Codeweavers posted a blog post and video tonight showing off CrossOver running on an Apple M1MacBook Air. This video shows Team Fortress 2 running on a new M1 MacBook Air:
CrossOver is software (based on Wine Project) that runs Microsoft Windows apps on the Mac by translating Windows APIs into their Mac equivalents. The Codeweavers team was able to run the current version of CrossOver on the new Apple M1 MacBook Air under Rosetta 2 to achieve this feat.
That's incredible when you consider that we're on literally the cheapest Apple Silicon device you can buy - one that gets thermally throttled and is missing a GPU core.
I can't tell you how cool that is; there is so much emulation going on under the covers. Imagine - a 32-bit Windows Intel binary, running in a 32-to-64 bridge in Wine / CrossOver on top of macOS, on an ARM CPU that is emulating x86 - and it works! This is just so cool.
Codeweavers maintains a compatibility database so you can see what might work under CrossOver. They were also able to run Quicken, Among Us, and Witcher 3.
Apple promised that its new Fitness+ service would launch before the end of the year, and it appears that the feature will be added to iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2.
As noted on the MacRumors forums, the current watchOS 7.2 beta that was released this morning has a splash screen with what's new, and Apple Fitness+ is listed as one of the features.
The first iOS 14.3 beta also had an unfinished mention of Apple Fitness+ in the Analytics portion of the Privacy settings, but it has since been removed.
Given that we're expecting iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2 to come out right around the beginning of December, it matches up with Apple's late 2020 launch timeline for Fitness+.
Apple first announced Fitness+ alongside the Apple Watch Series 6. Priced at $9.99 per month and included in the highest tier Apple One bundle, Fitness+ is designed to help Apple Watch owners keep fit through a series of guided workouts.
Apple appears to have released a revised version of iOS 14.2 that's available to those who have an iPhone 12 device and who have not previously installed the iOS 14.2 update.
It's not clear why Apple has released a new version of iOS 14.2, but it may include minor bug fixes, perhaps for installation issues. The updated software has a build number of 18B111, while the original release has a build number of 18B92.
The update will show up under General > Software Updates for new iPhone 12 owners who still have iOS 14.1 installed. New iPhone 12 models come with iOS 14.1.
Apple originally released iOS 14.2 on November 5, with the update adding new emoji characters, a Control Center Music Recognition toggle, new wallpapers, Intercom support, and more.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is Apple's most expensive and most advanced iPhone this year, offering camera technology that's not present in any of the other iPhones in the 2020 lineup. The iPhone 12 Pro Max features a larger sensor for the wide-angle camera, DSLR-like stabilization, and a longer telephoto lens.
Sebastiaan de With, the developer behind camera app Halide who often do detailed looks at new camera features in iPhones, has shared an in-depth account of the updated hardware in the iPhone 12 Pro Max and what that means for camera quality.
The blog post shared by de With has a great visualization of the larger sensor in the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which is 47 percent larger than the sensor in the prior-generation iPhone. The sensor lets in more light, resulting in less noise and sharper results.
As with other camera tests, straight out of the camera comparison shots during the daytime featuring the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro Max do not show a major difference, and according to Halide's developers, this is because the larger sensor primarily shines in lower lighting conditions.
In lower lighting, such as during sunset, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is able to pull out more detail, but Apple's own camera algorithms have enough noise reduction that the difference is tough to see. A comparison of RAW photos, however, shows a more stark difference between the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the iPhone 12 because Apple's noise reduction isn't a factor.
de With believes that the iPhone 12 Pro Max could stand to have less processing to "show off its higher signal to noise ratio," and when shooting in RAW, the iPhone 12 Pro Max demonstrates a "big leap ahead in image quality."
Sensor-shift stabilization, which applies stabilization directly to the sensor, also helps the iPhone 12 Pro Max put out significantly better images in lower lighting because it works more quickly. The iPhone 12 Pro Max can manage longer shutter times in a handheld mode than are possible with a DSLR, which de With describes as "very cool stuff."
