An image supposedly of an iPhone 12 display unit has been shared online by leaker "Mr. White".
Compared to images of an iPhone 11 Pro display piece, this new unit has a reoriented display connector, reaching up from the bottom of the display, rather than from the left-hand side on iPhone 11 Pro. This may be due to the logic board moving to the other side of the device. A change of logic board position was rumored earlier this year, in order to accommodate the 5G antenna module expected in all four iPhone 12 models. The SIM tray is also expected to move to the left side of the device under the volume button as a result of this change. In May, a logic board also seemingly from iPhone 12 leaked.
Apple is expected to release four OLED iPhones this fall, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model. Rumors suggest the 6.7-inch iPhone and one 6.1-inch model will be "Pro" devices with triple-lens cameras, while the 5.4 and 6.1-inch models will be lower-end iPhones with dual-lens cameras and a more affordable price tag.
It is not immediately clear which size of iPhone 12 this display unit may be from. Given the size of the notch components, it seems likely that this unit is from the anticipated 5.4-inch iPhone 12. Last month, display panels allegedly from iPhone 12 leaked.
The leaker suggests that the notch on this unit is the same size as previous models. Numerous minor disparities between this display unit and that of iPhone 11 Pro suggest that the internal redesign of iPhone 12 could be substantial.
Leaker Mr. White has been known to share accurate information on Apple's future plans and pictures of components from upcoming devices. They have previously released images purportedly of the A14 processor and a 20-watt power adapter, both set to arrive with iPhone 12.
Benchmarks from the new 2020 iMac have today been shared online by Mac Otakara.
The Geekbench benchmarks are from the newly-released 27-inch iMac with 3.0GHz Intel Core i5 processor and Radeon Pro 5300 graphics, compared to multiple specs of the previous 2019 iMac.
The lowest spec 27-inch i5 iMac from 2020 performs about 20 percent better in multicore than the lowest spec 27-inch i5 iMac from 2019. Although the lowest spec 27-inch 2020 iMac has a Intel Core i5 3.1GHz processor, it seems to perform better than an equivalent Intel Core i5 3.7GHz model from 2019. This is likely thanks to new 10th-generation Intel Core processors, which Apple says offer up to 65 percent faster CPU performance.
The 3.1GHz iMac gave a Geekbench Single-Core Score of 1090 and a Multi-Core Score of 5688.
Graphics capability has been measured using Geekbench Compute benchmarks. Compared to the 3.0GHz Intel Core i5 2019 iMac with AMD Radeon Pro 570X graphics, the 2020 iMac's Radeon Pro 5300 performs about 40 percent better. The Radeon Pro 5300 does not surpass the performance of the 2019 iMac with AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 graphics, however. Apple states that the next-generation AMD Radeon Pro 5000 graphics deliver up to 55 percent faster performance than the previous generation.
MacRumors reader Stefan tested the high-spec 2020 iMac with 3.8GHz 8-Core Processor with Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz, giving a single-core score of 1141 and a multi-core score of 7006. This is approximately 36% higher than the equivalent chip from the previous generation.
Stefan also offered Blackmagic speed tests of the 3.8GHz iMac's SSD, giving write speeds of 1963.3 MB/s and read speeds of 2250.2 MB/s.
The new iMac's SSD is soldered to the motherboard and therefore is not user-replaceable, according to ifun.de. Previous iMacs have not been soldered in place, allowing for upgrade or replacement. Supposedly according to internally published technical information, the 2020 iMac's individual SSD modules are soldered directly onto the motherboard, similar to how storage in MacBooks have been soldered down for several years. As a result, the storage configuration at the point of purchase is fixed and cannot be changed afterwards.
New information regarding the new 27-inch iMac's redesigned microphone array has also emerged today. The new iMac apparently features two microphones installed in the lower area of the iMac behind the screen, as opposed to the single microphone on previous models. This allows the 2020 iMac to deliver what Apple calls "studio-quality audio."
The new 27-inch iMac was unveiled by Apple on Tuesday, with faster 10th-generation Intel Core processors, next-generation AMD graphics, up to 128GB of RAM, a higher-resolution 1080p front-facing FaceTime camera, a True Tone display with a nano-texture glass option, a T2 chip, higher fidelity speakers, and more.
