MacRumors

We're still a week away from the launch of the iPhone 13, but rumors about the next-generation iPhone 14 models are already circulating and have picked up this week.

We've been hearing about a no-notch hole-punch display design since March, which was reiterated this morning by leaker Jon Prosser. Apple is expected to ditch the notch in favor of a hole-punch camera, and to facilitate that design, display analyst Ross Young says that Apple is also working on an under-display Face ID feature.

Young first shared his predictions for under-display ‌Face ID‌ in June, but highlighted them again today following the earlier iPhone 14 leaks. According to Young, Apple is working on under-display ‌Face ID‌ for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models.

Given that the iPhone 14 models are still under development, under display ‌Face ID‌ has not been finalized and could still be scrapped, and in that situation, Apple would likely be forced to revert to a notch-style design. If we don't see under-display ‌Face ID‌ in 2022, it could instead come in 2023.

Young has also been unclear on whether Apple will implement under-display Touch ID or under-display ‌Face ID‌ and while both could be possibilities and have been rumored, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in late August that Apple is more invested in ‌Face ID‌ and wants to implement under-display ‌Face ID‌ capabilities rather than returning to ‌Touch ID‌.

Young believes that the notchless design will be limited to the Pro models, which is also something that we've heard from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The other iPhone models may continue to feature a notch design.

In addition to a notchless front design, Prosser claims the iPhone 14 models are going to feature a thicker rear chassis that eliminates the camera bump, making the camera flush with the iPhone's body for the first time in years, which is the first that we've heard of concerning a rear camera design.

Round buttons, a titanium frame, and redesigned speaker and microphone grilles are also possibilities.

Prior iPhone 14 rumors have suggested that Apple is doing away with the smallest 5.4-inch iPhone as the iPhone 12 mini has proven to be surprisingly unpopular with users. Instead, rumors suggest that we're going to get two 6.1-inch iPhones and two 6.7-inch iPhones, which would amount to an iPhone 14, an iPhone 14 Max, an iPhone 14 Pro, and an iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Twitter today announced the launch of a new "Communities" feature that's meant to take on Facebook's popular Groups by providing a space where people can share discussions on a specific topic.

An invite-only feature at the current time, Communities are created by Twitter users and are self-moderated. Community creators who are invited by Twitter to participate can invite an unlimited number of users to their group.

Members of a Community will see a new option to choose an audience in the tweet composer, allowing them to tweet to all of their followers or just to those followers who participate in the Community.

Tweets shared to a Community will show up in the Community and in the timelines of other members of the group. Communities are not private and can be viewed by others on Twitter, but only members can participate.

On iOS devices, Communities can be accessed through the navigation bar, and on the web, there's a Communities option on the sidebar.

Starting today, there are a handful of Communities available such as #DogTwitter and #SkinCareTwitter, but Twitter is planning for more to be created each week and those interested in starting a Community can apply on the Twitter website.

While we're likely just six days away from Apple unveiling the iPhone 13 lineup at its confirmed September 14 event, leaker Jon Prosser has shared alleged details about next year's iPhone 14 on his Front Page Tech website.

Prosser's information comes specifically from the "iPhone 14 Pro Max" model, and key features based on renders created by Ian Zelbo include:

• No notch, with a hole-punch front camera instead, in line with information shared by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo
• A thicker chassis allowing for no rear camera bump, with the lenses, LED flash, and LiDAR Scanner sitting flush with the rear glass
• A titanium frame
• Round volume buttons that look similar to those on older iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 models
• Redesigned speaker and microphone grilles with elongated mesh cutouts instead of individual holes on the bottom of the device
• Lightning connector remains on at least some iPhone 14 models

Prosser provided a closer look at the iPhone 14 renders on his YouTube channel:

Prosser said that while some aspects of the iPhone 14's design and dimensions could change between now and the device's likely release in September 2022, he is confident that the overall design will remain largely the same when mass production begins.

Prosser was recently accurate about Apple launching a colorful new iMac, and he revealed the design of the AirTag prior to its release, but he has been wrong about the launch timing and pricing of some other Apple products.