Photo by Halide developer Sebastiaan de With. Night Mode on iPhone 12 Pro Max, an unsteady iPhone 12 Pro RAW, and an unsteady iPhone 12 Pro Max RAW.
With a traditional DSLR, nobody would dare take a one-second photos handheld. Yet the iPhone 12 Pro Max can take sharp images at ridiculous exposure times.
In this last comparison, you can see that Night Mode can get this shot, but it sacrifices lots of fine detail and makes the scene look a bit unnatural. The iPhone 12 Pro, with its more basic stabilization, can't get a steady frame. It would be impossible to get a shot like this on the iPhone 12, 11 Pro, or heck, the high-end digital cameras I have lying around the studio.
All in all, de With says that the iPhone 12 Pro Max marks a huge leap forward in camera quality, especially for advanced users.
As developers of a camera app, the results mind-blowing. It achieves images previously only seen in dedicated cameras, with sensors four times its size. It allows photographers to get steady and well exposed shots in conditions that weren't imaginable a year ago. It captures low-light shots beyond anything we've seen on an iPhone. By a lot.
Google today announced a total overhaul of its Google Pay apps designed for iOS and Android devices, with a new emphasis on keeping track of finances and managing financial relationships with people and businesses.
The updated Google Pay app will display the friends and businesses you interact with most often rather than a simple list of all transactions. Built-in tools allow for splitting expenses and calculating totals with another person, and the Google Pay app can be used to order food, buy gas, and more.
Integrated coupons and promo codes are included, and these can be activated with a tap. For those who have a bank account or cards connected to Google Pay, the app will now provide periodic spending summaries and show trends and insights over time, similar to how Apple Card works in the Wallet app on iOS devices.
Starting in 2021, Google plans to further enhance Google Pay with a new mobile-first banking experience. Google is partnering with 11 financial institutions for "Plex," a bank account integrated in Google Pay.
Plex accounts are offered by banks and credit unions and include checking and savings accounts with no monthly fees or overdraft charges. Plex accounts through Google Pay will be available to customers when the feature launches. Apple has an integrated credit card that works with Apple Pay, the Apple Card, but there is no similar feature for a full bank account.
Apple's New M1 Macs began arriving to customers earlier this week, and since the M1 Apple Silicon is an entirely new chip architecture that's a major departure from the Intel chips that Apple has used for years, there's a lot to learn about the new machines.
We've rounded up some useful Apple M1 tidbits below, which apply to the new Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro and will be useful for new Mac owners.
Running x86 Apps Homebrew Apps
The developers behind the Notion app for Macs shared a blog post on getting homebrew or other terminal apps that don't have Arm support to run on an Apple Silicon Mac. The steps are as follows:
Create a duplicate of the Terminal app in the Utilities folder.
Right click on the app and choose Get Info.
Rename the other version of the app into something recognizable.
Check off the "open using Rosetta" option.
That's all there is to it. Once Open using Rosetta is selected, homebrew apps can be run in the Terminal on Apple Silicon Macs.
Running iOS Apps Using .ipa Files
MacRumors reader Amy tells us that she's able to run iOS apps that are not available on the Mac App Store on Apple Silicon apps using .ipa files.
Legitimate .ipa files that are downloaded from iTunes or something like an iMazing backup can be double-clicked and installed on an Apple Silicon Mac and they run as if they're on an iOS device. Amy says that she's used this method to install Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Spotify, and more, even though those apps are not available through the Mac App Store.
Universal and Native Apple Silicon Apps
Looking for apps that are able to run natively on Apple Silicon Macs without the need for Rosetta 2? Our forums has an extensive list of all of the apps that have been updated for the Apple M1 chip, and it's worth checking out if you're looking for software that's going to have the best performance.
Apps updated with support include Affinity Photo and Designer, Aviary, HandBrake, coconutBattery, iStat Menus, OmniFocus, Pixelmator Pro, and tons more.
