MacRumors

Apple will drop support for the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus in next year's release of iOS 15, according to a rumor shared today by Israeli site The Verifier.

If the rumor is accurate, that would mean iOS 15 will be compatible with the following Apple devices:

• 2021 iPhone series
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone SE (2020)
• iPod touch (7th generation)

The site said last year that iOS 14 would be the last version of iOS that the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus would be compatible with, which wouldn't be a surprise as Apple often provides software updates for approximately four or five years after the release of a new device.

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus originally launched in September 2015, followed by the iPhone SE in March 2016.

The Verifier doesn't have the greatest track record when it comes to accurate leaks with both hits and misses, but it did accurately predict that iOS 14 would be compatible with all iPhones and iPod touch models able to run iOS 13.

There's no word on which iPads will be able to run iPadOS 15, but if iPadOS 15 is compatible with all iPads able to run iPadOS 14, it will work on the iPad Air 2, 3rd-gen iPad Air, iPad mini 4 and 5, 5th, 6th, and 7th-generation iPads, and all iPad Pro models.

In the last of its iPhone 12 series teardowns, iFixit has published its iPhone 12 Pro Max disassembly, which reveals some unique differences in the design of the internals, including the full extent of the larger camera system responsible for the improved low-light performance on Apple's largest ‌iPhone‌ to date.

On opening the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌, the first obvious difference compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro is the presence of an L-shaped battery, which Apple first used in the iPhone 11 Pro Max. That's in contrast to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro's more rectangular-shaped battery, which rumors suggest Apple used to offset increased costs owing to 5G technology.

The battery in the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ is still the most capacious in the ‌iPhone‌ 12 series, providing 14.13Wh, compared to the 10.78Wh used in the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, but still short of the 15.04Wh battery used in the ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌.

Moving on, iFixit was most impressed camera package, which is a lot bigger than the one in the ‌iPhone‌ 12 because of Apple's sensor choice.

Sorry to break it to you, but size does matter—at least when it comes to camera sensors. To achieve their alleged 87% improvement in low-light performance, the 12 Pro Max uses the biggest sensor in an iPhone yet.

As the below x-ray of the camera package shows, the standard wide camera (bottom left in the group of three) has a 47% larger 12-megapixel sensor than the ‌iPhone‌ 12, which allows more light to enter, resulting in better photos.

The four magnets surrounding it also underline the presence of Apple's brand-new sensor-shift image stabilization system, which moves the sensor thousands of times a second to compensate for hand shake.

As iFixit notes, most smartphones use lens-based optical image stabilization (OIS) to smooth out jitters, so Apple either decided its own system was a better solution, or it couldn't adequately stabilize the larger version of its new f/1.6 lens.

Elsewhere, iFixit highlights the more compact design of the logic board compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 12, as well as the modular SIM card reader, which is "excellent for repair, if a little oddly placed," and rubber gaskets instead of adhesive to affix the speakers, which makes for a "much easier removal and replacement procedure than in years past."

The ‌‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro earned a repairability score of 6 out of 10, and the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Max gets the same, thanks to Apple's continued use of proprietary screws, the devices' increases in waterproofing that can complicate repairs, and the increased chance of breakage due to glass on the front and back of the two devices‌.

Universal Electronics has announced its own take on Apple's divisive Apple TV Remote that's "specifically developers and designed" for cable, satellite, and MVPD (multichannel video program distributor) customers, according to the company (via The Verge).

The UEI Remote uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity together with Infrared to provide universal control, and offers ‌Apple TV‌ users content search and control via Siri and a program guide button for live TV viewing functions, along with separate volume and channel rockers and traditional media playback buttons.

In addition to featuring Apple's MFi authentication chip for secure connectivity with ‌Apple TV‌, the remote also packs an accelerometer and ambient light sensor to automatically backlight the keys in low light environments when the remote is picked up or moved.

"We're excited that customers worldwide will soon be able to enjoy this new remote, designed specifically for the growing number of MVPDs offering Apple TV 4K to their subscribers," said Paul Arling, CEO, Universal Electronics Inc. “This remote offers convenient features to quickly access the EPG or channel surf live programming available through the MVPD's app on Apple TV 4K."