As a result of legal and regulatory pressures, Apple recently announced some upcoming changes to its App Store policies, such as letting developers email customers about payment options available outside of their iOS app and allowing "reader" apps like Spotify and Netflix to include an in-app link to their website for account signup.

Apple said the changes "will help make the App Store an even better business opportunity for developers," but Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty believes there will be "minimal financial impact" to Apple. In a research note, she said the changes would result in just a 1-2% hit to Apple's earnings per share in the 2022 fiscal year in a worst case scenario.

For example, while "reader" apps will be able to provide a single link to their website to help users set up and manage their account, which could result in more customers subscribing to an app directly instead of through Apple's in-app purchase system, Huberty notes that Spotify and Netflix already disabled the ability for new users to subscribe to their services through Apple's in-app purchase system since 2016 and 2018 respectively, meaning Apple hasn't collected a commission on new subscriptions to either app for at least three years.

Huberty added that App Store revenue from the top 10 "reader" apps accounts for less than 8% of overall App Store revenue, suggesting the financial risk to Apple from these developers circumventing the in-app purchase system is "fairly small."

"We view the top 10 or so apps as those that are most likely to have the scale, brand, marketing budget, and customer loyalty to absorb the friction of circumventing the App Store payments platform," she wrote. "Assuming a worst case scenario in which Apple stopped collecting economics from all of the top 20 reader apps translates to downside risk of 4% of Services revenue, 1% of total company revenue, and about 2% of FY22 EPS forecast."

"In other words, we believe the recent App Store headlines are more attention grabbing than the ultimate financial impact to Apple's revenue or profitability," she concluded.

Huberty believes Apple has no intention to bring these changes to gaming apps either, despite having faced a lawsuit from Fortnite maker Epic Games, which accused Apple of having a monopoly over the sale of apps and in-app purchases through the App Store. A decision in that lawsuit is expected to be announced soon.

The leaker Max Weinbach has today shared a series of rumors about Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 models, Apple Watch Series 7, and third-generation AirPods via his Twitter account @PineLeaks.

Weinbach's most notable iPhone 13 rumors from his latest tweets are listed below:

• No price rises for the iPhone 13 lineup.
• The iPhone 13 mini will offer approximately one additional hour of battery life.
• The iPhone 13 Pro Max will feature an 18 to 20 percent larger battery compared to the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
• Both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro will continue to use the same battery components as last year, but offer batteries that are 10 percent larger.
• The battery life of the iPhone 13 Pro may be worse than the iPhone 13 due to the power consumption of the 120Hz-capable ProMotion display.
• The ProMotion displays of the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will throttle to 60Hz when Low Power Mode is enabled.
• The iPhone 13 Pro Max will continue to offer exclusive features that the iPhone 13 Pro will not have.
• The camera sensors across all models will be able to receive at least 15 percent more light, with the biggest increase on the Ultra Wide camera's sensor, with up to 40 percent more light.
• "Cinematic" portrait video mode will use an electronic image stabilization (EIS) known as "Warp." This mode will attempt to keep the subject in the center of the frame, use optical image stabilization in a more "smooth" operating mode, and offer additional effects.
• Night Mode will recognize when stars are in the frame and adjust settings accordingly. A new algorithm analyses structures, resharpens, and adjusts shadows. The color science of ‌Night Mode‌ will also be "visibly" improved.

According to Weinbach, Apple's third-generation AirPods will feature a charging case with a 20 percent larger battery compared to the second-generation AirPods, but will offer wireless charging as standard. The batteries inside each individual AirPod will also be around the same size as previous models. The sound quality is said to be largely the same as the second-generation AirPods, but with slightly improved bass and low-end.

Weinbach added that the Apple Watch Series 7 is set to see the Apple Watch's biggest improvement in battery life yet.

It is worth noting that Weinbach has a mixed to poor track record. Previous reports from Weinbach are littered with large numbers of claims that never panned out, such as the insistence that the iPhone 12 would feature a 120Hz display, bigger batteries, improved Face ID, and improved optical zoom. There have also been incorrect rumors about a native iPad Calculator app in iOS 13, iPhone displays that work under water, Dark Mode being delayed, and a HomePod launch in Austria and Italy within 2019, to name a few.