Update 9:30 a.m.: A source with access to Apple's repair manuals tells MacRumors that the SSD is in fact not soldered to the logic board but is connected to a proprietary Apple slot on the board.
OWC today announced the upcoming launch of its Rover Pro wheels kit for the new Mac Pro, an innovative quick-change solution to convert back and forth between feet and wheels at a much cheaper price than Apple's official wheels kit.
Designed to attach to the stock Mac Pro feet rather than replace them, the OWC Rover Pro wheels can be attached in just two minutes by hand-twisting and are made of stainless steel with soft rubber treads and a silicone rubber pad at the interface between the wheel and the Mac Pro's foot to absorb vibrations.
While swapping the wheels on or off only takes a couple of minutes, OWC also provides a set of wheel stops that clip to the casters to prevent rolling without needing to remove the wheels at all.
The OWC Rover Pro wheels kit is available for pre-order now and will begin shipping next month. It's available for an introductory price of $199 that will eventually rise to $249, a significant saving over Apple's $699 wheel kit.
The U.S. government is stepping up efforts against Chinese technology companies as it prepares to purge App Stores of "untrusted" Chinese apps, reports Reuters.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. "Clean Network" program would focus on five areas and include steps to prevent various Chinese apps and telecoms companies from accessing the sensitive information of American citizens and businesses. One U.S. official said it was a push back against a "massive campaign to steal and weaponize our data against us."
The announcement comes the week after President Donald Trump threatened to outright ban TikTok within the United States.
"With parent companies based in China, apps like TikTok, WeChat and others are significant threats to personal data of American citizens, not to mention tools for CCP (Chinese Communist Party) content censorship," Pompeo said.
In an interview to Chinese state news agency Xinhua on Wednesday, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said the U.S. had "no right" to establish the Clean Network program and called the actions by Washington "a textbook case of bullying."
"Anyone can see through clearly that the intention of the U.S. is to protect its monopoly position in technology and to rob other countries of their proper right to development," said Wang.
Microsoft now faces a deadline of September 15 to purchase TikTok, or the platform will be banned in the U.S.
Moreover, Pompeo explained that the United States is working to prevent Chinese telecoms company Huawei from being able to install popular U.S. apps on its devices. The exact apps and services to be banned from Huawei devices is as yet unknown.
"We don't want companies to be complicit in Huawei's human rights abuses, or the CCP's surveillance apparatus," Pompeo stated.
Pompeo said the State Department would work with other government agencies to protect the data of American citizens and intellectual property, including vaccine research, by preventing access from cloud-based systems run by Chinese companies such as Alibaba, Baidu, China Mobile, China Telecom, and Tencent.
The Secretary of State is joining Attorney General William Barr, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf to urge the U.S. telecoms regulator, the Federal Communications Commission, to terminate the authorization of China Telecom and three other Chinese companies to provide services in the United States.
He also drew attention to new State Department precautions to ensure China could not compromise information carried by undersea cables that connect the United States to the global internet. He called on U.S. allies "to join the growing tide to secure our data from the CCP's surveillance state and other malign entities."
Huawei, ByteDance, and various other Chinese companies deny allegations that they spy for the Chinese government, and says the United States seeks to frustrate its growth because no domestic U.S. company can offer the same technology at a competitive price.
The U.S. government now regards more than 30 territories as "Clean Countries" with "Clean Telcos" in the program. The statement from Pompeo and expansion of the Clean Network program reflects an accelerated push by Washington to limit the access of Chinese technology companies to the United States.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Twitter has updated its official iOS app to allow all users to limit who can reply to their tweets. The company has been testing the "conversation participants" feature with select users since May, but it now appears to be ready for a wider rollout.
"In May, we tested a new way to have a chat with exactly who you want, so you can create and consume more meaningful changes," reads the update release notes on the App Store. "Now, everyone can try this new feature and choose who can reply to their tweets."
The feature appears in the compose tweet screen as a box above the keyboard that says "Everyone can reply." Tapping the box brings up three options to allow everyone to reply to the tweet, allow only people you follow to reply, or allow only people you mention to reply.