Third-party alternatives to Apple's deeply unpopular ‌Apple TV‌ Remote aren't new. Last year we saw Swiss telco Salt launch an alternative remote control for the ‌Apple TV‌ 4K set-top boxes that it includes in its domestic broadband TV bundle. Then, in July, Function101 launched a $30 variant for U.S. the consumer market (there's no ‌Siri‌ button included on that one though).

UEI's remote won't be available for consumers to buy when it launches early next year. Instead, it's being offered directly to cable companies that include an ‌Apple TV‌ 4K as part of a streaming video package.

It was a week full of unboxings this week, with Apple's new M1-based Macs and the HomePod mini making their way into customers' hands for the first time. We're seeing impressive performance from all of the new products, and it'll be super interesting what Apple is able to do with its higher-powered Macs as the transition to Apple Silicon continues.

This week also saw the release of a special iOS 14.2.1 update for the iPhone 12 lineup to address a few early bugs on those devices, and Apple announced a new App Store program that will cut its commission in half for developers who earned under $1 million from the App Store in the previous year. Read on for all of the details on these stories and more!

First Apple M1 Macs Begin Arriving to Customers

The first Macs with Apple's custom M1 chip began arriving to customers Tuesday, and there has been quite a bit of excitement surrounding the launch, as performance has proven to be quite impressive.

Benchmark results have shown that the new MacBook Air with the M1 chip outperforms a high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro, while the new 13-inch MacBook Pro can compile code as fast as a 2019 Mac Pro, all while consuming only a fraction of the battery life of the previous-generation Intel-based 13-inch MacBook Pro.

There are already quite a few popular apps that have been optimized with native support for Apple Silicon, including Pixelmator Pro, Fantastical, BBEdit, Affinity Designer, Twitter, Darkroom, and djay Pro AI. A crowdsourced list of universal Mac apps can be found in the MacRumors forums.

Watch the Apple M1 MacBook Air Blaze Through Opening Every Default App

To further demonstrate just how impressive the M1 chip's performance is, MacRumors forum member iChan shared a video in which he opened every default app in the Dock on the new base model MacBook Air, and the notebook handled the task with ease. We also performed our own tests pitting the new M1 MacBook Air against the equivalent Intel model from earlier this year, and it wasn't much of a contest.

These feats are even more impressive considering that the base model MacBook Air is equipped with just 8GB of memory and has a silent, fanless design, making it exciting to see what Apple will achieve with its M-series chips in higher-end Macs to come.

Rumors suggest that future Apple Silicon Macs will include new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with an all-new form factor as early as Q2 2021, in addition to a redesigned 24-inch iMac and a smaller version of the Mac Pro.

Hands-On With the New HomePod Mini

Apple's new HomePod mini also began arriving to customers this week, and we picked one up to see how it measures up to the full-size HomePod.

‌HomePod mini‌ measures in at just 3.3 inches tall and 3.9 inches wide, so it's a good deal smaller than the standard ‌HomePod‌. Despite its compact design, we were impressed at the sound that the speaker was able to put out.

Priced at $99, the HomePod mini is a more budget-friendly competitor to the Amazon Echo and Google Home, while still offering many features of the full-size HomePod, including Siri, HomeKit integration, Apple Music, Intercom voice messaging, and stereo pairing with another HomePod mini.

Apple Releases iOS 14.2.1 With Fix for Text Message Bug and iPhone 12 Mini Lock Screen Issues

Apple's iPhone 12 models have had a few bugs since their release, and Apple cleaned up several of them this week with the release of iOS 14.2.1, which is only for the iPhone 12 family.

The update fixes a bug that caused some MMS text messages not to be received in both single-person and group chats, and it fixes a bug that caused the Lock Screen of the ‌iPhone 12‌ mini to become unresponsive. It also includes a fix for Made for iPhone hearing devices that were experiencing sound quality issues.

