliers that can provide periscope telephoto camera lenses for those phones.

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Periscope lenses typically use prisms or mirrors to refract light onto the lens sensor for improved optical magnification within the constraints of a thin smartphone body. A few manufacturers like Samsung and Huawei are aggressively pursuing periscope lenses in their phones, and it looks like Apple is working on its own implementation.

Apple Glasses Patent Suggests Any Surface Could Become a Virtual Touch Interface

While we've heard lots of tidbits about Apple's augmented/virtual reality headset projects, we still don't have a detailed picture of what the products will ultimately look like and how they will function.

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A newly published patent application reveals, however, that Apple has been looking at how it could turn everyday surfaces into virtual touch interfaces. Apple proposes that icons and buttons could be projected in AR onto a table, for example, where the user could reach out and interact with them. Apple's patent suggests that infrared heat sensing could be used to determine where on the surface the user has touched.

A separate patent application describes how a future Apple Pencil might include a color sensor that would let it sample colors from the real world that could then be transmitted to a paired device such as an iPad. The feature would be great for art-focused applications, making it easier to capture accurate colors of real-world objects.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Apple is providing all of its employees in the United States with up to four hours of paid time off to vote in the election that will take place on Tuesday, November 3, reports Bloomberg.

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Apple today sent out a memo to employees announcing the policy, which applies to retail employees and hourly workers.

"For retail team members and hourly workers across the company, if you're scheduled to work this Election Day, we'll be providing up to four hours of paid time off if you need it to get to the polls," Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of retail and people, told staff. "If they choose, our teams can also use this time to volunteer as an election worker at one of your local polling stations."

Apple says that employees can also use their time off to volunteer as an election worker at their local polling stations.

Other tech companies like Twitter, Uber, and Lyft, are providing employees with time off for voting, as are many other major companies with a full list available on the Time to Vote website.

Werner Herzog's newest documentary, "Fireball," is set to premiere on Apple TV+ after Apple acquired the rights to the film, Apple announced today.

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"Fireball" explores the cultural and physical influence that meteors, comets, and deep impacts have had on Earth in regard to mythology, religion, and human imagination.

Following their Academy Award-nominated work on "Encounters at the End of the World" and Emmy-nominated "Into the Inferno," Herzog and Oppenheimer's new film "Fireball" takes viewers on an extraordinary journey to discover how shooting stars, meteorites and deep impacts have focused the human imagination on other realms and worlds, and on our past and our future.

The documentary is the third collaboration between Herzog and director and geoscientist Clive Oppenheimer, who have previously teamed up for "Encounters at the End of the World" in Antarctica and "Into the Inferno" exploring active volcanoes.

While the documentary will see a premiere on ‌Apple TV‌+, no specific date has been set. Apple has also picked up other documentaries that include "The Elephant Queen," "Boys State," and "Beastie Boys Story."

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Choetech to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a 100W two-port USB-C power adapter that's compatible with Apple's Macs, iPhones, and iPads.

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Choetech's 100W power adapter uses GaN (gallium nitride) technology for more charging power in a smaller, more efficient design that's more compact than Apple's own power adapters.

The two-port USB-C adapter is 30 percent smaller than Apple's 96W charger designed for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which makes it ideal for travel and saves space at home when plugging it in. The plug itself also folds down, which is useful for transporting it.

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When both ports are used together, each one supports 45W, so you can charge a MacBook Air or iPad at full speed while also fast charging an iPhone or another device using a USB-C to Lightning cable. With a single port used, it supports up to 100W, so it's compatible with Apple's larger 15 and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models.

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Choetech says that the power adapter is able to charge a ‌MacBook Pro‌ or ‌MacBook Air‌ within two hours, and other devices, such as an ‌iPhone‌ with the proper cable, will charge even faster.

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Along with high power delivery and a compact design, Choetech's power adapter offers safety assurances, and the company says that it undergoes rigorous testing and is made from fire retardant materials. It features over-current, over-voltage, over-heating, and short-circuit protection.

choetechpoweradaptergiveaway
We have 10 of the 100W dual-port USB-C power adapters from Choetech to give away to MacRumors readers. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (July 24) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on July 31. The winners will be chosen randomly on July 31 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.


For those that don't win the giveaway, Choetech is offering a power adapter discount code that drops the price of the power adapter from $40 to $31 for Amazon Prime members. Apply the $3 coupon on Amazon and then use promo code P2365HU3 at checkout for an additional discount that drops the price.

