MacRumors

Amid long waiting times for the iPhone 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro around the world, Apple has reportedly placed large orders for older ‌iPhone‌ models and is reallocating iPad parts to make up for shortages, according to Nikkei Asia Review.

Demand for ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro in particular has been higher than expected, and the issue has reportedly been compounded by supply constraints for specific parts such as power chips and LiDAR components.

Apple is said to be reallocating components from ‌iPad‌ models to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro in an effort to prioritize supply shortages, according to two sources of Nikkei Asia. This has ostensibly affected around two million ‌iPad‌ units, scuppering Apple's ‌iPad‌ production plans for this year.

To "fill empty space on shelves," Apple is apparently also asking suppliers to prepare more than 20 million ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ SE, and ‌iPhone‌ XR models for the holiday shopping season and early next year.

The order is equivalent to more than a quarter of the orders Apple placed for the ‌iPhone‌ 12 series this year, which is speculated to be around 75 to 80 million units. Nikkei Asia claims that the orders for the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and the ‌iPhone‌ SE are close to around ten million units each and faring much better than expected with consumers.

Leaker known as "DuanRui" has today shared images from Chinese site 52audio of what appears to be redesigned third-generation AirPods.

According to translated text that accompanied the images, the first image supposedly depicts a single "earphone shell" and the "charging cockpit shell." The earbud itself seems to be completely redesigned compared to the first and second-generation AirPods, with a larger, rounder shape.

The third-generation AirPods are described as "a scaled-down version of AirPods Pro," with the "internal structure of the headset and charging box" being "basically the same."

A render of the two earbuds shows that they have clearly taken design cues from ‌AirPods Pro‌, with shorter stems and a larger in-ear portion, but without the ‌AirPods Pro‌'s detachable in-ear tips.

The third-generation AirPods will also apparently gain "pressure-sensitive touch" controls from ‌AirPods Pro‌, and this is indicated by depressions in the stem. Without in-ear tips, it is unlikely that they could achieve Active Noise Cancelation, which could serve to differentiate the two models.

Third-generation AirPods have been rumored for some time. The report states that the "AirPods Pro Lite" that were rumored earlier this year were in fact third-generation AirPods.

A recent report by Bloomberg surmised that third-generation AirPods would arrive next year with a design similar to ‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌, but minus high-end features such as Active Noise Cancelation.

Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also said that third-generation AirPods will launch in the first half of 2021 with a design and compact system-in-package "similar to ‌AirPods Pro‌." Manufacturers are also reportedly preparing for a 2021 launch.

Although the legitimacy of these images is not yet known, the similarity of the alleged images to a range of leaks from reliable sources is striking. The chances of the images being genuine may also be enhanced by the fact they were shared by DuanRui, who has accurately leaked the correct names of the iPhone 12 models and an iPad Air 4 manual revealing its new design.

Update: We've removed an x-ray image shared by 52audio that is clearly just a squished version of the ‌AirPods Pro‌ case. The original report did note that the "authenticity of this picture is in doubt," while the legitimacy of the other images included in the report remains unclear.

Apple is intending to produce 2.5 million MacBooks with Apple Silicon processors by February 2021, according to a new report by Nikkei Asian Review.

The initial production orders for the first MacBooks with ‌Apple Silicon‌ are reportedly equivalent to almost 20 percent of all 12.6 million MacBook shipments in 2019.

Nikkei Asia's sources stated that the ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips within the new MacBooks will be manufactured by TSMC using a five-nanometer fabrication process. This appears to corroborate other rumors that ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips for the Mac will be variants of the A14 chip from the iPad Air and iPhone 12, which is the only Apple chip made using a five-nanometer process so far.

The report claims that Apple will introduce further Mac devices with ‌Apple Silicon‌ in the second quarter of 2021, as Apple gradually replaces the Intel chips across its entire Mac lineup.

The first Macs with ‌Apple Silicon‌ are expected to be unveiled on Tuesday, November 10, at the "One More Thing..." Apple event.