The "everyone" represents how Twitter traditionally works and it's the default setting that's selected for every tweet, while the other two options limit replies. Tweets that have limited replies are labeled and the reply icon is grayed out so it's clear to people that they're unable to reply.
Even when replies are limited to followers or people mentioned in a tweet, people unable to reply will be able to view, Retweet, Retweet with Comment, and like the tweets.
The feature should help cut down on online abuse and harassment, and it could also potentially be used to promote more focused discussions on the social platform with a select few users.
Update: Some users are reporting that the feature is not accessible to them, despite updating the Twitter app to the latest version, suggesting it is still rolling out.
Update 2: Twitter said that the release notes suggesting limited replies to tweets were available to everyone were incorrect. The feature has not rolled out to all users, and it still remains limited to a small number of Twitter users.
Update 3, August 11: As of August 11, the feature that lets Twitter users limit who can reply to their tweets is rolling out to everyone. It's available on Twitter for iOS, Twitter for Android, and Twitter on the web.
Google has announced a handful of mobile enhancements for its Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps that are active now or will be rolling out on iOS soon.
First up, Google has completed the rollout of dynamic email in the Gmail iOS app. Google says dynamic email brings the richness and interactivity of AMP to mobile devices, allowing users to take action directly within a message. So instead of receiving individual email notifications when a user is mentioned in a comment in Docs, Sheets, or Slides, they'll now see an up-to-date comment thread in Gmail, and be able to reply or resolve the comment, directly within the message.
Earlier this year, Google launched Smart Compose in Docs on the web to help users write documents faster and reduce the chance of spelling and grammatical errors. Now its bringing the power of Smart Compose to mobile, with the aim of making it even faster and easier to write documents on the go. Smart Compose will roll out to G Suite customers on iOS over the next few weeks.
Google says it's improving the user interface for comments and action items in Docs, Sheets, and Slides on mobile. The larger, clearer commenting UI should make it easier to scroll through and respond to comments, while a quick access button to reply and @mention others aims to enable more focused discussions. These updates will be rolling out to iOS in the coming months.
Office editing was introduced on the web last year, and is designed to make it easy to edit, comment, and collaborate on Microsoft Office files using Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Google is rolling out Office editing to its Docs, Sheets, and Slides mobile apps on Android in the coming weeks, with iOS to follow later this year.
Elsewhere, a new viewing experience is coming to Slides, with a vertically scrollable stream of slides that users can pinch-to-zoom. Google says this new view helps review slides faster, and users can easily switch to editing or presenting content. The feature will roll out on iOS in the coming months.
Lastly, Docs, Sheets, and Slides will be getting a Dark mode on iOS in the coming months, to make it easier for users to work in low-light environments and keep their iPhone battery alive for longer.
Apple's latest 27-inch iMac comes with an optional nano-texture glass, which is etched at the nanometer level to cut down on reflectivity and glare for a matte look.
The nano-texture glass is available on the 27-inch iMac as a $500 upgrade option, and like Apple's Pro Display XDR with nano-texture screen (a $1,000 option), Apple has very specific cleaning instructions that it wants iMac owners to follow.
A support document updated overnight advises that those who purchase the iMac model with nano-texture glass must use the polishing cloth that Apple provides. No water or liquids should be used to clean the glass either. iMac owners can at most moisten the cloth with a 70-percent isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution to deal with hard-to-remove smudges.
Apple warns that iMac owners should never use any other cloths to clean the glass, and if the included dry polishing cloth is lost, Apple Support should be contacted so another cloth can be ordered. Apple told MacRumors it charges $9 for replacement cleaning cloths.
Apple also has specific instructions for washing the polishing cloth, which includes using dish soap and water, rinsing thoroughly, and then letting it air dry for at least 24 hours.
The standard iMac glass can be cleaned with a regular microfiber cloth and a small amount of water, while the casing can be cleaned using a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth.
Nano-texture glass was first seen on the Pro XDR Display, which was the butt of multiple jokes because Apple charges $4,999 for the display, and an extra $999 for the stand. The need for a specific Apple-designed cleaning cloth was seen by some as, well, typically Apple.
Apple says its nano-texture finish on the new iMac "maintains contrast while scattering light to reduce glare to the barest minimum." Currently, 27-inch iMac orders with standard glass ship in 1 business day, while the 27-iMac with nano-texture glass ships in 1 to 2 weeks.