Last year, directly ahead of the iPhone 12 event, Weinbach issued a wave of detailed "leaks" about the iPhone 12 lineup that were similar to this thread. Virtually none of the rumors from the equivalent tweet thread last year came true. Despite these ultimately incorrect rumors, Weinbach correctly predicted that the iPhone 12 would feature a new blue color option last year.

Weinbach has been vocal about what can be expected from the iPhone 13 lineup, contributing to three detailed reports from over the last year. Indeed, many of the more popular rumors around the upcoming devices have come from Weinbach, such as astrophotography features, an always-on display, stronger MagSafe magnets, a matte black color option and a potential bronze color option, an anti-fingerprint coating, and reverse wireless charging. It is yet to be seen if his rumors will come to fruition this year at Apple's "California Streaming" special event on Tuesday, September 14.

Dutch bank de Volksbank has said it is bringing Apple Pay support to all its customers soon, including those of its subsidiary banks, reports iCulture.

De Volksbank is the parent company of SNS, ASN Bank, and RegioBank, all of which operate in the Netherlands. "‌Apple Pay‌ will be made possible for the customers of SNS, ASN Bank and RegioBank," a De Volksbank spokesperson told iCulture, adding "We can't share anything about timing at the moment."

Over a year and a half ago, SNS Bank indicated that it was in talks with Apple about offering support for ‌Apple Pay‌, but then the bank went silent on the matter. Today's development suggests those talks are finally coming to fruition.

‌Apple Pay‌ officially went live in The Netherlands in 2019, with ING leading the charge to bring Apple's digital payment system to debit and credit card users in the country.

Since then, other banks including Bunq, Monese, N26, Revolut, ABN AMRO, and Rabobank have all brought Apple Pay support to customers in The Netherlands, which suggested de Volksbank and its parent banks were being left behind.

According to Apple's regional ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ web page, ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ can be used in The Netherlands with several online and high street retailers including Adidas, ALDI, Amac, ARKET, BCC, Burger King, Capi, cool blue, COS, Decathlon, Douglas, H&M, Jumbo, Lidl, McDonalds, Starbucks, and others.

Ahead of next week's Apple event, which is expected to include the launch of the iPhone 13 lineup, a Chinese AI firm is asking a court to stop the production and sale of the iPhone in China, alleging that Siri infringes upon its patent, South China Morning Post reports.

Apple last year was hit with a $1.4 billion lawsuit from the Chinese AI firm Xiao-i Robot, which claims Apple violated its patent for a virtual assistant similar to ‌Siri‌. At the time, the firm had asked Apple to cease "manufacturing, using, promising to sell, selling, and importing" all products that "infringe" upon its patent, which would include all devices with ‌Siri‌.

In the latest escalation of its lawsuit, Xiao-i-Robot has asked a court in Shanghai to force Apple to end the production and sale of the iPhone. The AI firm announced it had applied for the preliminary injunction on its WeChat account just hours before Apple announced its "California Streaming" event for Tuesday, September 14.

Shanghai Zhizhen Intelligent Network Technology, also known as Xiao-i Robot, last Friday applied to the Shanghai Higher People's Court for a preliminary injunction to ban the manufacture, sale and export of iPhones containing Siri that infringe on its patent, according to the Chinese company's statement that was posted on its official WeChat account on Tuesday.

Xiao-i Robot chief executive Yuan Hui said in the statement that Apple did not respect its intellectual property. "Apple should immediately stop the infringement, take down and stop selling the related products," Yuan said.

If the court grants Xiao-i-Robot's injunction, it could significantly impact Apple's supply chain. While a ruling is unlikely to directly affect the iPhone 13 launch this month, it may impact future iPhone launches.

Apple, in a statement to South China Morning Post reiterated that ‌Siri‌ does not "contain features included in their patent, which relates to games and instant messaging" and further noted that local certified Chinese appraisers have "concluded that Apple does not infringe Xiao-i-Robot's technology."

