MacRumors

Apple today released macOS Monterey to the public after several months of beta testing, and it brings a whole slew of useful new features and changes to apps like Safari, Maps, FaceTime, Notes, Photos, Messages, and More, along with some great quality of life improvements.

We've rounded up 10 of our favorite macOS Monterey features, but let us know what you like about the update in the comments below.

Erase All Content & Settings

With macOS Monterey, restoring a Mac to factory settings works a lot more like it does on the iPhone and iPad with iOS. With an Erase All Content & Settings button, you now erase your Mac without needing to go through the hassle of reinstalling the operating system.

The feature wipes the Mac but leaves the operating system in place so the machine can be sold or traded in, and it's so much more convenient than prior methods that it's made the number one spot in our list. Note that you need to have a Mac with a T2 chip for Erase All Content and Settings to be available as it is not compatible with older machines.

• How to Clean Install macOS Monterey Easily Using the New Erase Mac Option

AirPlay to Mac

With enhanced AirPlay support on the Mac, content from an iPhone or ‌iPad‌ can be AirPlayed to the display of a Mac, something that wasn't possible before. ‌AirPlay‌ to Mac also works with Mac-to-Mac transfers so you can display one Mac's screen on another.

‌AirPlay‌ to Mac allows users to extend or mirror an Apple device's display to a Mac, and since two Macs are supported, a Mac can use another Mac as an external display in a sort of Target Display Mode feature clone.

‌AirPlay‌ to Mac works both wirelessly or wired using a USB-C cable, with the wired connection useful for cutting down on any possible latency. You can also use ‌AirPlay‌ to turn your Mac into a speaker that's paired with other ‌AirPlay‌ 2 speakers for multiroom audio, and you can ‌AirPlay‌ Apple Fitness+ workouts to the Mac.

‌AirPlay‌ to Mac works with the 2018 or later MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, 2019 or later iMac or Mac Pro, the ‌iMac‌ Pro, and the 2020 or later Mac mini.

FaceTime Updates

Many of the ‌FaceTime‌ features that have been made available in iOS 15 are also included in the macOS Monterey version of ‌FaceTime‌. There's a Create a Link feature for ‌FaceTime‌ calls that makes it much easier to get people to join your call as it's similar to how Zoom and other video apps work, and it's great for scheduling calls.

PC and Android users can now join ‌FaceTime‌ calls from the web using those ‌FaceTime‌ links created by Apple users.

Apple has also added a Portrait mode effect to ‌FaceTime‌ calls on the Mac so you can blur out the background behind you while you chat. A new Grid view can show everyone in the call at one time, and there are new audio modes. Voice Isolation minimizes background noise and focuses on your voice, while Wide Spectrum can be used to highlight all sounds if there are multiple people on your end of the call.

‌FaceTime‌ on macOS Monterey will be gaining all of the SharePlay features made available on iOS devices in iOS 15.1, but SharePlay was not ready for release when macOS Monterey launched and it will be coming at a later date.

Quick Note

The Notes app in macOS Monterey has been enhanced with a new Quick Note feature that's designed for jotting down notes no matter what you're doing. If you place your cursor in the very bottom right corner of the display, a little note icon will pop up.

Clicking it opens up a Quick Note where you can write down a thought, add a link, save a photo, and more. Quick Notes are saved in a dedicated section in the Notes app, and can be accessed across all devices.

Safari Tab Groups

Apple initially planned to tweak the design of Safari in macOS Monterey, adding a redesigned tab bar that better blends into the background of the webpage, but after complaints, that plan was scrapped and Safari largely looks like it did in Big Sur.

If you like, you can enable the new "Compact" design in the Preferences section of Safari, but there is a more notable Safari change - Tab Groups.

With Tab Groups, you can save groups of tabs together and then revisit them later. If you're planning a vacation, for example, you might have several tabs that you want to keep open and revisit later without having the tabs take up your entire Safari tab bar, with Tab Groups allowing you to save everything and open it back up later.

Animated Memoji Avatar

Memoji can now be set as your macOS avatar, showing up on the Lock Screen in place of the standard still image. In System Preferences, click on your profile and you can create or choose a Memoji to serve as your avatar.