Apple Drops App Store Fees to 15% for All Developers Making Under $1 Million From App Store

Apple this week announced a new App Store Small Business Program that will allow developers who earned up to $1 million in post-commission earnings during the previous calendar year to qualify for a reduced 15% commission on the sale of apps and in-app purchases tied to digital goods and services.

The program is set to launch on January 1, 2021, and Apple will be sharing comprehensive details in early December. In the meantime, Apple outlined the following parameters:

• Existing developers who made up to $1 million in 2020 for all of their apps, as well as developers new to the App Store, can qualify for the program and the reduced commission.
• If a participating developer surpasses the $1 million threshold, the standard commission rate will apply for the remainder of the year.
• If a developer’s business falls below the $1 million threshold in a future calendar year, they can re-qualify for the 15 percent commission the year after.

Apple Investigating Display Issues With iPhone 12 Models

In an internal document for technicians this week, obtained by MacRumors, Apple has acknowledged an issue with some iPhone 12 displays exhibiting flickering, a green or gray glow, or other unintended lighting variations under some conditions.

Apple says that it is aware of customer reports related to this issue and is investigating. Apple has advised technicians to avoid servicing affected iPhones, at least for now, and instead inform customers that they should keep their iPhone up to date with the latest iOS version. This guidance suggests that Apple may be confident that it can fix the issue in a future software update.

A similar green tint issue affected some iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max displays, and Apple was able to fix it in iOS 13.6.1.

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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 overnight updated its Windows Migration Assistant software to include compatibility with macOS Big Sur.

As spotted by iMore, version 2.3.0.0 of the utility provides support for users looking to migrate their data from a Windows PC to Apple's latest Mac operating system.

The assistant transfers users' contacts, calendars, email accounts, and more from a Windows machine and migrates the data to the appropriate places in macOS. After the process has been performed, Apple advises users to authorize their Mac for iTunes Store purchases. For more information, consult Apple's updated support article.

Released on November 12, macOS Big Sur‌‌ is a major update that brings a redesigned look to the Mac with an iOS-style Control Center and new widget options. Safari is faster and more battery efficient and there are new privacy protections and a translate option, plus it supports 4K YouTube playback.

Apple has also added updates and new options for Messages, Photos, and Maps, with a list of the major changes available in our features guide and a full rundown of all the changes available in our roundup.

Astropad today announced that its Luna Display and Astropad software have been updated with support for Apple's new M1 Macs.

Luna Display is an adapter that allows a Mac or an iPad to be used as a secondary display for a main Mac, while Astropad is software that lets an ‌iPad‌ be used as a secondary display or drawing tablet for a Mac.

The software updates allow Astropad and Luna Display to run faster on ‌M1‌ Macs with lower encoding times.

Astropad's newest software update includes native support for the ‌M1‌ Macs, and it is available in Astropad Studio 3.6, Astropad Standard 3.6, and Luna Display 4.4.

The software can be downloaded from the Astropad website, but those who already run those apps should see the updates automatically.

Apple today began selling the Leather Sleeve for the new iPhone 12 models, with the accessory having first been announced alongside the updated iPhones in October.

Priced at $129, the Leather Sleeve is not a case and is designed to be removed when the ‌iPhone‌ is in use. It features a cutout at the front that displays the time, and it comes with a matching leather strap. According to Apple, it is made from "specially tanned and finished European leather" that's soft to the touch and develops a patina over time.

The sleeve is designed to fit tightly around the ‌iPhone‌, protecting it from scratches and drops. The inside has a pocket for a credit card or ID, and charging is possible through the sleeve with Apple's MagSafe Charger. Apple warns that as with Leather Cases, the Leather Sleeve is subject to "slight imprints" when used with ‌MagSafe‌ accessories.

Apple sells the Leather Sleeve in Baltic Blue, Pink Citrus, Saddle Brown, and (PRODUCT)RED. It is available for all four of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models, and orders placed today will deliver starting in mid-December.

Following the release of the M1 Macs Apple executives have been doing interviews with a range of publications, and today, Ars Technica published another interview with software engineering chief Craig Federighi, hardware technologies lead Johny Srouji, and marketing VP Greg Joswiak.

