A pair of deals on Apple's 10.2-inch 9th generation iPad have appeared this week at both Best Buy and Amazon, including low prices on the 64GB and 256GB Wi-Fi models.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Starting with the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad, you can get this tablet for $249.99 at Best Buy, down from $329.99. This is a solid second-best price on the iPad, and Best Buy has it in both Silver and Space Gray. Amazon is matching the price as well.
Amazon has the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad on sale, available at $379.00, down from $479.00. This price is a match of the all-time low price on the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad. Best Buy is providing the same discount, but it's only available to My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total members.
In just four U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports, businesses, and venues.
Adoption of the feature has been slow since Apple first announced it in September 2021, with IDs in the Wallet app only available in Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, and Georgia so far. Two years ago, Apple shared a list of additional states committed to supporting the feature in the future, but none of them have revealed any plans yet.
In March 2022, Apple said the additional eight states listed below would "soon" allow residents to add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app, but it is now two years later and none of these states support the feature yet.
Connecticut
Hawaii
Iowa
Kentucky
Mississippi
Ohio
Oklahoma
Utah
Apple said the feature would also be supported in Puerto Rico.
In 2021, Apple said it was "already in discussions with many more states" and hoped to offer the feature nationwide in the future.
It is unclear if Apple plans to expand the feature to other countries.
Participating Locations
Apple Wallet app IDs can be used at select TSA checkpoints within select U.S. airports:
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Denver International Airport (DEN)
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Apple says travelers should refer to TSA checkpoint signage to confirm availability of the feature.
Apple's website says IDs in the Wallet app can also be used to show proof of age or identity at "select businesses and venues," but adoption is limited.
Apple this week added the latest-generation iMac with the M3 chip to its certified refurbished store in Canada for the first time since the computer was introduced in October. As a reminder, availability in the U.S. began last month.
As usual for Apple's refurbished products, the refurbished iMacs are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent brand new models, with pricing starting at $1,439 CAD. A variety of configurations and color options are available.
All of the usual accessories are included in the box, including a Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, power adapter and cord, and USB-C to Lightning cable.
Apple says it puts refurbished Macs through "full functionality testing" and a "thorough cleaning process and inspection," and they are covered by Apple's one-year limited warranty and eligible for extended AppleCare+ coverage.
In our view, Apple's refurbished Macs are virtually indistinguishable from brand new ones, providing a good opportunity for savings directly from Apple.
Apple also began selling refurbished 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips in Canada last month.
The new Apple Sports app for the iPhone received its first update today with optimizations for the MLB and NCAA's March Madness. If you are a fan of these leagues, make sure to update the app to ensure that complete data is available.
The full release notes for Apple Sports version 1.1:
• Ready for March Madness? Follow the Men's and Women's NCAA Basketball Tournaments for real-time updates.
• Starting with Opening Day, go deep this MLB season with play-by-play updates, betting odds, box scores, and more for all of your favorite teams.
• Final scores are now sorted by league.
Released last month, Apple Sports shows scores, stats, standings, upcoming games, betting odds, and more for a variety of leagues, such as the MLB, MLS, NBA, NHL, and Premier League. The app also displays real-time play-by-play information for ongoing games.
Apple Sports is available for free on the App Store, and it is compatible with the iPhone only.
The Apple's Vision Pro headset may still face trademark issues with Huawei when the company launches it in China.
As highlighted by the South China Morning Post, Chinese tech giant Huawei registered the "Vision Pro" name in the country in 2021. This registration encompasses a wide array of goods and services, including virtual reality headsets and wearable video displays, effectively granting Huawei exclusive rights to the "Vision Pro" name in China until November 2031.
According to the Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), Apple's application for the trademark rights to "Vision Pro" is currently in a state of "refusal to re-examine." Additionally, Apple applied to trademark the brand name "Apple Vision Pro" in June 2023, and this application is still under examination, leaving the company's branding strategy for the product in China uncertain.
Huawei's first foray into smart eyewear came with the introduction of "Vision Glass" in December 2022, expanding its portfolio under the Vision brand, which also includes a range of smart TV screens. Following the release of Apple's Vision Pro in the United States in February, Huawei has been rumored to be preparing to launch similar devices.
Swiss-based privacy startup Proton today announced the availability of its end-to-end encrypted desktop mail app for macOS and Windows, with a Linux version in beta.
According to the company, the Proton Mail desktop app has been optimized to integrate with Macs, which means it can sync themes with the desktop's light or dark mode, display notifications natively, and offer instant switching between mail and calendar.