You can choose a favorite pose and a style, which adds a background color, and then click save to set it. Memoji will animate on the Mac's Lock Screen when you log into your Mac. If you do something like enter your password wrong, you'll see the Memoji react.

Emojis and initial monograms are also options for Mac avatars in Monterey, plus there's a new "Suggestions" tab that houses various profile picture options.

Focus

Focus is a more tailored version of Do Not Disturb that's meant to let you focus on what you're doing at the current moment while blocking out unnecessary distractions.

As an example, you can create a "Work" focus mode that minimizes notifications from non-work related apps to help you better concentrate without interruption. Apple has built-in Focus modes for things like Sleep and Driving, and you can create custom Focus modes. With Focus, you can choose the apps and the people that are allowed to contact you at different times.

If you're in a Focus mode and someone tries to send you a message, they'll be notified that your notifications are silenced (though it's still possible to get through in an emergency), and if you turn on Focus on one device, it's automatically synced to all your devices.

Shortcuts

The Shortcuts app that was first introduced on iPhone and ‌iPad‌ is now available on the Mac, so you can access all of your favorite Shortcuts. Apple has designed Mac-specific shortcuts that are available in the Gallery, and you can make your own.

Shortcuts has been updated with Next Action Suggestions to make it easier to create new shortcuts, and your Automator app workflows can be converted into shortcuts. For Pro users, there's AppleScript integration and shell script compatibility.

Shortcuts are deeply integrated into macOS Monterey and can be run from the Dock, menu bar, Finder, Spotlight, or using Siri, and they're universal, so Shortcuts made on your iPhone can be used on your Mac and vice versa.

Universal Control (Coming Soon)

One of the headline features of macOS Monterey, Universal Control will allow a single mouse and keyboard work across multiple Macs or iPads. So if you have a desktop setup with an ‌iMac‌, a MacBook, and an ‌iPad‌, you can use one mouse and one keyboard to control all three.

‌Universal Control‌ is not yet available because it was not ready in time for macOS Monterey's launch, but it will be coming in a future macOS Monterey update.

Read More About macOS Monterey

There are tons more features in macOS Monterey that are worth checking out, and we have a full rundown of everything new in the update in our macOS Monterey roundup.

Apple's ‌HomePod‌ (first- and second-generation) and HomePod mini feature support for Apple Music's Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio formats. This article explains how to enable them.

Apple's spatial audio feature uses Dolby Atmos to create a richer, more immersive soundstage when listening to songs in the ‌Apple Music‌ catalog that support spatial audio. With Dolby Atmos enabled, the subjective experience is that musical notes are coming from all around you. ‌Meanwhile, ‌Apple Music‌‌ Lossless provides listeners with higher quality audio in a lossless file format, which is great news for audiophiles and purists.

To enable Dolby Atmos and Apple Lossless on your ‌HomePod‌, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Home app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap the ellipsis button (three dots encircled) in the top-right of the screen.
   

3. Select Home Settings from the dropdown menu.
4. Under "People," select your named owner profile.
   
   

5. Under "Media," select Apple Music.
6. Scroll down and toggle the switches beside Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio to the green ON position.
   

Now that you've enabled Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio, you'll be able to enjoy a more immersive audio experience, and if you've enabled Apple Lossless, higher quality music tracks. You can check which songs support the audio effects by looking for the respective logos in the ‌Apple Music‌ app interface.

Apple today released iOS 15.1, the first major update to the iOS 15 operating system that was released in September. iOS 15.1 introduces new features that were delayed from iOS 15 plus it adds camera improvements for iPhone 13 Pro users.

This guide highlights everything that's been added in the iOS 15.1 update.

SharePlay

Integrated into the FaceTime app, SharePlay is a feature that's designed to allow people to do more together virtually using ‌FaceTime‌. There are built-in options for listening to music with others with playlist sharing and watching TV and movies with syncing.

There's also a SharePlay screensharing component for sharing what's on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac with someone else, a feature great for group planning or assisting someone with device troubleshooting.