Choetech also has a discount for a two pack of USB-C cables to go along with the power adapter. A $5 coupon and promo code 7FSILCXX drop the price of the cables from $15 to $6.24 for Amazon Prime members.

Apple's Face ID feature that allows a device to be unlocked with a facial scan is limited to the iPhone and the iPad at the current time, but code found in macOS Big Sur suggests that ‌Face ID‌ may come to Macs in the future.

FaceID iMac REREREREMIX
Adding a TrueDepth camera system and ‌Face ID‌ to the Mac would be a logical next step for the feature, and 9to5Mac located ‌Face ID‌ references in the latest Big Sur beta, including an extension with code to support a "PearlCamera" function.

"Pearl" is the codename that Apple has used for ‌Face ID‌ and the TrueDepth camera system since the feature first launched in the ‌iPhone‌ X.

There are "FaceDetect" and "BioCapture" references inside the extension, and those names certainly suggest a TrueDepth camera feature for Mac.

Right now, Apple's MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models use Touch ID, and have a ‌Touch ID‌ button built into the keyboard that's powered by the T2 chips in the machines. Apple's Macs have supported ‌Touch ID‌ since 2016 when the Touch Bar was first introduced in ‌MacBook Pro‌ models.

There's no word on when Macs might get ‌Face ID‌ support or which Macs will be first to get it, but there are some major design tweaks rumored for machines like the iMac, the ‌MacBook Air‌, and the ‌MacBook Pro‌ with the transition to mini-LED and Apple Silicon chips, so ‌Face ID‌ could be rolled out alongside of these updates.

It could also be a feature that will take longer to implement, and we've thus far heard no confirmed rumors on when Apple might make the transition.

Apple is donating proceeds that it receives from the "John Lewis: Good Trouble" documentary to museums that honor his legacy, Apple announced today.


Funds from the documentary, which was released on July 3, will be provided to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

"Representative John Lewis's life and example compel each of us to continue the fight for racial equity and justice," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. "This film celebrates his undeniable legacy, and we felt it fitting to support two cultural institutions that continue his mission of educating people everywhere about the ongoing quest for equal rights."

US Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis passed away on July 17. Apple over the weekend had a full page tribute on its website, and Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a commemorative tweet. Apple has also created a Spotlight collection of curated articles that remember Lewis and celebrate his legacy, plus there's a collection of episodes that honor his life available on Apple Podcasts.

Apple customers in the United States and Canada can rent "John Lewis: Good Trouble" through the Apple TV app on Phone, iPad, ‌Apple TV‌, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung and LG smart TVs, and Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices. "Good Trouble" takes audiences through Lewis's more than 60 years of civil rights activism.

In her intimate account of legendary US Representative John Lewis's life and legacy, director Dawn Porter takes audiences through his more than 60 years of extraordinary activism -- from the bold teenager on the front lines of the civil rights movement to the legislative powerhouse he was throughout his career. After Lewis petitioned Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to help integrate a segregated school in his hometown of Troy, Alabama, King sent "the boy from Troy" a roundtrip bus ticket to meet with him.

From that meeting onward, Lewis became one of King's closest allies. Lewis organized Freedom Rides, which left him bloodied or jailed, and stood at the front lines in the historic marches on Washington and Selma. Lewis continued to protect civil rights as a member of Congress. He never lost the spirit of "the boy from Troy" and had called on his fellow Americans to get into "good trouble" until his passing on July 17, 2020. "John Lewis: Good Trouble" is a moving tribute to the real-life hero at the forefront of many hard-won battles for lasting change.

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.

This week's addition to the Apple Arcade subscription gaming service is "The Lullaby of Life," a new title from developer 1 Simple Game that explores the origins of life through a relaxing, immersive, sonic experience.

lullaby of life

In The Lullaby of Life you are the catalyst for change in a universe currently inert but filled with potential.

Explore this amazing world that combines relaxation, dexterity and agility, and help it reach its maximum splendor using the power of music to make life bloom.

This adventure has no textual elements, and wearing headphones is highly recommended. Let’s write together a new story about the origin of life!


"The Lullaby of Life" is available to ‌Apple Arcade‌ subscribers on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as well as in the Mac App Store. ‌Apple Arcade‌ provides ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, ‌Apple TV‌, and Mac users with access to over 100 games with no in-app purchases or ads for $4.99 per month after a free one-month trial.