Much of the interview focuses on topics that the three have already covered in prior discussions, but there is an interesting tidbit from Federighi on Microsoft and Windows on the ‌M1‌ Macs. Right now, the ‌M1‌ Macs do not support Windows and there is no Boot Camp feature as there is on Intel Macs, but Windows support is a feature that many would like to see.

Federighi says Windows on ‌M1‌ Macs is "up to Microsoft." The core technologies exist and the Macs are capable of it, but Microsoft has to decide whether to license its Arm-based version of Windows to Mac users.

As for Windows running natively on the machine, "that's really up to Microsoft," he said. "We have the core technologies for them to do that, to run their ARM version of Windows, which in turn of course supports x86 user mode applications. But that's a decision Microsoft has to make, to bring to license that technology for users to run on these Macs. But the Macs are certainly very capable of it."

Federighi also suggested that Windows in the cloud could be a possible solution in the future, and he highlighted CrossOver, which is able to run x86 Windows apps on ‌M1‌ Macs using Rosetta 2.

Federighi, Joswiak, and Srouji also discussed developing the Apple Silicon chips, designing the ‌M1‌, the ‌M1‌'s performance, unified memory architecture, running iOS apps, and more. The full interview can be read over at Ars Technica.

Google earlier this week released a version of Chrome designed specifically for Apple's M1 Macs, and those with a new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini will want to download the Apple Silicon specific version of Chrome because it's going to run faster than the x86 version working through Rosetta 2.

Following the release of the ‌M1‌ version of Chrome, Ars Technica did a series of benchmarks using Speedometer 2.0, JetStream2, and Motion Mark 1.1, and in all cases, the ‌M1‌ Chrome was much faster than the x86 version.

In a Speedometer 2.0 test, ‌M1‌ Chrome scored 210, while standard Chrome scored 116, and in a Jetstream 2 test, ‌M1‌ Chrome scored 156.9 and standard Chrome scored 93.1. In the Motion Mark 1.1 test, ‌M1‌ Chrome scored 726.4, while standard Chrome scored 435.7.

Across all tests, the native ‌M1‌ version of Chrome performed between 66 and 81 percent better than the version of Chrome running through Rosetta 2. Safari was the fastest browser of all, of course, having been designed by Apple, and it came out on top across all of the tests.

According to Ars Technica, the Speedometer test best mimics real life usage and that's where the greatest advantage between the two browser versions was seen. Jetstream 2 best mimics web applications such as spreadsheets, and MotionMark 1.1 measures complex graphic animation techniques.

The ‌M1‌ version of Chrome can be downloaded on ‌M1‌ Macs on the Chrome website by selecting the "Mac with Apple Chip" option after clicking download.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with RAVPower to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a set of power adapters that are perfect for Apple's newest iPhones that don't come with chargers and Apple's latest M1 Macs.

RAVPower makes a whole range of charger and power bank options, and this giveaway includes the 30W USB-C charger and the 65W 4-port USB-C charging station.

Priced at $28.99, RAVPower's 30W power adapter has a USB-C port and a USB-A port for charging multiple devices at once. It provides the 20W power needed for Apple's MagSafe Charger, so with this power adapter, Apple's charger will charge iPhone 12 models at the full 15W.

With a USB-C to Lightning cable, it can also fast charge any compatible ‌iPhone‌ to 50 percent within 30 minutes, while also leaving 10W available for the USB-A port. The 30W charger is also compatible with Apple's iPads and is able to charge them at full speeds, plus it works with Android devices, the Nintendo Switch, and more. The prongs fold down so the charger can be tucked away in a backpack or bag for travel.

While the 30W charger is ideal for the ‌iPhone‌ and the iPad, RAVPower's 65W charger works with all Apple devices, including the new ‌M1‌ 13-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Air.

Available for $42.49, the 65W charger features two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, with the ability to charge a MacBook at 45W and an iPad Pro at 18W simultaneously. With no other devices connected, it can charge at the full 65W.