The new Proton Mail desktop app inherits from a decade of security enhancements we built for our web application. That means Proton Mail for Windows and macOS maintains our commitment to security and privacy with several key features: zero-access encryption and end-to-end encryption, protection against trackers and phishing attempts, and our high-security account protection program, Proton Sentinel.
Proton says the ability to use a separate app from a browser for accessing email and calendar also offers additional security benefits, such as protecting emails or events from rogue browser extensions and allowing automatic updates without relying on a browser.
The app also includes an Easy Switch tool that enables users to import messages from Outlook or Gmail, forward new messages from Gmail, and more.
Besides these additions, the desktop app should be familiar to Proton users. "Anyone who has used our web app before will instantly feel at home," says the company.
Paying Proton account holders can download the Proton Mail app from the Proton website, and the company is offering a 14-day trial for anyone on a free Proton plan.
Apple registers many patents most of which never see the light of day as consumer products – officially, that is. One burgeoning knock-off merchant in China has apparently taken cues from an idea Apple had in 2021 for AirPods featuring a case with a built-in touchscreen display.
Pictures and video shared on X (Twitter) by occasional leaker @lipilipsi show production units of counterfeit AirPods with an OLED touchscreen integrated into the front of the case.
Activated when the case lid is opened, the display allows users to select noise control options, "Find My" earbuds, choose equalizer presets, and lock the screen. The display also shows users the battery level of each AirPod, the current time, and Bluetooth connectivity.
It's clear where the concept has been ripped off from. An Apple 2021 patent reads:
"The utility of a headphone case can be enhanced, and user control over a user's wireless headphones can be improved, by configuring a headphone case with an interactive user interface to enable user control of operations associated with the wireless headphones."
In one embodiment, Apple envisions controlling Apple Music via the case through the use of a capacitive touchscreen with a GUI that also provides tactile feedback, allowing the user to control audio playback, adjust volume, favorite songs, and interact with their music in other ways – similar to the knock-off device we see here.
By integrating an interactive touchscreen display in such a way, the patent argues, "deficiencies associated with user control of wireless headphones are reduced or eliminated."
The popularity of AirPods has seen record numbers of counterfeit wireless headphones seized at the U.S. border in recent years. According to a 2021 report, roughly 360,000 counterfeit wireless headphones with a retail value of $62.2 million were confiscated in the first nine months of the U.S. government's fiscal year, based on data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
U.S. Customs said that 80% of all counterfeit products coming into the U.S. were from mainland China or Hong Kong. While it's unclear how many of the seized counterfeit headphones were AirPods, U.S. Customs said seizures had increased 50% in the previous five years as products such as Apple's earbuds gained popularity.
Counterfeit AirPods can use genuine Apple serial numbers and usually look physically indistinguishable from legitimate AirPods. Many often have functional equivalent noise control features, but the touchscreen is a new one on us.
Apple's first-generation Vision Pro headset is an "over-engineered devkit" that ships with more sensors than is necessary to deliver Apple's intended experience. That's according to Hugo Barra, former VP of Android and head of Meta's phased-out Oculus headset brand.
Barra, who oversaw the Oculus team in 2017 after it was acquired by Facebook, has published a surprisingly balanced in-depth analysis of Apple's spatial computing device, which is well worth a read. But a couple of reflections are worth highlighting.
Barra notes that Apple has packed Vision Pro with an impressive six tracking cameras, two passthrough cameras, two depth sensors, and four eye-tracking cameras. This "over-spec'ing," says Barra, is "characteristic of a v1 product where its creator wants to ensure it survives the hardest tests early users will no doubt want to put the product through."
Apple's decision to over-spec the Vision Pro, however, inevitably makes the headset weigh over 600 grams, and "makes it difficult for most people to wear it for more than 30-45 minutes at a time without suffering a lot of discomfort."
Because of its heavy weight, Vision Pro has inevitably landed in the world as a high-quality "devkit" designed to capture everyone's curiosity, hearts & minds with its magic (especially through the voice of enthusiastic tech influencers) while being realistically focused on developers as its primary audience. In other words, the Vision Pro is a devkit that helps prepare the world to receive a more mainstream Apple VR headset that could have product-market fit in 1 or 2 generations.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes Apple is working on multiple new Apple Vision models, exploring both a low-cost version and a second-generation version. With the low-cost version, Gurman believes Apple will eliminate the EyeSight feature and the M-series chip, using more affordable components.