Ahead of next week's Apple event, Apple has begun teasing iPhone users about upcoming iOS 15 features using a notification from the Tips app.

"See what's coming in iOS 15," reads the notification. "Learn about new features that will help you stay connected and find focus."

Tapping the notification takes users on a brief tour of upcoming features, including Voice Isolation, the new Shared With You section in apps, Safari Tab Groups, Live Text in Photos, systemwide translation, Focus mode, notification summaries, and augmented reality walking directions in Maps.

After viewing, the iOS 15 preview is showcased in the Collections section of the Tips app, above a similar preview Apple pushed out prior to the release of iOS 14.

Apple is expected to launch iOS 15 to the public this month, and new iPhone 13 units will likely ship with a pre-installed version of the operating system.

Historically, Apple has released new iOS versions about a week after its September event, but iOS 14 was released one day after Apple's September 15 "Time Flies" event in 2020.

This year's "California Streaming" fall event is on September 14, which means if iOS 14 is any indicator of the company's new release schedule, iOS 15 could come out as early as Wednesday, September 15. For all the details on what to expect in iOS 15, check out our dedicated roundup.

Twitter is testing "edge-to-edge" tweets that span the width of the timeline in its official iOS app, a move that would make viewing photos and videos a more full-screen experience.

As Twitter's demonstration shows, the change brings an Instagram-style look to tweeted media, making use of the dead space on either side of pictures, videos, and GIFs.

Twitter told The Verge that it's testing the change because it "wants to better support conversations that are both visual and text-based."

The test is being rolled out today with a limited number of users in order to test feedback, and Twitter has given no indication of when it would go live for all users if reaction to it turned out to be sufficiently positive.

Apple's entry-level iPad stocks are running low at retail stores and online, indicating an update to Apple's most affordable ‌iPad‌ could be in the offing and may even arrive as soon as this month.

Shipping times for the eighth-generation ‌iPad‌ have slipped into October with three to six week wait times, or are "currently unavailable" in the United States and other online markets, including China, Japan, and some countries in Europe.

With regard to the delays, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman says Apple has told retail employees "not to speculate why to consumers." Gurman adds: "Any guesses why?"

Gurman is alluding to rumors that Apple is near to launching a ninth-generation low-cost a 10.5-inch ‌iPad‌ with an updated A-series chip. The display size is expected to remain the same at 10.2 inches, but it is said to be thinner at 6.3mm, with a lighter overall design.

The tablet is rumored to include 4GB RAM with a Touch ID Home button and Lightning port. As with past versions of the ‌iPad‌, it will be aimed at students and those looking for an affordable tablet option.

Apple's seventh-generation and eighth-generation ‌iPad‌ models were both introduced at September events, and another one is right round the corner. Apple on Tuesday sent out invites to a "California Streaming" event on Tuesday, September 14, where it plans to debut the new iPhone 13 lineup, an Apple Watch Series 7, and possibly new AirPods.

Apple is also rumored to be working on a redesigned iPad mini, but that device is not expected to feature at next week's event. Apple is expected to hold multiple events in the remainder of this year, so we could see it in October or November instead.

A new unique #AppleEvent "hashflag" has surfaced on Twitter for next week's "California Streaming" all-digital Apple event to increase visibility and maximize hype on the social media network.

The custom Twitter hashtag includes a multi-colored Apple logo, and it's live as of 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Apple has used the little icons next to hashtags on Twitter for all its previous events since late last year. The company's first use of a hashflag was for its September 2020 event, when it announced the iPad Air and Apple Watch.

Twitter allows brands to add the custom emojis next to hashtags as a marketing strategy. According to Agency Creative, each one can cost upwards of one million dollars, and they are commonly used for large events like the Super Bowl or holidays.

Apple's event is set to take place on Tuesday, September 14, where it is expected to announce the new iPhone 13 lineup alongside the Apple Watch Series 7.

Doug Field, Apple's Vice President of Special Projects, is leaving Apple and abandoning his work on the Apple Car in favor of a position at Ford, Ford announced today.