The 65W charger uses GaN technology to keep the size compact, and it measures in at three inches by 1.6 inches. It's compatible with all of Apple's devices, from Macs to iPhones, plus it works with all other USB-C devices. Both chargers have safety protections to keep devices safe from over-voltage, overheating, and short circuiting.

We have seven charger sets 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 (November 20) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on November 27. The winners will be chosen randomly on November 27 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 who don't win, RAVPower is offering a discount on the 65W charger that drops the price down to $34.99. Just use the promo code macrumors136 when checking out to get the deal.

Apple retail locations and Apple's online store now offer Anker's eufyCam 2 Pro, a home security camera that supports Apple's HomeKit Secure Video feature.

Priced at $349.95, the eufyCam 2 Pro features a 2K resolution and a 140 degree field of view for sharp wide-angle video. The setup comes with a home base required for operation along with two cameras to use in the home.

With ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌, video footage is encrypted and stored in iCloud rather than on servers handled by Anker. Footage can be viewed in the Home app, and all motion and people detection is done on-device for privacy purposes.

Using ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ requires an upgraded ‌iCloud‌ storage plan. Apple's 200GB plan supports one ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ camera, while the 1TB plan supports up to five cameras.

eufyCam 2 Pro offers customizable notifications, two-way audio support, and night vision in infrared and color. There's a built-in battery that is designed to last for up to 12 months before it needs to be recharged.

In addition to being available from Apple, the eufyCam 2 Pro can also be purchased from Amazon at the same price point, plus Amazon has add-on cameras for $150 each.

While the new Mac mini with the M1 chip is only available with Gigabit Ethernet, Apple has listed multiple M1-based Mac mini logic boards with 10 Gigabit Ethernet in an internal parts list for Apple Authorized Service Providers.

For every Mac mini logic board with Gigabit Ethernet in the parts list, obtained by MacRumors, there is a corresponding logic board with 10 Gigabit Ethernet:

While the boards are available to order (in limited quantities), it is unclear why at this point. There are several possibilities, including that Apple listed the parts mistakenly or before it decided against offering a 10 Gigabit Ethernet option. The logic boards could also be designated for special circumstances, such as enterprise use. Apple could also choose to release an M1-based Mac mini with 10 Gigabit Ethernet at a later time.

Apple continues to sell Intel-based Mac mini models with optional 10 Gigabit Ethernet for now.

Following Apple's confirmation that it still plans to introduce a new App Tracking Transparency feature that will let users know when companies want to track them across apps and websites, which has attracted criticism from companies such as Facebook, Craig Federighi has explained more about the rationale behind the change to The Independent.

The App Tracking Transparency feature allows users to opt-out of data collection and choose whether advertisers can track their activity. While it was originally supposed to arrive with iOS 14 earlier this year, Apple postponed the feature until early 2021 to give developers more time to accommodate it.

Federighi told The Independent that the new feature can be put down to Apple's support for privacy as a "core value" that has been present "since the beginning of the company," citing how Steve Jobs highlighted the Apple II's ability to allow users to secure their own information on floppy disks and have control over their data.

He said that the feature would ultimately be "better for even the people that are currently, at times protesting those moves," because it increases trust between users, developers, and advertisers. Federighi also said that similar concerns had been raised in the past about new privacy features, but they did not result in long-term issues, and eventually became widespread across the industry:

We introduced intelligent tracking prevention, several years ago, and at the time, parts of the ad industry were saying that the sky was going to be falling in and that their business was going to be destroyed by the fact that they couldn't track everyone from website to website to website. Well, in fact, if you look at what happened to the industry, that didn't happen at all, and yet we also protected user privacy.

Federighi also noted that Apple is not the largest manufacturer in most markets and implied that customers can choose whether or not they want to buy an Apple device:

If we sell cars without airbags, and we decided to put airbags in our cars before someone else did, and customers want to buy those, I think it's great that we've provided that that choice. We're not waiting for someone to require we do it, we're making that part of what it means to use our platform.

Federighi confirmed that Apple's decision to postpone the feature was singularly due to the concerns of some developers who feared that opting out of ad tracking would impact how their apps work, rather than disputes with the ad industry.