SharePlay was meant to be introduced as part of the initial iOS 15 update, but Apple had to delay it because it was buggy and not ready for release.

ProRes Video Capture (iPhone 13 Pro)

When the iPhone 13 Pro models launched, Apple promised that a high-quality ProRes video option would be coming in an update, and it has arrived in iOS 15.1.

ProRes is a professional video recording format used by TV show, commercial, and movie creators, and the format offers higher color fidelity and less compression. ProRes support allows iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max owners to capture, edit, and share professional-quality videos from their devices.

You can enable ProRes by going to the Camera section of the Settings app and tapping on "Formats." From there, toggle on "Apple ProRes."

ProRes video capture is limited to 30fps at 1080p on devices with only 128GB of storage, but higher capacity devices can record in 4K. Apple says that a one-minute 10-bit HDR ProRes video takes up 1.7GB of space when recorded in HD mode, or 6GB in 4K mode.

Auto Macro Toggle (iPhone 13 Pro)

For macro shots, the iPhone 13 Pro models switch over to the Ultra Wide lens when the iPhone's camera gets close to an object, which some people are not a fan of because it can be difficult to get a shot with the camera lenses swapping back and forth.

The iOS 15.1 update adds a new toggle to turn off Auto Macro, and when disabled, the Camera app will not automatically switch over to the Ultra Wide camera for macro photos and videos.

Auto Macro can be turned off in the Camera section of the Settings app by scrolling down and toggling off the "Auto Macro" option.

Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos With Spatial Audio for HomePod

Paired with the HomePod 15.1 software, iOS 15.1 brings Lossless quality and Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio to the ‌HomePod‌ and the HomePod mini.

Lossless audio and Dolby Atmos can be enabled through the Home app. Open up Home Settings, tap on your profile, and then under Media, tap on Apple Music. From there, toggle on Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos.

Vaccine Cards in the Wallet App

iPhone users who have added their COVID-19 vaccination records to the Health app on the iPhone can now use those records to generate a vaccination card in the Wallet app. The Apple Wallet vaccination card can be shown to businesses, venues, restaurants, and more that are requiring vaccines for entry.

Any vaccination record available through the SMART Health Cards specification can be added to the Health app and transferred to Wallet.

California, Louisiana, New York, Virginia, Hawaii, and some Maryland counties support Smart Health Cards, as do Walmart, Sam's Club, and CVS Health. So those in the specific supported states should be able to look up their information in state databases, but those who were vaccinated through companies like Walmart and CVS can also add their information to the Health and Wallet apps because it's the same system.

Home App

There are new automations triggers that can be created based on HomeKit-enabled sensors that detect humidity, air quality, or light level.

Shortcuts

Shortcuts includes new actions for overlaying text on images or GIFs, and there are new Siri games.

iPhone 12 Battery Algorithms

For iPhone 12 models, there are updated battery algorithms that will offer better estimates of battery capacity over time.

iPad Live Text

On the ‌iPad‌, the update adds the above listed features and support for Live Text in the Camera app. With Live Text, the Camera can detect text, phone numbers, addresses, and more, with the feature available on iPads that have an A12 Bionic chip or later. Live Text was already available on the iPhone.

Bug Fixes

The update includes several bug fixes for issues with Photos storage, the Weather app, the Wallet app, Wi-Fi, and more.

- ‌Photos‌ app may incorrectly report storage is full when importing photos and videos
- Weather app may not show current temperature for My Location, and may display colors of animated backgrounds incorrectly
- Audio playing from an app may pause when locking the screen
- Wallet may unexpectedly quit when using VoiceOver with multiple passes
- Available Wi-Fi networks may not be detected

Guide Feedback

Know of an iOS 15.1 feature we left out or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.

Apple today released macOS 12 Monterey, and whenever a new operating system is released for the Mac, some users prefer to perform a clean installation. This article explains how to perform what is effectively a clean install of Monterey using a brand new option that's available on Apple silicon-powered Macs and Intel Macs with a T2 security chip.