Qualcomm earned $8.3 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the company's earnings report that was shared today. That's up 73 percent from the fourth quarter of 2019, with Qualcomm's strong performance due in part to the 5G chips used in the iPhone 12 and other smartphones on the market.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said that some of the Q4 earnings report reflected ‌iPhone‌ sales, but earnings will be more substantial in the next quarter. "Our investments in 5G are coming to fruition and showing benefits in our licensing and product businesses," said Mollenkopf.

Qualcomm also received a one-time payment of $1.8 billion from Huawei, but even without that revenue, Qualcomm's sales were up 35 percent year over year.

Apple and Qualcomm last year settled a vicious legal battle over licensing fees after it became clear Apple would not be able to rely on Intel chips for its 5G iPhones. Apple and Qualcomm signed a multi-year licensing deal and all of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models are equipped with Qualcomm's 5G modems.

Going forward, Apple plans to use Qualcomm chips for years to come. A recent Apple roadmap suggested the company plans to rely on Qualcomm's X60, X65, and X70 chips through at least 2023. Apple is, however, developing its own modem chips in house and at some point, may shift to its own technology.

Apple in 2019 purchased the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business for $1 billion, giving Apple new wireless technology patents and engineers with expertise in modem development. Intel's former chip team has joined Apple's cellular technologies group, and at the time, Apple chip chief Johny Srouji said that the purchase would allow Apple to expedite development on future products.

Apple's iPhone 12 Pro has successfully outperformed the Samsung Note 20 Ultra in a real world app speed test conducted by PhoneBuff, with the A14 chip and 6GB RAM winning out over the Snapdragon 856 chip and 12GB RAM in Samsung's smartphone.

The performance test measured how long it took each phone to open a series of apps. Each smartphone opened the same series of apps, including Facebook, the camera app, Microsoft apps, Adobe Rush, games, and more.

The ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro pulled well ahead in the portion of the test that included rendering video in Adobe Rush, and kept up the lead through launching several games. Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro finished the first "lap" of opening apps up in a minute and 41 seconds, while it took the Note 20 Ultra one minute and 55 seconds to complete the same tasks.

During the second lap, which measures how well the smartphones are able to keep apps running in the background, the ‌iPhone‌ finished in 42 seconds, while the Note 20 Ultra took 46 seconds.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra was the prior winner of app speed tests conducted by Phone Buff, but the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro is the new champion and the best performing smartphone available on the market today when it comes to that particular app speed test. According to PhoneBuff, it has been 20 months since an ‌iPhone‌ last held the top spot.

Korea's ETNews today reports that LG will supply Apple with Mini-LED displays for new iPad models set to launch in the first quarter of 2021. The report, highlighted by Patently Apple, claims that LG will likely begin mass production of the displays at the end of this year.

Mini-LED backlighting provides many of the same benefits as OLED displays, including higher brightness, improved contrast ratio, and increased power efficiency.

Rumors of a Mini-LED iPad Pro have been plentiful. Back in June, cryptic-but-reliable leaker L0vetodream said that Apple planned to launch new iPad Pro models with an A14X chip, 5G, and a Mini-LED display in the first half of 2021. Multiple sources have claimed this iPad Pro will be a 12.9-inch model, including analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and DigiTimes.

Apple last refreshed the iPad Pro in March, but it was a relatively minor update, with new features including an A12Z Bionic chip that is essentially an A12X chip with an extra GPU core enabled, an Ultra Wide camera that enables 0.5x zoom, a LiDAR Scanner for enhanced augmented reality, and better sounding microphones. It was the first update to the iPad Pro since the device received a major redesign in October 2018.

Today's report claims that Apple also plans to use Mini-LED displays for future MacBook and iMac models, as previously rumored.

Apple has signed an agreement with one of Israel's leading credit card companies to bring Apple Pay to the country by the end of the year, according to Ynet.

Isracard announced to the stock exchange that it has signed an agreement with Apple for four years that will allow its card to be used in Apple's digital payment method.