Apple today shared a new video in its ongoing "Shot on iPhone" series, this time highlighting a short film that was captured by director Damien Chazelle, known for films like "La La Land" and "Whiplash."
The nine minute short film was shot with an iPhone 11 Pro and all of the footage was captured in a vertical aspect ratio. Apple also included a behind the scenes look at how the film was shot.
When shooting the video, Chazelle used iPhone features like extended dynamic range, video stabilization, the ultra wide-angle lens, and more.
Apple has shared several prior videos and photographs in the "Shot on iPhone" series, but this marks one of the first vertical videos that Apple has uploaded in the "Shot on iPhone" saga.
The fourth beta of macOS Big Sur, released yesterday, adds a new toggle in System Preferences that's designed to disable the wallpaper tinting feature that's meant to make windows blend in with the desktop wallpaper.
For those who have Dark Mode enabled, turning off wallpaper tinting can make windows on the Mac noticeably darker, especially when a lighter color background is in use.
Apple introduced the wallpaper tinting feature in an earlier version of macOS, and some Mac users who prefer Dark Mode have been hoping for a toggle to disable it. Prior to now, there was a method for turning it off, but it involved enabling the graphite accent color.
With wallpaper tint on
As 9to5mac points out, being forced to choose graphite was not ideal because it eliminated many of the colored elements of the operating system. With macOS Big Sur, wallpaper tinting can be disabled while leaving the rest of the interface untouched.
With wallpaper tint off
Disabling wallpaper tinting will only make a difference to those who use Dark Mode, as it does not change the way that windows look in Light Mode. It's small but subtle change that some Dark Mode users will appreciate, and it only applies to windows, and not other elements of the interface like side bars.
The feature can be accessed by opening System Preferences, selecting General, and then clicking on the toggle that says "Allow wallpaper tinting in windows."
Google this week launched its newest smartphone, the $349 Pixel 4a, a low-cost device that's designed to compete with other affordable devices like Apple's iPhone SE.
We picked up one of the new Pixel 4a smartphones and thought we'd check it out to see how it measures up to the iPhone SE, given that the two devices have such similar price points.
Both the Pixel 4a and the iPhone SE are "budget" phones that lack some of the features available in more expensive smartphones available from the two companies, but both are capable devices that offer similar performance.
The Pixel 4a feature a 5.81-inch OLED panel, which is larger than the iPhone's 4.7-inch LCD display. It has a pinhole camera cutout but is otherwise all screen, which gives it a more modern look and more viewable display area. The iPhone SE continues to feature thick top and bottom bezels that cut down on screen viewing area.
When it comes to a straight display quality comparison, you might think the Pixel 4a would be leagues better with the OLED panel, but both are close in quality (see video for comparison). The 4a wins out with OLED, but the iPhone SE's LCD panel still looks good.
The iPhone SE has a Touch ID Home Button in the bottom bezel, and the Pixel 4a also uses a fingerprint sensor, but it's located at the rear of the device. Touch ID beats out most other fingerprint sensors when it comes to accuracy and phone unlocking time, and there's no exception here. Google's fingerprint sensor is fine, but Touch ID is more accurate and less prone to failure.
To keep costs low, Google built the Pixel 4a out of plastic, so when it comes quality, the iPhone SE's glass and aluminum design wins out. It looks and feels like a more premium smartphone than the Pixel 4a, but the glass has more potential to break.
The iPhone SE is equipped with Apple's latest A13 chip, which is blazing fast. It puts the iPhone SE on par with Apple's flagship iPhones when it comes to performance, a factor that makes the iPhone SE's $399 price a good deal for those who are more focused on performance.
The Pixel 4a has an Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor, but it doesn't perform at the level of the A13. You may not notice a significant difference in every day usage, but there are some tasks where the iPhone SE will outshine the 4a, which is just a bit laggier and less smooth.
When it comes to battery life, the Pixel 4a has a 3,140mAh battery while the iPhone SE has a 1,821mAh battery, and MacRumors videographer Dan felt that the Pixel 4a had noticeably better battery life in his testing. The Pixel 4a also sports 6GB RAM and 128GB base storage, while the iPhone SE has 3GB RAM and 64GB base storage, so you're getting more storage for a lower price point with the Pixel.