Clean installing macOS is often done to remove annoying quirks and strange behaviors that a Mac may have inherited over time, and can also help to reclaim disk space caused by junk files left by third-party apps. However, even if neither of these issues have arisen for you, sometimes it's just nice to start afresh for that "brand new Mac" feeling and then migrate your apps, documents, and data, either manually, or by migrating from a Time Machine backup.

Clean installing previous versions of macOS usually involves creating a bootable copy of the macOS installer on a flash drive or USB stick and then reformatting your drive before installing the bootable copy on your Mac, or using macOS Recovery to reinstall the Mac operating system over an internet connection. In Monterey, however, a third option has come into play on newer Macs that offers a very simple and straightforward way to erase your Mac without needing to reinstall the operating system.

Following in the footsteps of the iPhone and iPad, Apple silicon Macs and Intel Macs with a T2 security chip (2017-2020 models) now have an "Erase All Content and Settings" option available in macOS Monterey. Because storage is always encrypted on Mac systems with Apple silicon or the T2 chip, the system is instantly and securely "erased" by destroying the encryption keys.

Not only does this effectively erase all user data and user-installed apps from your Mac without reinstalling macOS, it also signs out your Apple ID, removes your Touch ID fingerprints, purchases, and all Apple Wallet items, and turns off Find My and Activation Lock, making it far easier to restore your Mac to like-new factory settings.

This ability means you can simply download and install macOS Monterey over your current macOS version when prompted, and then select the new erase function in Monterey, which will erase your Mac and leave the core macOS system intact. After erasing the Mac, it will display the Setup Assistant and be ready to be set up like new. You can then migrate your data manually or by using the Setup Assistant's migration option. The following walkthrough breaks down the steps involved.

1. Before you do anything else, back up your data using Time Machine or your preferred backup method.
2. In macOS, click the Apple () symbol in the menu bar and select System Preferences.
3. Click Software Update in the preferences pane.
   
   

4. Allow Software Update to ping Apple's servers, then click Upgrade Now to download the Monterey installer when it appears. You can continue to use your Mac while the installer is being downloaded. Once the installer has downloaded, you'll receive a prompt. Click to install the new version of macOS and wait for the installation to complete.
   
   

5. Once your Mac has restarted into Monterey, click the Apple () symbol in the menu bar and select System Preferences....
6. When the preferences pane appears, select System Preferences -> Erase All Content and Settings from the menu bar.
   
   

7. Enter your admin password in the Erase Assistant dialog prompt and click OK.
8. Note all the settings, data, media, and other items that will be removed. Click Continue if you're sure.
   
   

9. Click to sign out of your ‌Apple ID‌, then click Erase All Content & Settings in the prompt to confirm.
   
   

10. Allow the erase process to complete. Your Mac may restart more than once during the process, after which you may be prompted to activate your Mac over Wi-Fi.
11. Once finished, you'll see the "hello" message on your Mac's screen, indicating the Setup Assistant is ready. Follow the onscreen instructions, and if desired, elect to migrate your data from a Time Machine backup when the option appears.
    

That's all there is to it. Even if you're not clean installing Monterey today, the new option makes it far more convenient to restore your Mac to factory settings, whether you simply want to start afresh with your Mac in future or plan to sell or gift it to another person.

The United States Department of Justice is accelerating its antitrust probe into Apple and there is increased likelihood that Apple will face an antitrust lawsuit, reports The Information.

Citing internal sources with knowledge of the investigation, The Information says there has been a "flurry" of activity as the DOJ has continued to question Apple, its customers, and its competitors about Apple's control over the iPhone. The DOJ sent new subpoenas to Apple's business partners over the summer, and has assigned more staff to the probe.

Specifics have yet to be nailed down, but The Information's sources believe that the investigation will lead to a lawsuit. Apple has been under investigation by the DOJ for two years now, and the probe is part of a broad investigation that has seen the Justice Department looking into Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

The DOJ has spoken with Apple critics that include Spotify, Match Group, Basecamp, and Tile, all companies unhappy with Apple's App Store policies and control.

Attorneys involved in the probe will eventually give the Department of Justice a recommendation on whether or not to file a lawsuit against Apple, but no formal recommendation has been made at this point in time, and there's still a possibility that no case will be filed as the investigation is ongoing.