Apple has been in negotiations with financial institutions in the Middle East to bring ‌Apple Pay‌ to Israel since February. Apple routinely takes commission from national banking institutions in return for access to ‌‌Apple Pay‌, and it appears that Isracard is the first credit card company in the country to formulate an agreement with Apple.

Many Israeli businesses have already adopted the Europay, MasterCard, and Visa (EMV) standard for mobiles, allowing customer account credentials to be loaded directly onto NFC-enabled smartphones and used in contactless transactions.

Unlike Android devices, Apple's devices don't allow access to the NFC chip through apps other than Apple's own Wallet app, which means financial bodies must sign an ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ agreement that allows the card to be registered in the Wallet.

Apple maintains a complete list of the countries where ‌‌‌Apple Pay‌‌‌ is available on its support site, and we have a detailed Apple Pay roundup with everything you need to know about Apple's payments service.

Update: ‌Apple Pay‌ is also now available at Bank of Ireland.

(Thanks, Ohad and forum member iLoveDeveloping!)

Spotify has started rolling out support for standalone streaming through the Spotify app for Apple Watch. With the new feature, Spotify users can listen to music or podcasts from Spotify over WiFi or cellular without having to have an iPhone nearby.

There has been a Spotify Apple Watch app available for the past few years, but the standalone streaming option is new. Spotify has been testing the feature for a few months, and prior to now, listening to Spotify required an ‌iPhone‌ even on Apple Watch models with standalone cellular connections.

Spotify Music can be streamed directly from the Apple Watch to Bluetooth headphones, which is ideal in situations where the ‌iPhone‌ isn't needed such as exercising.

The feature continues to be available in a beta capacity and is not available for all users at this time, but Spotify has confirmed that it is "rolling out" as of today. German site Macerkopf.de first spotted the change, which was confirmed by TechCrunch.

"We're focused on developing experiences that enable users to listen to Spotify wherever and whenever they want - regardless of the device or platform. After an initial testing period, we are now rolling out streaming capabilities for Spotify on the Apple Watch," a spokesperson told TechCrunch.

• How to Use Spotify on Apple Watch

It may take some time for the new standalone streaming option to be available to all Apple Watch owners. The Spotify app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

In a recently updated support document, Apple has indicated that its new MagSafe Charger will be limited to 12W peak power delivery when used with the upcoming iPhone 12 mini, compared to up to 15W for all other iPhone 12 models.

Apple says the iPhone 12 mini can achieve this 12W with a USB-C Power Delivery power adapter that is at or above 9V/2.03A. However, the support document notes that power delivered to any iPhone 12 model at any moment will vary depending on various factors, including temperature and system activity.

For other iPhone 12 models, peak 15W power can be achieved with a USB-C Power Delivery power adapter at or above 9V/2.22A or 9V/2.56A, according to Apple.

The support document also notes that when Lightning accessories such as EarPods are connected to any iPhone 12 model, the MagSafe Charger is limited to 7.5W charging to comply with regulatory standards.

Apple says the MagSafe Charger should be connected to a power source before placing an iPhone on it, as this allows the charger to verify that it is safe to deliver maximum power. If you place your iPhone on the MagSafe Charger before plugging it in, simply remove your iPhone, wait three seconds, and then put it back on to resume maximum power delivery.

MagSafe is a new feature on all iPhone 12 models that allows for magnetic accessories to be attached to the back of the devices, including Apple's MagSafe Charger for more precise wireless charging. The MagSafe Charger is available now for $39, while the iPhone 12 mini will be available to pre-order starting this Friday, November 6.

The first hands-on video and images of Apple's iPhone 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro leather cases have been shared online by German site Macerkopf.

The video and images were reportedly sent to Macerkopf by a reader who obtained a selection of cases early. One case for each of the three device sizes, encompassing the iPhone 12 Pro Max, ‌iPhone‌ 12 and 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 mini, are shown in Black and Saddle Brown.