Gaming on Apple Silicon
Wondering how games run on an Apple Silicon Mac? A reddit user took the time to benchmark and test a long list of popular games to see how they run on an M1 Mac mini with 8GB RAM. Test games include League of Legends, Cities: Skylines, Starcraft 2, World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, and more.
How to Get to macOS Recovery
On Intel Macs, you hold Command R when turning on the Mac to get to macOS Recovery for reinstalling macOS, accessing Disk Utility, or restoring from a Time Machine backup.
On an Apple Silicon Mac, you can still get to macOS Recovery, but the key presses are different. Turn on the Mac, press and hold the power button until the startup options window comes up, and then click on the gear icon that's labeled "Options."
More Tips
Know of a useful M1 Mac tip that we've left out? Let us know in the comments and we'll add it to the list.
Google today updated its Gmail app designed for the iPhone and the iPad, introducing a new widget that can be added to the Today center alongside other widgets or to the Home Screen on an iPhone.
After updating, the Gmail widget can be added to the Home Screen by pressing and holding to enter jiggle mode and then tapping the "+" button. From there, scroll down and tap on Gmail to add the widget, using a finger to drag it to the appropriate spot.
The Gmail widget can be used to search within the Gmail app, compose a new email message, or view unread email messages. It provides shortcuts for these tasks only and does not list sensitive email information nor can it be customized with other functionality.
Apple in iOS 14.3 is streamlining the Home Screen customization process by simplifying the way that app shortcuts work. With the launch of iOS 14, users quickly discovered that Shortcuts could be used to replace traditional app icons to create an entirely customized Home Screen look.
Unfortunately, while these Home Screens created with Shortcuts looked fantastic, the experience was less than ideal because launching an app through shortcuts required the Shortcuts app to open briefly, slowing the app opening process. In iOS 14.3 beta 2, that's no longer the case because shortcuts no longer have to route through the Shortcuts app.
As Reddit users discovered after installing yesterday's beta, launching an app through Shortcuts on the Home Screen in iOS 14.3 pops up a banner at the top of the display, but the full Shortcuts app no longer opens, so there's less of a delay when using a custom icon to launch apps.
The simplification of the shortcut opening process from the Home Screen will be a welcome change for those who have opted to customize their Home Screens with a whole set of custom icons, as the experience is much more similar to opening a standard app without Shortcuts.
Fantastic change in iOS 14.3 beta 2 – shortcuts added to the Home Screen now use compact UI and don't launch the Shortcuts app anymore.
Which means custom icons like our own MacStories Shortcuts Icons will now run shortcuts in-place, just like widgets 😍https://t.co/9J47uU6ZlNpic.twitter.com/aHAS8iD0BW
— Federico Viticci (@viticci) November 18, 2020
Apple has seeded two betas of iOS 14.3 at this time, and it's likely that the update will see an official release in December. Those who want to try out the Shortcut feature now can do so through Apple's public beta option.
In an internal document 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.
In the document, shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers this week, 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.
There have been complaints about this new issue in the MacRumors forums and Apple Support Communities since shortly after iPhone 12 models launched. The issue can affect the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Based on customer reports, the issue appears to occur when the display brightness is set to around 90% or lower. Many users are experiencing the issue on iOS 14.1, iOS 14.2, and seemingly even the first two iOS 14.3 betas. The flickering or glowing is not always persistent, disappearing after a short time for some customers.
If and when the issue is addressed, or we learn more, we'll update this article accordingly.
Earlier this year, several states launched an investigation into Apple's iPhone "throttling" practices, aiming to determine whether Apple's slowing of older iPhones through power management "violated deceptive trade practice laws."
The investigation has now concluded, and Apple has opted to pay $113 million to settle the matter, reports The Washington Post. Apple has also agreed to be more transparent about similar changes to iOS devices in the future, providing more detail about battery health and power management.
In a statement, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said that he's committed to preventing tech companies from manipulating consumers.
"Big Tech must stop manipulating consumers and tell them the whole truth about their practices and products. I'm committed to holding these goliath technology companies to account if they conceal the truth from their users."