Apple recently came out largely ahead in its lawsuit with Epic Games and the judge decided that Apple had not violated U.S. antitrust law, but The Information's sources say that the DOJ's investigation is broader because it is also examining issues like Sign in With Apple, App Tracking Transparency, and location tracking restrictions, so the Epic loss will not hinder a potential DOJ case.

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 today introduced iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and tvOS 15.1, all of which add support for SharePlay. SharePlay is designed to let people do more with friends and family over FaceTime, such as watching movies or listening to music.

SharePlay support is available for Apple Music, the Apple TV app, and Fitness+ in addition to being accessible for screen sharing, but it can do even more than that because third-party developers can add SharePlay support to their apps. We've rounded up a handful of apps that have introduced SharePlay support, and we'll add to this list going forward.

Heads Up!

Popular iPhone game Heads Up! is compatible with SharePlay, so you can play the game over ‌FaceTime‌ with friends and family members. For those unfamiliar with Heads Up, it's a variation of charades where the idea is to guess the word on the card that's held up to your forehead using clues from your friends.

To play Heads Up over ‌FaceTime‌, just get on a call and open up the app. Each person will need to have the Heads Up app to participate. Heads Up is available from the App Store for $1.99.

Twitch

With Twitch, two or more people can watch streaming content with one another, with each person able to switch between streams. Content is synced, and playback controls are available. Twitch is free to download, and for SharePlay to work, each person must have an account and must be signed in.

Spotify

Spotify allows Premium subscribers to listen to music with one another over ‌FaceTime‌. Everyone needs to have premium access as Spotify does not allow this feature to work for free tier users. Spotify is free to download, but a standard premium plan is priced at $9.99 per month.

TikTok

TikTok allows ‌FaceTime‌ call participants to watch the same TikTok videos and discuss. Each person can scroll through their own TikTok feeds and choose content to share. TikTok is free to download.

CARROT Weather

If you want to discuss the weather while on a ‌FaceTime‌ call, weather app CARROT supports SharePlay. Both participants need to own the app and can view the current weather conditions together. CARROT Weather can be downloaded for free.

Apollo

Reddit app Apollo has been updated with SharePlay integration. On a ‌FaceTime‌ call, participants can view the same subreddit, browse comment threads, and look at media. Both participants need to have the Apollo app installed for this to work. Apollo is free to download, but some features require an in-app purchase to unlock.

Guessing Game

Guessing Game is a casual party game that uses SharePlay to offer up a multiplayer experience with friends over ‌FaceTime‌. Built specifically for SharePlay, the game allows users to play "Guess the Phrase" or "Guess the Drawing." With Guess the Phrase, users aim to complete the phrase first as it fills in one letter at a time, and with Guess the Drawing, the aim is to figure out a friend's drawing before the time runs out.

Guessing Game is free to download, but unlocking additional content like TV, Music, and Movie add-on packs requires in-app purchases.

Mapless

Mapless is an app that is focused specifically on walking directions and ideal for those who often walk to where they want to go. The SharePlay component introduces a "Walk and Meet" feature, which is designed to allow two people to find each other with each receiving walking directions to the other.

Two users can start a ‌FaceTime‌ conversation and then open up Mapless to initiate the SharePlay integration. From there, users can tap on the Walk and Meet option and each person will receive an arrow that points toward the other person in the conversation to make finding one another easier. A green ring also shows the progress as two people approach each other.

Mapless is free to download, but there are Plus and Premium subscription purchases that are required, with a free trial available.

Shhh!

Shhh! is a social deduction game that can be played over ‌FaceTime‌ with SharePlay. In the game, everyone but one player knows a single location, and this location must be kept secret from the spy while the players also deduce who the spy is through a series of questions.

A game has to be started from the app after creating a ‌FaceTime‌ call, but non-iPhone users can also join in on the web. Shhh! is free to play and available from the App Store.