While the iPhone SE offers a Lightning port and wireless charging, the Pixel 4a has no wireless charging and a USB-C port, which is a consideration for those who prefer wireless charging or USB-C port access.
The iPhone SE has an older camera that was first used in the iPhone 8, and it's a 12-megapixel single-lens setup. The Pixel 4a also has a single-lens 12.2-megapixel camera, but it has some of Google's computational photography and image processing features, so photos on the 4a look better.
iPhone SE photos feature a more natural color palette while the Pixel 4a's photos are cooler in tone, but the Pixel 4a images are sharper and crisper, even when lighting is poor. Google gave the Pixel 4a Night Sight, but Apple's iPhone SE doesn't support the Night Mode feature available in more expensive iPhones.
Apple does win out when it comes to video quality, though, because the iPhone SE supports 4K 60fps video and it has much better image stabilization than the Pixel 4a.
The iPhone SE runs iOS and the Pixel 4a runs Android, and since most of us are locked in to one ecosystem or another, operating system is one of the biggest factors when it comes to choosing a smartphone. Someone who has always used iPhones is likely going to opt for the iPhone SE, and the same goes for Android and the Pixel 4a.
Both of these phones offer solid value for the price point, so it really comes down to ecosystem. Apple guarantees iOS updates for years to come, so the iPhone SE should be supported until at least 2024. Android smartphones don't often get as many updates, but Google is better about providing new software for Pixel phones and has pledged to provide updates for the Pixel 4a for at least three years.
In the future, we may actually see an Apple-designed lower-cost smartphone that more closely mirrors the design of the Pixel 4a because Apple's rumored to be working on a new version of the iPhone SE called the iPhone SE Plus. It allegedly features an all-display design with a fingerprint sensor built into the power button, but it's not coming out until 2021.
One of the biggest new features of iOS 14 is Home Screen widgets, which provide information from apps at a glance. The widgets can be pinned to the Home Screen in various spots and sizes, allowing for many different layouts.
When the iOS 14 beta was first released in June, widgets were limited to Apple's own apps like Calendar and Weather, but several third-party developers have begun to test the feature for their own apps. As shown in our screenshots below, this includes:
TestFlight slots are limited, so some apps may be full.
Keep in mind that Home Screen widgets are fairly limited in scope. This is because Apple only allows the widgets to present read-only information, with interactive elements such as scrolling elements or switches not allowed, presumably due to battery life considerations. Tapping on a widget opens the corresponding app.
Also be aware that, as of the fourth developer beta of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, Apple says that all widgets must be rebuilt using the latest SDK and will not run on previous beta versions. This has temporarily broken some widgets, such as the Aviary widget, which is currently displaying new tweets on a very delayed basis.
Users interested in trying out these widgets can download Apple's free TestFlight app, tap on the TestFlight links above using an iPhone or iPad, and download a beta version of each app. Not all of the widgets are fully polished yet, so expect some glitches.
Apple this week updated its "Jobs at Apple" website with a new Benefits section that's designed to explain to potential employees the perks that Apple offers to its workforce.
The Benefits part of the site is organized into different sections highlighting various perks of working for Apple, such as:
Flexible medical plans
Coverage for physical and mental healthcare
Free counseling
Family medical plans
Paid parental leave
Onsite doctors and nurses for those working on campus
Fitness centers on campus
Fitness-related financial help for those not on campus
Equal pay for men and women
Eligibility for stock grants and discounts for stock purchases
401(k) matching
Apple University learning opportunities
Some tuition reimbursement
One-for-one donation matching
Deals on Apple products and accessories
Apple says that its benefit programs vary by country and are subject to eligibility requirements. Those who want to learn more about Apple's benefits can check out the Jobs at Apple website.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple has given a straight to series order for a detective drama series executive produced by Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey's Team Downey production company, reports Variety.
The show is based on co-producer Michael Lista's Toronto Life article "The Sting," which follows a Canadian detective who reopens a decades-old cold case with the aim of winning a confession and becoming a hero.
The case spirals out of control when the detective launches an elaborate sting with playacting cops, taxpayer resources, and an unexpected friendship with the target of the investigation.