In another notable claim, Barra reckons Apple has made the Vision Pro experience intentionally blurry in order to hide pixelation artifacts and make graphics appear smoother, which he sees as a "clever move" by Apple.
One of our biggest product positioning struggles within the Oculus VR team from the very beginning — especially when trying to convince reviewers — was always related to having underwhelming displays. Every single Oculus headset that ever shipped (including the latest Quest 3) has suffered from resolution/pixelation issues varying from "terrible" to "pretty bad". It's like we're living in the VR-equivalent world of VGA computer monitors.
By making the Vision Pro optics slightly out of focus, Apple has achieved "way smoother graphics across the board by hiding the screen door effect (which in practice means that you won't see pixelation artifacts)." However, Barra laments the Vision Pro's "significant motion blur and image quality issues that render passthrough mode unusable for longer periods."
Barra claims that it was this motion blur in passthrough mode that was one of the many reasons why he decided to return his Vision Pro. "It's just uncomfortable, leads to unnecessary eye strain, and really gets in the way of anyone using the headset for longer periods of time," he adds.
You can find Barra's lengthy write-up of his experience with Vision Pro over on his blog. Apple Vision Pro starts at $3,499 in the United States, with the device expected to launch in more countries later this year.
Apple will soon add 12 new languages to the virtual keyboard on the Vision Pro, based on code discovered by MacRumors. Right now, the Apple Vision Pro keyboard only supports English (US) and Emoji, which makes sense as it is limited to the United States.
To bring the Vision Pro to new countries, Apple needs to add support for additional languages. The code indicates the following languages will be added:
Cantonese, Traditional
Chinese, Simplified
English (Australia)
English (Canada)
English (Japan)
English (Singapore)
English (UK)
French (Canada)
French (France)
German (Germany)
Japanese
Korean
It's likely that these language additions hint at the countries where Apple will launch the Vision Pro next, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the UK. Hong Kong and Taiwan are also potential candidates.
When the Vision Pro launched, Apple said that it would bring the Vision Pro to additional countries later this year, but the company did not provide timing. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple will expand Vision Pro availability to additional markets prior to the June Worldwide Developers Conference.
Throwboy, known for its line of pillows designed to look like classic Macs, this week launched a new jumbo version of the Apple fan favorite Icon Pillow.
Designed to look like the Finder icon from early Macs, the jumbo Icon Pillow measures in at 37 inches by 37 inches by 15 inches, and it is the biggest pillow that Throwboy has created to date. It is made of a soft plush material with fleece eyes and smile, and it is so big that it weighs in at 16 pounds.
According to Throwboy, the jumbo Icon Pillow is the ultimate home decor for tech lovers, and it is sized for snuggling with. It is filled with a plush, poly filling that is meant to give it a bouncy fill, and it is designed to be durable.
Apple today announced that suppliers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Japanese company Murata Manufacturing are investing in its Restore Fund, a program aimed at scaling investments in high-quality nature-based carbon removal while also protecting critical ecosystems.
TSMC is investing up to $50 million and Murata is investing up to $30 million, with the money managed by Climate Asset Management. Apple established the Restore Fund in 2021 with a $200 million donation, and expanded it in 2023 with another $200 million.
Apple is using some of the money to support the creation of sustainably certified working forests on degraded pasture and agricultural lands in South America. The project is meant to meet increasing global demand for timber while reducing pressure on natural forests.
Two of the partners that Apple is working on the forests have planted eucalyptus, an ideal tree for sustainable forests because of its fast growth rate, ability to restore degraded land, and lower water consumption than other kinds of trees.
Apple's third partner is developing sustainable forests of tropical hardwoods native to Brazil's Atlantic Forest, with some of the land also going toward restoring tree species that are nearing extinction. The Restore Fund will be used for other projects that focus on ecosystem conservation and restoration, with selection underway. Apple set a goal of removing 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air by 2025, which it is on track to exceed.
Apple wants to be carbon neutral across its entire supply chain by 2030. More than 300 suppliers have signed up for the Supplier Clean Energy Program that commits them to achieving 100 percent renewable energy for all Apple production by the end of the decade, and Apple has also asked its partners to decarbonize their Apple-related operations.
Epic Games is once again after Apple, this time accusing the Cupertino company of violating a court ruling that requires Apple to allow developers to offer in-app links to direct customers to third-party purchase options on the web.
Apple tweaked its U.S. App Store policies back in January, and developers are permitted to put one link in their apps that leads to a website where customers can make a purchase without using the in-app purchase system. Apple is still charging commission for these purchases, requiring developers to pay between 12 and 27 percent (three percent lower than the 15/30 standard fee).