The cases appear to be mostly similar to Apple's leather cases from previous years, with metal buttons and a soft-touch interior, but with the exception of a ring on the inside of the case to indicate MagSafe's array of magnets. The leather cases also seem to fully cover the bottom of the device like Apple's new silicone cases for added protection.

Although Apple's clear and silicone cases for the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro have been on sale for some time, the leather cases have not yet been made available to customers.

Apple's full selection of leather cases with ‌MagSafe‌ for the ‌iPhone 12 mini‌, ‌iPhone‌ 12, ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, and ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ will be available from this Friday, alongside pre-orders of the ‌iPhone 12 mini‌ and ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌.

Apple's unreleased MagSafe Duo Charger has passed Korea's National Radio Research Agency (NRRA) compliance test, a possible indication that the wireless charging pad is almost ready for shipment.

Apple announced the ‌MagSafe‌ Duo during its ‌iPhone 12‌ launch event in October. The charging accessory is vaguely reminiscent of Apple's canceled AirPower charging mat, featuring space to charge both an ‌‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌‌ and Apple Watch (but not ‌AirPods‌) at the same time.

Apple hasn't provided specific availability or price details for the charging pad, and it's not yet listed on Apple's online store. Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 12 press release simply says that it will be arriving at a "later date."

However, we still have pre-orders to come for the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max starting on Friday, November 6, and there is one more Apple event this year on November 10, when Apple is expected to announce its first Apple Silicon powered Macs, so it's not unreasonable to suppose we could see the ‌MagSafe‌ Duo launch around one of these dates, too.

(Thanks, Joohyeong Jake Lee!)

WhatsApp is rolling out a new and improved way to manage storage in the app, helping users identify, select and bulk delete GIFs, photos, and videos that may be filling up their phone.

The new tool groups together large files and media that has been forwarded many times, sorting files by size in descending order, and providing a way to preview files before deleting them. Users can also see a preview of media before selecting one or multiple files to delete.

The new storage management interface is rolling out globally this week. Users will be able to navigate to the new tool by going to Settings -> Data and Storage Usage -> Manage Storage.

In a related development that could also bear on storage, WhatsApp is reportedly bringing a disappearing messages feature to the popular chat platform soon. According to WABetaInfo, the feature will allow users to set all new messages in a chat to expire after seven days.

Alongside the MagSafe cases and the ‌MagSafe‌ Charger that Apple introduced with the iPhone 12, there's also a Leather Wallet that has magnets at the back so it can attach right to an ‌iPhone‌ as an add-on accessory. Leather Wallets became available for purchase over the weekend, so we picked one up to see if it's a worthwhile alternative to a traditional wallet.

Design wise, the $59 ‌iPhone‌ Leather Wallet comes in a soft European leather that's available in Baltic Blue, California Poppy (a deep yellow color with a bit of orange), Saddle Brown, and Black. It's lightweight, compact, and minimal, and it looks great on the back of an ‌iPhone‌.

You can fit somewhere around two to three cards in the Leather Wallet, and it's best not to attempt to add in more because leather is known for stretching and wearing. At the back of the Leather Wallet, there's a little cutout for the thumb that's meant to make it simple to slide a card out, but it takes some time to master the gesture due to the fit of the cards inside.

A three card capacity may work for some people, but for those who have multiple credit cards plus a driver's license or ID, the Leather Wallet might not be ideal. The Leather Wallet can attach directly to an ‌iPhone‌ 12 or to a ‌MagSafe‌ case, and it displays a little animation on the ‌iPhone‌'s screen to let you know when it's connected.

When it comes to magnet strength, the magnet in the Leather Wallet is strong enough to adhere to the case and remain in place when shaking the ‌iPhone‌ vigorously, but we're skeptical that it's going to stay in place during routine daily use.

If you tap the Leather Wallet a few times, it pops right off, but the biggest issue is how it interacts with pockets. When tucking the ‌iPhone‌ with Leather Wallet into a pocket, care needs to be used. If you don't align it right, there's a chance the ‌iPhone‌ could go in the pocket while the Wallet slides right off, and the same goes for taking it out.