The Downeys, Amanda Burrell, and Michael Lista will executive produce, while Adam Perlman will write the series and serve as an executive producer. Downey may also have a supporting role in the series.
Downey's production company currently produces HBO Drama "Perry Mason" and is working on Netflix series "Sweet Tooth."
macOS users could be targeted with malicious attacks using Microsoft Office files that have macros embedded, according to details on the now-fixed exploit shared today by security researcher Patrick Wardle, who also spoke to Motherboard.
Hackers have long used Office files with macros embedded in them as a way to get access to Windows computers, but the exploit is also possible on macOS. According to Wardle, a Mac user could potentially be infected just by opening a Microsoft Office file that has a bad macro in it.
Wardle shared a blog post on the exploit that he found for manipulating Office files to impact Macs, which he's highlighting during today's online Black Hat security conference.
Apple fixed the exploit that Wardle used in macOS 10.15.3, so that particular vulnerability is no longer available for hackers to use, but it offers an interesting look at an emerging method of attack that we could see more of in the future.
Wardle's hack was complicated and involved multiple steps, so those interested in full details should read his blog, but basically he used an Office file with an old .slk format to run macros on macOS without informing the user.
"Security researchers love these ancient file formats because they were created at a time when no one was thinking about security," Wardle told Motherboard.
After using the antiquated file format to get macOS to run a macro in Microsoft Office without letting the user know, he used another flaw that let a hacker escape the Microsoft Office Sandbox with a file that uses a $ sign. The file was a .zip file, which macOS didn't check against the notarization protections that prevent users from opening files not from known developers.
A demonstration of a downloaded Microsoft Office file with a macro being used to open up Calculator.
The exploit required the targeted person to log in to their Mac on two separate occasions as logins trigger different steps in the exploit chain, which makes it less likely to happen, but as Wardle says, only one person needs to fall for it.
Microsoft told Wardle that it has found that "any application, even when sandboxed, is vulnerable to misuse of these APIs," and that it is in contact with Apple to identify and fix issues as they arise. The vulnerabilities that Wardle used to demonstrate how macros can be abused have long since been patched by Apple, but there's always a chance that a similar exploit could pop up later.
Mac users are not invulnerable to viruses and should exercise caution when downloading and opening files from unknown sources, and sometimes, even known sources. It's best to stay away from suspicious Office files and other files that have shady origins, even with the protections that Apple has built into macOS.
Longtime Mac developer Rogue Amoeba today announced the launch of SoundSource 5, the next-generation version of its software utility that gives you much greater control over audio on your Mac.
For those unfamiliar with SoundSource, it lives right in the menu bar and gives you quick access to volume levels and input/output devices, as well as the ability to adjust volume levels and output devices on a per-app basis. Audio effects like equalizers can also be applied on a per-app basis.
SoundSource 5 brings a revamped interface with a streamlined main window that can optionally be made even slimmer with a Compact view, and there's a new menu bar icon that displays a rough gauge of the current volume level of your default output device.
With per-app audio controls, SoundSource 5 now automatically manages the apps displayed in the list, adding them whenever they are producing audio and removing them when they stop. Favorited apps will remain in the list permanently.
The new update also adds support for multiple menu meters, letting you optionally see activity for default input and output devices, as well as active apps. The meters also provide one-click access for quickly muting any of the sources.
Updates for audio effects include an optimized Magic Boost that uses less CPU to provide richer sound, a simplified default view for the pinnable 10-band equalizer, and more.
SoundSource 5 is available as a free full-featured trial, which degrades the quality of its audio adjustments after 20 minutes per launch. A full license is normally priced at $39, but there's a discounted $29 rate available through the end of the month. Owners of SoundSource 4 can upgrade for $19, or a complimentary upgrade if you purchased SoundSource 4 on or after May 1.
For those currently running the macOS Big Sur beta, it's important to note that SoundSource 5 is not yet compatible with the upcoming version of macOS. An update for SoundSource will be available prior to the public launch of Big Sur. SoundSource 5 is fully compatible macOS Catalina, Mojave, and High Sierra.
Lady Gaga is the latest artist to launch an Apple Music weekly show, and with "Gaga Radio" she'll chat with dance and music stars and debut exclusive DJ mixes.