Share+

Share+ is an app that adds several photo and video-related experiences to the ‌FaceTime‌ experience. Users can take a selfie together using a selfie feature that crops out everyone's backgrounds and merges them together, or they can watch YouTube or view photos in a "Theater" experience.

There are built-in games like "Word Lines," "Word Find," "Charades," "4 in a Row," along with options for editing and annotating PDFs with a group of users. Share+ can be downloaded from the App Store for free.

Kahoot!

Kahoot, an app that provides learning games for children, allows iPhone and iPad users to play Kahoot games over ‌FaceTime‌. Users can start a ‌FaceTime‌ call, open the ‌FaceTime‌ app, and then select one of available quiz-based games. Kahoot is free to download, but there are optional in-app purchases to unlock more content

Other Apps That Support SharePlay

There are a number of other apps that have implemented SharePlay support, with some of the options listed below.

• Disney+
• Night Sky
• MasterClass
• NBA
• Relax Melodies
• Redfin
• Zillow

Learn More About SharePlay

SharePlay has a lot of other capabilities and can be used for watching TV and movies with friends, listening to music together, and there's even a screen sharing feature. We have more details on SharePlay in our SharePlay guide, and for those who want to try out the screen sharing, we have a dedicated how to with instructions.

Tomorrow is the official launch date of the AirPods 3 and accessories like Apple's $19 Polishing Cloth, and orders have now started shipping out to customers ahead of the Tuesday delivery day.

Multiple Twitter users and MacRumors readers have confirmed that their AirPods 3 shipped today after sitting at the "Preparing to Ship" status for several days.

We've also heard from several people that their Polishing Cloths are on the way. The $19 Polishing Cloth is one of Apple's most constrained items at the current time and orders placed today will not arrive until well into January. Stores are not carrying the Polishing Cloth at this time, and it is not clear if retail locations will have stock tomorrow.

As for the AirPods 3, those are more widely available. Orders placed today will deliver next week, and Apple retail locations are expected to have stock tomorrow. AirPods 3 are priced at $179.

AirPods 3 reviews just came out today and were highly positive, with reviewers praising the new and improved contoured fit, the optimized sound quality, the Adaptive EQ and Spatial Audio features, and the long battery life.

Apple today announced that the Premier tier of its all-in-one subscription bundle Apple One will be available in 17 additional countries starting November 3, including Austria, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. The press release was brought to our attention by German website Macerkopf.

Apple One allows customers to subscribe to multiple Apple services through a single plan with unified billing, including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, and iCloud+ with 2TB of storage. However, Apple said Apple News+ will be remaining limited to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, so Apple One's Premier tier won't include Apple News+ in the 17 new countries where it is launching next week.

In the United States, Apple One's Premier tier is priced at $29.95 per month, offering savings of over $20 per month compared to standard monthly pricing for each of the individual services included with the bundle. With Family Sharing, up to six family members can access all the included services in Apple One with their own personal accounts.

If you are considering Apple One, make sure to read our guide on how to sign up.

Update: The Apple One premier tier is now available in Austria, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.

We've heard Apple's overview of the the M1 Pro and M1 Max Apple silicon chips and we've seen benchmarks of the CPU and GPUs, but AnandTech has done a technical deep dive into the capabilities of the new chips that's well worth reading for those who are interested in learning more.

According to AnandTech, the ‌M1 Pro‌ is a new implementation of the M1 chip, but designed "from the ground up" to offer more performance. AnandTech says that this is the more interesting of the two chip designs because it offers "mostly everything that power users will deem generationally important in terms of upgrades."

The CPU cores clock up to 3228MHz peak, however vary in frequency depending on how many cores are active within a cluster, clocking down to 3132 at 2, and 3036 MHz at 3 and 4 cores active. I say "per cluster", because the 8 performance cores in the M1 Pro and M1 Max are indeed consisting of two 4-core clusters, both with their own 12MB L2 caches, and each being able to clock their CPUs independently from each other, so it's actually possible to have four active cores in one cluster at 3036MHz and one active core in the other cluster running at 3.23GHz.

The higher-end ‌M1 Max‌ is identical to the ‌M1 Pro‌, with the exception of the GPU and the media encoders.