The investigation involved 34 states and the District of Columbia, and it concerned the 2017 controversy that Apple was embroiled in after quietly adding a power management feature to iPhones in iOS 10.2.1.
Apple's feature was meant to eliminate unexpected shutdowns that older iPhones were experiencing due to exhausted batteries, but it did so through throttling the maximum performance of devices with chemically aged batteries.
Apple did not disclose the throttling when releasing the updates, and customers were outraged when it was discovered that iPhone performance was being downgraded. While Apple said that it implemented the feature to make sure iPhones lasted as long as possible even as the battery began to fail, customers and regulators saw it as evidence of planned obsolescence.
After the throttling was discovered, Apple apologized and launched a battery replacement program that saw the company offering batteries for older devices for $29. Replacing a failing battery successfully fixes the problem that leads to shutdowns.
Apple offered lower-cost batteries for a year, and also added new battery management features to iOS that encourage customers to replace their battery when needed and allow throttling to be shut off. Apple has also already shelled out $500 million to settle a class action lawsuit over the issue.
Amazon today introduced $50 discounts on Apple's new M1-enabled 13-inch MacBook Pros, starting at $1,249.99 for the 256GB model, down from $1,299.00. This is one of the first notable discounts on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, following savings offered by Expercom earlier in the month, which have now mostly sold out.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Secondly, you can get the 512GB MacBook Pro for $1,449.99, down from $1,499.00. Shoppers should note that Amazon is seeing delayed shipping estimates due to the demand for these models. Some begin to ship on November 26, while others showcase a two to four week shipping estimate.
There's also a chance to save on the M1-enabled MacBook Air, but only in one configuration. You can get the 512GB notebook in Gold for $1,199.99, down from $1,249.00. Again, this device has a two to four week shipping estimate, but if you place an order for any of these products today on Amazon you can lock in the price ahead of their shipping dates.
You can find even more discounts on other MacBooks by visiting our Best Deals guide for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. In this guide we track the steepest discounts for the newest MacBook models every week, so be sure to bookmark it and check back often if you're shopping for a new Apple notebook.
Apple todays seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Big Sur 11.1 update to public beta testers, with the beta coming a day after the developer release and two weeks after the launch of macOS Big Sur 11.0.1, the release version of the software.
Beta testers who signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the macOS Big Sur beta through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile.
Mac users who want to be a part of Apple's beta testing program can sign up to participate on the beta website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS betas.
There's no word yet on what's included in macOS Big Sur 11.1, but it likely includes performance improvements, security updates, and fixes for bugs that weren't able to be addressed in the release version of macOS Big Sur. No significant new feature changes were discovered in the first developer beta.
Peanuts specials "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" will air on broadcast TV after all, with Apple planning to provide them ad-free on PBS and PBS Kids on November 22, 2020 and December 13, 2020, respectively.
Apple's decision to air the specials on PBS comes following a petition from Peanuts fans unhappy with Apple gaining rights to the Peanuts content through its partnership with Wildbrain. The petition ultimately garnered more than 250,000 signatures.
Apple had planned to provide access to the specials for free through the Apple TV app, but petitioners called on the Cupertino company to bring the specials back to traditional broadcast television. Those who want to watch the Peanuts specials on television instead of through the Apple TV app will now be able to do so on select dates.
"Peanuts" fans will have even more ways to watch Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang on their holiday adventures as Apple and PBS team up for special ad-free broadcasts of "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas." To complement their release on Apple TV+ this holiday season, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" will also air on PBS and PBS KIDS on November 22, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. local time / 6:30 p.m. CT and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" will air on PBS and PBS KIDS on December 13, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. local time / 6:30 p.m. CT.
Apple also plans to stream the Peanuts specials ad-free on Apple TV. Apple will air "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" starting on November 18, and it will be free for everyone from November 25 to November 27.