Epic Games is unhappy with the fee that Apple continues to charge, today telling the court that Apple has not complied with the order, and asking that Apple be held in contempt of court. Epic Games claims that the fees make the links "commercially unusable," thereby subverting the injunction.
Apple violates the Injunction in three ways. First, with respect to External Links, Apple has imposed new fees and enacted a slew of new rules that work together to make the links commercially unusable. This new fee and accompanying web of restrictions subverts the purpose of the Injunction, allowing Apple to continue extracting its excessive commissions and making it effectively impossible for a developer to inform users about, and direct users toward, an alternative platform for making a purchase.
Second, Apple continues to categorically prohibit any steering using "buttons" or "other calls to action". Specifically, Apple does not allow External Links that resemble a "button" in any way.
Third, Apple's Guideline 3.1.3 still prohibits certain apps, including all multiplatform services (i.e., apps that operate across multiple platforms and allow users to access the same content across these platforms, including popular games such as Minecraft), from "within the app, encourag[ing] users to use a purchasing method other than in-app purchase". This language expressly contravenes the Injunction by prohibiting any steering to alternative purchasing methods.
Epic Games collected statements from other developers that have spoken out against Apple's App Store fees, including Paddle CEO Christian Owens and Down Dog CEO Benjamin Simon.
Apple was initially ordered to make the App Store changes in 2021 as part of its court battle with Epic Games. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers, who oversaw the case, took issue with Apple's anti-steering rules. Apple was able to delay implementing the App Store changes for a few years while it appealed, but none of the courts decided to change the verdict. Apple ultimately took it to the Supreme Court, but the court declined to hear the case, so Apple had to comply immediately at the beginning of the year.
Apple has said that it is fully in compliance with the injunction. From Apple's January statement of compliance:
As of January 16, 2024, Apple has fully complied with the Injunction: It is striking the relevant parts of the App Store Review Guidelines applicable to apps on the U.S. storefronts of the iOS and iPadOS App Stores and implementing new rules that permit developers to (i) include in their apps buttons or links with calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms in addition to IAP and (ii) communicate with customers through points of contact obtained voluntarily from customers through account registration within the app. As a result of these changes, developers have the option of informing consumers, both within and outside the app, about alternative purchase mechanisms in addition to IAP.
Epic Games claims that the fee Apple charges for the link is "financially unattractive" for developers who want to choose another payment solution, and it "prevents any meaningful competition between payment solutions." The company wants the court to require Apple to bring its policies into compliance with the injunction.
The repair website iFixit today shared a video teardown of the base model 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip and 256GB of storage, and it shows that this configuration is equipped with two 128GB flash storage chips. This change results in significantly faster SSD speeds compared to the equivalent MacBook Air with the M2 chip, which has a single 256GB storage chip, as the SSD can read and write from the two chips simultaneously.
YouTube channel Max Tech ran Blackmagic's Disk Speed Test tool with a 5GB file size test on both the M2 and M3 models of the 13-inch MacBook Air with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, and they found the SSD in the M3 model achieved up to 33% faster write speeds and up to 82% faster read speeds compared to the SSD in the M2 model.
Apple's decision to switch to a single 256GB chip for the base model M2 MacBook Air was controversial, even though the slower SSD speeds are unlikely to be noticed by the average user working on common day-to-day tasks. Fortunately, the base model M3 MacBook Air's SSD speeds are now roughly equivalent to the base model M1 MacBook Air again, so customers no longer need to be concerned about this potential limitation.
Apple still sells a 13-inch M2 MacBook Air with 256GB of storage for $999, so customers who want maximum SSD performance should avoid that model.
Beyond this SSD-related change, the teardown shows that the M3 MacBook Air models have a virtually identical internal design as the M2 models. The video provides a look at the battery cells with adhesive pull tabs, logic board, trackpad, and more.
Update: iFixit's CEO Kyle Wiens said the base model 15-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip and 256GB of storage also has two 128GB storage chips.
The U.S. House of Representatives today approved legislation that would force TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the social media network or face a ban in the United States. The Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act will now go to the Senate, where its fate is unclear.
U.S. lawmakers want TikTok to be sold to a company outside of China due to concerns that the Chinese government could force ByteDance to hand over data from users located in the United States. If China made the request, ByteDance would not be able to refuse. There have also been suggestions that China could use TikTok to spread political propaganda.