The inspiration for Lady Gaga's hyperactive 2020 album Chromatica came from one magical place: the dance floor. A joyride of glittery synths and let-your-hair-down hooks, it captures the singular, soul-cleansing euphoria found from sweating under a disco ball.
Every Friday on GAGA RADIO, she honors dance music by speaking with the DJs, divas, and producers who inspired her and helped bring Chromatica to life. Each episode will also include an exclusive DJ mix from one of Gaga's guests. It's a celebration of dance music when we need it most.
The interviews will focus on the team who helped Gaga bring her 2020 album "Chromatica" to life. The show will be available on Apple Music every Friday at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, starting this Friday.
Samsung today held a virtual Galaxy Unpacked event where it unveiled its next-generation smartphones that will compete with Apple's 2020 iPhone lineup, set to come out in the fall.
Samsung announced the launch of the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the two newest devices in the Note lineup, and, more notably, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Samsung's latest foldable smartphone.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 features a 7.6-inch screen that uses thin glass instead of plastic to protect the display. When folded, the front display measures in at 6.2 inches. It's equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor, 12GB RAM, and 512GB storage, plus there's a new camera that uses a hole punch design instead of a notch.
Samsung aimed to make the Z Fold 2 a significant improvement over the original Galaxy Fold in terms of durability and functionality. Samsung says the hinge has been improved and the overall structure has been reinforced so it's not as delicate as it was before. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but it's expected to come out in September, which is also when we'll learn more about it.
The Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are Samsung's new flagship Note smartphones. The $1,000 Note 20 features a 6.7-inch 60Hz AMOLED display with a hole punch camera, a Snapdragon 865+ processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, a 4,300mAh battery, and a three camera setup with a 12-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 64-megapixel telephoto camera.
Samsung's higher-end Galaxy Ultra also comes with a 6.9-inch AMOLED display, but the high end model supports up to 120Hz refresh rates. There's a Snapdragon 865+ processor, 12GB RAM, 128GB or 512GB storage, microSD slot, and a 4,500mAh battery.
The Ultra version of the Note has an impressive camera setup with a 12-megapixel telephoto lens that supports 5x optical zoom and 50x hybrid zoom, along with a 108-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, plus an autofocus system that works with a laser.
Both Galaxy 20 Note phones are compatible with 5G networks, come with S Pens, and have fingerprint sensors and facial recognition for biometric protection. They support wireless charging and feature IP68 water and dust resistance.
Samsung also unveiled the $170 Galaxy Buds Live with Active Noise Cancellation, which are more affordable than Apple's AirPods Pro with the same noise canceling features. Galaxy Buds come in black, white, and bronze.
There's also a new tablet, the Galaxy Tab S7, and a new Galaxy Watch 3 with sleep tracking, ECG support, and blood pressure readings.
Samsung's event can still be watched on YouTube for those who are interested in a full rundown on all the features in the new devices.
The Galaxy Buds Live, Samsung's new Note devices, and the other Samsung devices with the exception of the Fold 2 will go on sale on August 6. Pre-ordering the Note 20 or the Note 20 Ultra will provide Samsung users with a credit that can be used on the Samsung website or the Shop Samsung app.
Samsung's new devices will directly compete with the iPhone 12 lineup, which Apple is expected to unveil in September and release starting in October.
Apple has four smartphones in the works, including 5.4 and 6.1-inch affordable devices and higher-end 6.1 and 6.7-inch devices that will rival the Galaxy Note 20 smartphones, but Apple has no foldable iPhone technology at this time to match the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and it's not clear if or when the Cupertino company will release a foldable iPhone.
It's been 10 years since the launch of the Apple Store app, and to celebrate, Apple has a little hidden easter egg that you can find if you search for "10 years" in the Apple Store app.
As noted by Michael Steeber, who found the hidden feature, typing in "10 years" sends two blue balloons soaring up from the bottom of the screen.
The balloons will bounce around for a few moments, and if you tap them, you can pop them. Otherwise, if you leave them alone, they'll simply float away.
You can re-summon the balloons by typing in the phrase again. Make sure to use the Apple Store app, where you make Apple device purchases and view orders, to try the trick.