The magnetic connection isn't strong enough to adhere the Leather Wallet solidly to the ‌iPhone‌ when the force of a pocket is involved, and if you're not careful, you could have a mishap where the Wallet comes off during regular use. Your cards are going to be more secure if you're not planning to pocket your ‌iPhone‌, but if you do plan to get the Leather Wallet and use it as normal, grip the wallet and the phone tightly when inserting and removing it from pockets to make sure the Wallet doesn't detach accidentally.

Those who have more than three cards that are carried regularly or those who want the freedom to use a wallet without having to be concerned about attachment issues should probably opt out of the Leather Wallet, but it has the potential to be a useful accessory for those who are careful and those who prefer a minimal look and wallet experience.

Prior to the launch of the HomePod mini, Pandora today updated its app designed for iOS devices to add in HomePod integration. ‌HomePod‌ support for Pandora was a feature that Apple promised would come in software updates this fall, right alongside iOS 14.

With the Pandora ‌HomePod‌ integration, ‌HomePod‌ owners (and future ‌HomePod mini‌ owners) can ask Siri to play content directly from Pandora as an alternative to Apple Music. Prior to iOS 14, ‌HomePod‌ was designed to work only with ‌Apple Music‌, and third-party music services needed to be streamed to ‌HomePod‌ using AirPlay.

According to Pandora, ‌HomePod‌ integration requires the latest version of the Pandora app. Once it's installed, open the Pandora app on an iPhone or an iPad, and then select Profile > Settings > Connect With ‌HomePod‌ > Use in Home to get it working. Music can be requested from Pandora by adding "on Pandora" to any ‌Siri‌ request for a song.

Apple also allows third-party music services to be set as the default service instead of ‌Apple Music‌. Pandora can be added as the default music app by opening up the Home app on the ‌iPhone‌, tapping on the Home icon, selecting Home Settings, tapping on your avatar and then tapping to set the default service to Pandora. Other music services like Spotify will also likely implement ‌HomePod‌ support in the future now that Apple allows it.

Pandora can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple's iPhone 12 models have a built-in ring of "MagSafe" magnets that make them compatible with magnetic accessories like cases, chargers, and wallets. Apple makes ‌MagSafe‌ accessories, but third-party companies are also able to design ‌MagSafe‌ products.

As highlighted on Twitter, Apple has an Accessory Design Guideline [PDF] that goes into great detail on the kinds of magnets accessory makers can use, the orientation, and other design specifics Apple is requiring.

Cases that have a ‌MagSafe‌ magnet, for example, must enclose the device, have a maximum thickness of 2.1mm, and must firmly attach to the device without relying on the magnets, which means no magnetic snap-on cases that won't otherwise stay attached to the ‌iPhone‌.

Apple's own ‌iPhone‌ 12 ad has a scene where a case appears to "click" on using the ‌MagSafe‌ magnets, but first and third-party cases in reality don't work that way, and Apple doesn't intend them to.

The design document is extensive and has specific placement, dimension, and polarity instructions so that all ‌MagSafe‌ accessories can magnetically self align "within a 1.55mm radial maximum. Cases with magnet arrays must not interfere with either wireless charging or magnetic stripe cards in an attached ‌iPhone‌ Leather Wallet, and Apple has special testing protocols for vendors to use.

There are also recommended magnet array vendors and requirements for the magnets used, with Apple requiring them to be N45SH NdFeB with a 7 μm - 13 μm NiCuNi plating finish. Magnetic force required to dislodge a ‌MagSafe‌ accessory has specific guidelines. Apple says a case attached to an ‌iPhone‌ 12 should take a minimum of 800 gf (gram force) to dislodge and a maximum of 1100 gf.

Accessory makers that want to have a label that denotes their accessory as a MagSafe-capable device must comply with Apple's guidelines. Those interested in reading more on Apple's guidelines can check out the full PDF document.