ByteDance has attempted to alleviate these fears by storing data from U.S. users on servers owned by Oracle, but the White House and lawmakers do not believe that is enough.
If passed, the bill would require ByteDance to sell TikTok within six months to a company approved by the U.S. government. Should ByteDance not sell the company, U.S. app stores would not be able to distribute the app without breaking the law, effectively leading to a ban. China would also need to approve the sale, and the Chinese government made it clear last year that it would "firmly oppose" a forced sale.
There are a limited number of companies with enough capital to be able to afford TikTok, and the obvious choices, such as Google or Meta, would likely be barred from acquiring it due to antitrust concerns.
Should the bill make it through the Senate, U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed that he would sign it into law. A number of senators have expressed worries about the wording of the act, and it does not have universal support at this time.
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.
Most mobile apps with subscriptions do not make money, a new in-depth analysis finds.
The "State of Subscription Apps" report comes from RevenueCat (via TechCrunch), a prominent mobile subscription toolkit provider. With nearly 30,000 apps utilizing its platform for monetization management, RevenueCat is able to provide a reliable overview of the subscription app landscape thanks to its data collection capabilities. The analysis delves into data from over 29,000 apps and 18,000 developers, collectively responsible for more than $6.7 billion in revenue and over 290 million subscribers.
RevenueCat found that while the top-performing 5% of subscription apps amass revenue 200 times greater than those in the bottom quartile, the median monthly revenue for apps after one year is less than $50. Only 17.2% of apps cross the $1,000 monthly revenue mark. Reaching this milestone significantly boosts the likelihood of further financial growth, with 59% of these apps progressing to achieve $2,500 in monthly revenue, and 60% of those reaching the $5,000 mark. A mere 3.5% of apps achieve $10,000 in monthly revenue.
Health and fitness apps generate at least twice the revenue of all other categories combined, both in the bottom quartile and among the top 5% of earners. In contrast, travel and productivity apps face the most significant challenges, with even the top performers in these categories struggling to make over $1,000 per month after a year on the market.
Despite these statistics, the subscription app market continues to grow and the average price for monthly subscriptions has increased by 14% from $7.05 to $8.01. However, the report also noted a recent shift in consumer behavior, with a 14% drop in subscriber retention over 12 months.
Amazon today has the 40mm GPS Apple Watch SE for $189.00, which is just $10 higher compared to its all-time low price. This deal is available in the Silver Aluminum Case with Winter Blue Sport Loop and Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Loop, and only Amazon has the discount.
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You can also get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE on sale right now, available for $219.00 on Amazon, down from $279.00. This is another near all-time low price that's just $10 away from the lowest price on the Apple Watch SE, and it's available in Midnight, Silver, and Starlight Aluminum options.
This model of the Apple Watch SE launched in September 2022 and remains Apple's most affordable Apple Watch. The Apple Watch SE lacks some of the upgraded features you'll find in some Series 9 or Ultra 2 models, like temperature sensing, ECG functionality, and blood oxygen monitoring, but it will otherwise provide you with all key Apple Watch features, and at the cheapest price possible.
Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.
It has been nearly two years since Apple first previewed next-generation CarPlay at WWDC 2022, and it has still yet to become available in any vehicles. Below, we recap the latest information about the upcoming software system.
Apple's render of next-generation CarPlay from WWDC 2022
Next-generation CarPlay will have deeper integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster, climate controls, FM radio, and more. It will also support multiple displays across the dashboard, and offer a variety of personalization options.
Launch Timing
Aston Martin and Porsche previewed their customized next-generation CarPlay designs in December. Aston Martin said it would release its first vehicles with next-generation CarPlay support in 2024, including a new model of its high-end DB12 sports car. Porsche did not provide a timeframe or specific details about its own plans.
A spokesperson for Porsche this week told us that it has no update to provide about next-generation CarPlay availability at this time, while a spokesperson for Aston Martin has yet to respond to our request for comment.
Porsche's next-generation CarPlay preview from December 2023
In January, Apple updated its website to confirm that the first vehicle models with support for next-generation CarPlay will debut "in 2024," but it has yet to provide a more specific timeframe. This wording is shown on Apple's websites for several countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others.
Committed Automakers
When it first announced next-generation CarPlay, Apple said the following automakers were committed to offering it in new vehicles:
Acura
Audi
Ford
Honda
Infiniti
Jaguar
Land Rover
Lincoln
Mercedes-Benz
Nissan
Polestar
Porsche
Renault
Volvo
Beyond the addition of Aston Martin, it is unclear if this list has changed since that initial announcement at WWDC 2022.