Although Apple has not announced any further privacy protection features that could affect the ad industry, Federighi said "we're going to watch and see what happens and try to make sure that we can keep the ecosystem healthy," hinting that more changes could be made in the future.

Finally, Federighi pointed to some of Apple's privacy features that have benefited users in the past, while still preserving the needs of the ad industry. He specifically mentioned the SKAdNetwork tool, which allows developers to track when an ad had led to a sale of a product, which has become a key metric for many advertisers, saying "we created a framework for doing that in a privacy-protecting way."

Future updates, he said, could bring more ways for the ad industry to "improve their ability to do effective advertising while preserving privacy, and we want to work technically on solutions to make that more and more effective."

Read the full interview at The Independent.

OWC has announced that its upcoming Thunderbolt Hub will be compatible with all Apple M1 and Intel Macs equipped with Thunderbolt 3 ports and running macOS Big Sur, offering users the ability to expand the number of available Thunderbolt ports.

The OWC Thunderbolt Hub connects to a host computer over a Thunderbolt 3/4 port and provides three additional Thunderbolt ports (which are also compatible with USB-C) and one USB-A port. Each of the three downstream Thunderbolt ports can host its own daisy chain of peripherals and support transport speeds of up to 40Gb/s, subject to the overall limit of 40 Gb/s for the connection from the host computer.

The upstream Thunderbolt port can provide up to 60 watts of power to the host computer, which would be enough for a MacBook Air or a 13-inch MacBook Pro, but wouldn't be able to fully support a 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌. The downstream ports can provide up to 15 watts for bus-powered Thunderbolt peripherals.

The OWC Thunderbolt Hub is priced at $149.99 and is available for pre-order now ahead of an early December launch.

Apple and Microsoft are working on adding support for the Xbox Series X controller to Apple devices, according to an Apple Support page spotted by a Reddit user.

The support page states that Apple devices only support the Xbox Wireless Controller with Bluetooth, Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, Xbox Adaptive Controller, PlayStation DualShock 4 Wireless Controller, and various other MFi Bluetooth controllers. However, small print on the page states:

Microsoft and Apple are working together to bring compatibility for the Xbox Series X controller to customers in a future update.

Support for gaming controllers on Apple devices allows for better control in supported games from Apple Arcade or the App Store, navigation on the Apple TV, and more.

There is no mention of the Sony PlayStation 5 DualSense Controller or the Amazon Luna Controller on the Apple Support page, but MacRumors has spotted code mentioning the controllers in the iOS and iPadOS 14.3 betas.

In a recent interview with CNET's Scott Stein, Apple's head of augmented reality and virtual reality initiatives Mike Rockwell said AR has "enormous potential" across both "devices that exist today" and "devices that may exist tomorrow."

"AR has enormous potential to be helpful to folks in their lives across devices that exist today, and devices that may exist tomorrow, but we've got to make sure that it is successful," Rockwell told Stein. "For us, the best way to do that is to enable our device ecosystem, so that it is a healthy and profitable place for people to invest their time and effort."

Apple is widely rumored to be developing both an AR/VR headset and glasses, but with neither product expected to be released until 2022 at the earliest, Apple continues to play up AR/VR technology in more vague terms. Apple and its CEO Tim Cook have repeatedly referred to AR as "big" and "profound" over the years.

"There's a lot more we can do, especially related to our understanding of the environment that is around us," Rockwell said. "We can recognize people, but if you think about what a human being can understand about an environment, there's no reason that in the fullness of time a device can't have that level of understanding, too, and provide that to developers."

"We'll be working together with the blind and partially sighted communities to improve specifically on the people-detection side," added Allessandra McGinnis, Apple's senior product manager for AR, referring to potential accessibility features.

The whole interview reads like yet another tease of the so-called "Apple Glasses":

"A few years from now, it'll be one of those things where you kind of can't remember living without it, just like the internet," said Rockwell, referring to AR. "You're going to feel like, wow, I'm using this on a regular basis … it will become just integrated into our lives."

In May, reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that "Apple Glasses" will launch in 2022 at the earliest and provide an "innovative" user experience.