"A Charlie Brown Christmas" will be available on Apple TV+ starting on December 4, and it will be free to watch from December 11 to December 13.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.2 beta to developers for testing purposes, one week after the release of the first beta and two weeks after the launch of watchOS 7.1.
To install the watchOS 7.2 beta, developers need to download the proper configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 7.2 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update. To update to the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.
watchOS 7.2 introduces a new Cardio Fitness feature for the Apple Watch, and Apple says that the cardio fitness metric are a "strong indicator of overall health." The feature measures VO2 max, or the maximum amount of oxygen that your body is able to consume during exercise. Measurements are done over time, and the Apple Watch and iPhone are able to send notifications to let you know about fluctuations in your VO2 max.
Cardio Fitness can be accessed through a new trend that’s been added to the Activity app, and it can be set up in the Health app on iPhone. Cardio fitness levels are available for users age 20 and above, and are estimated by age.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 14.3 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming one week after Apple released the first beta.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 14.3 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode.
Other than new releases, tvOS updates are often minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. There's no word yet on what's included in tvOS 14.3 update, but we'll update this article should anything new be found. Nothing new was discovered in the first beta.
Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.
As more customers get their hands on the first Apple Silicon Macs, we continue to see some interesting performance and battery life tests surface based on real-world usage situations, with the latest including Zoom video calling.
MacRumors forum member "acidfast7_redux," who resides in the UK, spent most of their work day today on Zoom video calls using their new MacBook Air with the M1 chip and 8GB of memory. After a 2.5 hour video call, they say their battery life dropped by 17%, and after a second 36 minute video call, their battery life dropped by 7%, meaning that Zoom ultimately consumed roughly 10-13% of battery life per hour.
finishing the day at the office now:
09.11 to 17.25 (8h14m) battery went from 100% down to 28%
time breakdown for the office part of the day was:
4h33m Zoom meetings (just closed Zoom for the first time since opening it this morning at 10.00) 3h01m web browsing / MS Office / emails 45m sleep (just closed lid and left the office)
These numbers are impressive given that Zoom has yet to introduce native support for Apple Silicon Macs, so the app is currently running through Apple's translation layer Rosetta 2 on Macs with the M1 chip. Zoom is known to be quite the battery hog on Intel-based Macs, so Apple Silicon's power efficiency gains will be much welcomed.
Apple revealed its plans to begin using its own chips in Macs at WWDC 2020 in June, promising industry-leading performance per watt. Apple expects the transition away from Intel processors to take about two years to be completed.
Apple's newly released HomePod mini features a USB-C power cord that plugs into a separate power adapter, and there was speculation that the cord could perhaps be removed, but that's not the case.
In a home teardown, MacRumors forum member ouimetnick found that the power cord is not meant to come out and it is not replaceable if it is removed.
The standard HomePod also comes with a cord that's not meant to be removed, but it can technically be pulled out with enough force and then reattached. That does not appear to be the case with the HomePod mini, and attempting to remove the cable can lead to damage to the speaker.
The quick home teardown also walks through disassembling the HomePod mini and shows off the built in S5 chip that powers the device. Most people won't need to open up the HomePod mini, but it's a useful look inside in lieu of iFixit's traditional teardown.
Apple's battery health management feature cannot be disabled on Apple Silicon Macs, as there is no toggle switch for this in System Preferences on these machines.
Battery health management cannot be disabled on Apple Silicon-based Macs
Introduced in macOS Catalina version 10.15.5, the battery health management system is designed to improve the lifespan of a Mac notebook's battery by reducing the rate at which it chemically ages. The feature achieves this by monitoring the battery's temperature history and its charging patterns, and temporarily reducing the battery's maximum charging capacity as necessary, according to Apple.
The feature can still be disabled on Intel-based Macs, but Apple warns this may reduce the battery's lifespan. On macOS Big Sur, navigate to System Preferences > Battery > Battery > Battery Health… and uncheck "Manage battery longevity." On macOS Catalina, the checkbox is located in System Preferences > Energy Saver > Battery Health…
Battery health management can be disabled on Intel-based Macs
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