Aston Martin's next-generation CarPlay preview from December 2023
Apple has not indicated if any next-generation CarPlay apps or features will be available in existing vehicles with standard CarPlay support.
New Features
Instrument Cluster Integration
Next-generation CarPlay will integrate with a vehicle's instrument cluster, including the speedometer, tachometer, odometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature gauge, oil pressure gauge, and more. Apple says drivers will be able to choose from several gauge cluster designs and layouts, including brand‑specific options.
Climate Controls
You'll be able to access your vehicle's climate controls directly within the new CarPlay interface, allowing you to adjust the temperature of the A/C or heat, fan speed, heated seats, heated steering wheel, and other options.
Multi-Display Support
Next-generation CarPlay will be able to appear across all of the displays in a vehicle, providing a consistent experience across the infotainment system, instrument cluster, and any additional screens on the dashboard. Apple says the new CarPlay will be tailored to each vehicle model to accommodate unique screen shapes and layouts.
Widgets
Widgets will be a key part of the new CarPlay experience, offering at-a-glance information such as trip duration, fuel economy, distance traveled, calendar events, weather, phone calls, the status of a HomeKit-enabled garage door, and more. It will also be possible to view and scroll through the widgets within the instrument cluster.
FM Radio App
Next-generation CarPlay will include an all-new Media app that allows you to easily control the FM radio in your vehicle, such as to change the station.
Auto Settings: This app will let you manage paired iPhones and adjust vehicle settings.
Car Camera: This app will display the vehicle's rear-view camera feed.
Charge: For electric vehicles, this app will display battery level, charging status, time remaining until the battery is fully charged, and more.
Climate: This app will provide access to a vehicle's climate controls within CarPlay, allowing you to adjust the temperature of the A/C or heating system, fan speed, heated seats, heated steering wheel, and more.
Closures: This app will display if any of the vehicle's doors are opened, and it might also display vehicle warning symbols.
Media: This app will provide access to FM and AM radio station controls within CarPlay, along with other media options like SiriusXM. It is unclear if SiriusXM will offer satellite connectivity, or remain limited to internet streaming. Users will be able to select from a list of music genres, such as Top 40 and Rock.
Tire Pressure: This app will display air pressure for each of the vehicle's tires, and provide low pressure, high pressure, and flat tire warnings.
Trips: This app will provide a variety of driving-related data, including the vehicle's average speed, fuel efficiency or energy efficiency, the total time elapsed and distance traveled on a trip, and more.
iOS 17.4 also revealed that next-generation CarPlay will likely display a "Goodbye" animation on the dashboard display after the driver shuts off the vehicle:
As previously announced by Apple, additional images found in iOS 17.4 confirm that users will be able to adjust the theme and color scheme of next-generation CarPlay, including the appearance of the instrument cluster:
Apple released iOS 17.4 in early March, and it is possible that it will be the minimum software version required for next-generation CarPlay when it eventually launches. However, it is also possible that Apple still has final preparations to make in iOS 17.5 and beyond, so we will ultimately have to wait and see when the software is ready.
More Images
Summary
Apple says next-generation CarPlay will launch in 2024, but a more specific timeframe is still unknown. Aston Martin and Porsche have previewed their next-generation CarPlay designs, and the recently-released iOS 17.4 update for the iPhone includes hidden code-level references to next-generation CarPlay apps and features.
Apple has started assembling the iPhone 15 model in Brazil, shifting in its global manufacturing approach to mitigate high import taxes and diversify its supply chain.
As reported by MacMagazine (via 9to5Mac), the assembly process is being carried out at the Foxconn facility in São Paulo and seeks to reduce the high import fees levied on electronics in Brazil, which significantly inflate the cost of electronics for consumers in the country.
Apple has not yet reduced the retail price of the iPhone 15 in Brazil, where it continues to sell for R$7,300 (approximately $1,460) for the 128GB model. This price is nearly double the device's starting price in the United States. The initiative also is part of Apple's broader strategy to diversify its manufacturing footprint beyond China and reduce its reliance on a single region.
Only the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 model is being assembled in Brazil. The iPhone 15 Plus, Pro, and Pro Max models continue to be imported from China. Brazilian customers can identify whether their iPhone 15 was assembled locally by checking the model number, with units produced in Brazil carrying the identifier "BR/A." In contrast, imported units are denoted by "BE/A" and "BZ/A."
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