The GPU and memory interfaces of the chip are by far the most differentiated aspects of the chip, instead of a 16-core GPU, Apple doubles things up to a 32-core unit. On the M1 Max which we tested for today, the GPU is running at up to 1296MHz - quite fast for what we consider mobile IP, but still significantly slower than what we've seen from the conventional PC and console space where GPUs now can run up to around 2.5GHz.

AnandTech's ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ overview goes into much more depth about the unified memory, the power behavior, and CPU and GPU performance. All in all, AnandTech says that these new chips "truly feel like SoCs that have been made with power users in mind," and performance metrics have been boosted "in all vectors."

The chips here aren't only able to outclass any competitor laptop design, but also competes against the best desktop systems out there, you'd have to bring out server-class hardware to get ahead of the M1 Max – it's just generally absurd.

The site was expecting significant boosts in performance, but "didn't expect some of the monstrous increases that the new chips are able to achieve." The chips outclass any competing laptop design, and also rival the best desktop systems available.

ZAGG and Pad & Quill this week are offering sitewide sales that have up to 25 percent off select Apple-related accessories. This includes the most popular accessories from Mophie, the newest MacBook Pro cases from Pad & Quill, and more.

ZAGG

Starting with ZAGG, you can get 25 percent off up to three products sitewide through October 27. The company's sitewide sale includes brands like ZAGG, Mophie, and Halo, and all of the discounts will be applied automatically in your shopping cart. This sale excludes already-discounted items.

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.

Additionally, there's another ZAGG sitewide sale currently running that is taking 30 percent off two or more products when you add them to your cart. So, if you plan on buying multiple accessories on ZAGG this week, you should see 30 percent off your cart. All of these deals are automatic, so you won't need to enter a promo code or do anything special to see the savings.

This sale covers all of the new Snap+ accessories from Mophie, including the Snap+ Powerstation Stand, Snap+ Wireless Stand, Snap+ Juice Pack Mini, and Snap+ Wireless Charger. These devices are all compatible with MagSafe on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.

Pad & Quill

Pad & Quill last week introduced new cases for Apple's 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro lineup, and now you can save 15 percent on these accessories by using the code PQ15. This code works sitewide, so you can also save on accessories for iPhone, iPad, and more.

The new Pad & Quill MacBook Pro cases are called the Cartella Slim Cases, and they were handmade to look similar to a hardcover book. The outside is covered in a hard linen cover, and there's a moleskin notebook inspired elastic band closure.

Outside of MacBook Pro cases, Pad & Quill also has leather cases for iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, AirTag keychains, iPad covers, and more. You can get 15 percent off all of these accessories, some of which we've highlighted below, by using the code PQ15 at checkout.

• LeatherSafe Pocket Book for iPhone 13 Pro Max - $67.96, down from $79.95
• LeatherSafe Luxury Book for iPhone 13 Pro - $84.96, down from $99.95
• Cartella Slim Case for 14-inch MacBook Pro - $101.96, down from $119.95
• Cartella Slim Case for 16-inch MacBook Pro - $101.96, down from $119.95
• Oxford Leather Case for 11-Inch iPad Pro - $110.46, down from $129.95
• Oxford Leather Case for 12.9-Inch iPad Pro - $135.96, down from $159.95

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Apple today released macOS 12 Monterey, the newest version of the operating system designed to run on the Mac. macOS Monterey comes after months of beta testing and feature refinements.

The new ‌macOS Monterey update can be downloaded on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences, and it can also be found in the Mac App Store. Like all Mac updates, ‌macOS Monterey‌ is a free download. For those who don't want to upgrade to macOS Monterey, there's also a macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 update available, which Apple says includes security fixes.

macOS Monterey adds quite a few features that have already been introduced on iOS devices with iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. FaceTime has gained spatial audio support and voice isolation to cut down on background noise, and in the future, it will work with the SharePlay feature for screen sharing and watching tv and movies with friends and family over ‌FaceTime‌.

Messages supports Shared With You, and Tab Groups in Safari allow tabs to be organized together and accessed across devices. There were Safari design changes to the tab interface, but right before Monterey was released, Apple reversed the changes. The "Compact" Monterey look can be enabled for those who prefer it.