Field has jumped from company to company in recent years, and since 2018, he has been leading Apple Car development alongside Bob Mansfield and John Giannandrea, who took over leadership for the project in late 2020. Prior to joining Apple in 2018, Field worked at Tesla and oversaw the production of the Model 3.

Before working at Tesla, Field was Apple's Vice President of Mac Hardware Engineering, so this is the second time he has departed the Cupertino company. In total, he spent eight and a half years at Apple.

Field is returning to Ford, which is actually where he kicked off his career as a development engineer. He's also had stints at Johnson & Johnson, DEKA, and Segway. At Ford, Field will serve as chief advanced technology and embedded systems officer where he will work on AI, software, and hardware.

Work on the Apple Car could see a major setback with Field's departure, as the project has suffered from multiple leadership issues over the years. Field's return to Apple was largely seen as a major factor in Apple's decision to manufacture a full Apple Car rather than scaling the project back to a software focus.

That said, AI chief John Giannandrea is still leading the project, and Apple also recently brought on Apple Watch lead Kevin Lynch to oversee the Apple Car development. We're not expecting to see an Apple Car until the mid to late 2020s at the earliest, so Apple still has some time to work out ongoing leadership woes.

One of the splashier car introductions for this year is the relaunch of the iconic Jeep Wagoneer brand as an all-new full-size SUV to compete against the likes of the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. The new 2022 Jeep Wagoneer is also available as a Grand Wagoneer, but rather than being a larger version of an already large SUV, the "Grand" designation is used to represent higher trim lines and some minor changes to styling.

Jeep invited me up to New York City recently to take a look at the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, which have gone all-in on technology with up to nine LCD screens scattered throughout the vehicle and new Fire TV integration that takes rear entertainment to the next level. And of course, there's wireless CarPlay through the beefed-up Uconnect 5 infotainment system.

Main Infotainment Screens

Kicking things off with the main infotainment experience, the Wagoneer certainly isn't the only vehicle on the market to feature two screens in the center stack and console area, but Jeep is definitely doing some interesting things with the setup.

➜ Click here to read more...

Apple today released a second revised version of the AirTags firmware that was first provided to AirTags owners in late August. The new internal build number is 1A291e, up from 1A291c from the prior revision.

There's no word on what's included in the new firmware and no new features were found following the first release, so it likely focuses on bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements.

Apple does not provide an option to force an AirTag update, as it's something that's done over-the-air through a connected iPhone. To make sure the update happens, you can put your ‌AirTag‌ in range of your ‌‌iPhone‌‌, but you have to wait for the firmware to roll out to your device.

For ‌AirTag‌ firmware releases, Apple appears to have a system that limits the number of people who see the update with each deployment to meter the rollout of the software. Today's firmware update jumps to a 25 percent rollout level, up from 10 percent with the prior version of the firmware.

You can check your current ‌AirTag‌ firmware version using the Find My app, with instructions available in our how to.

Hulu today informed customers that it is planning to raise the price of its ad-supported and ad-free on-demand plans by $1, an increase that will impact both new and existing subscribers.

The ad-supported plan, which costs $5.99, is going up to $6.99 per month, while the ad-free plan will be priced at $12.99, up from $11.99. The pricing changes are set to go into effect on October 8.

Pricing on the Disney Bundle that includes access to Hulu ad-supported content, Disney+, and ESPN+ is not changing, and it will continue to be available for $13.99. The Disney Bundle with ad-free Hulu is still $19.99.

Now that there's a $1 price difference between the ad-free Hulu subscription and the lower tier Disney Bundle, customers may be more willing to choose the Disney bundle to get access to all three Disney streaming services. As Variety points out, the bundle now provides a 36 percent discount compared to separate subscriptions.

The Hulu + Live TV plans are also not changing in price at this time and continue to start at $64.99 per month.

Hulu has never before raised the price of its ad-supported tier, and in 2019, dropped the cost from $7.99 per month to $5.99 per month. Hulu is still competitively priced with Netflix, which is priced starting at $8.99 for a basic plan and goes all the way up to $17.99 per month for the premium tier.