There's a new AirPlay to Mac option and a feature for using the Mac as a speaker for multi-room audio, and Focus mode helps you keep on task by cutting down on distractions. The Shortcuts app that's available on iOS devices has expanded to the Mac, and Apple added new features to Notes, including a Quick Note option that activates a note when you mouse over a section of the screen.

With Live Text, Macs can detect text in any image and it becomes interactive, so you can copy, paste, and translate text from photos. Visual Lookup in the Photos app uses machine learning to provide details on animals, art, landmarks, plants, and more that you've photographed.

iCloud Private Relay, a feature available to all paid ‌iCloud‌ users, hides your browsing habits and IP address from third parties. There's a Hide My Email feature for keeping your email address private, and you can use your own personal domains with ‌iCloud‌.

Mail Privacy Protection prevents emails from using tracking pixels to monitor your activity, and on M1 Macs, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max now offer spatial audio support. Apple's full release notes for macOS Monterey are below:

FaceTime
- Spatial audio makes voices sound like they come from the direction of a speaker on the screen in a Group FaceTime call
- Voice Isolation blocks background noises so your voice is crystal clear
- Wide Spectrum brings every sound in your space into the call
- Portrait mode puts the focus on you by blurring your background on Mac computers with the M1 chip
- Grid view displays people in same-size tiles and highlights the active speaker
- FaceTime links for inviting friends to calls on Apple, Android, or Windows devices

Messages
- Shared with You displays content shared over Messages in your Mac apps
- New Shared with You section in Photos, Safari, News, Podcasts, and the TV app
- Multiple photos display as collages or stacks in Messages

Safari
- Tab Groups help you save and organize your tabs and sync across devices
- Intelligent Tracking Prevention prevents trackers from viewing your IP address
- Compact tab bar option lets you see more of the webpage on your screen

Focus
- Focus lets you automatically filter out notifications based on what you're doing
- Options to customize a Focus for activities like work, gaming, reading, and more
- Focus sets across all Apple devices
- Status lets your contacts know that your notifications are silenced

Quick Note & Notes
- Quick Note lets you take notes on any app or website, and easily revisit them later
- Tags help you quickly categorize your notes by topic and make them easy to find
- Mentions enable you to notify others of important updates in shared notes
- Activity view displays who made recent changes in a shared note

AirPlay to Mac
- AirPlay to Mac lets you share content from iPhone or iPad straight to your Mac
- AirPlay speaker support for playing music through your Mac sound system

Live Text
- Live Text makes text interactive in photos across the system
- Support for copying, translating, and looking up text that appears in photos
- Visual Look Up helps you learn about art, landmarks, and other objects in photos

Shortcuts
- New app helps you automate everyday tasks, helping you accomplish them faster
- Gallery with pre-built shortcuts that you can add and run throughout the system
- Shortcuts editor helps you design custom shortcuts for your specific workflows
- Support for automatically converting Automator workflows into shortcuts

Maps
- Interactive 3D globe with enhanced details for mountains, oceans, and more on Mac computers with the M1 chip
- Detailed city maps display elevation, trees, buildings, landmarks, and more on Mac computers with the M1 chip

Privacy
- Mail Privacy Protection helps prevent senders from tracking your Mail activity
- Recording indicator in Control Center for apps that are accessing your mic

iCloud+
- iCloud Private Relay (beta) helps prevent companies from creating a detailed profile of your browsing activity in Safari
- Hide My Email creates unique, random email addresses that forward to your inbox

Later this year, macOS Monterey will gain support for Universal Control, an addition that was not ready for release at launch. With ‌Universal Control‌, users can use a single keyboard and mouse across multiple Macs and iPads. SharePlay, the feature that allows users to share their screens over ‌FaceTime‌ and watch movies and TV together, is also coming in a later macOS Monterey update.

To give a better overview of all of the new features that Apple has brought to the Mac with macOS Monterey, we have a dedicated macOS Monterey roundup that's available.

Apple today released iOS and iPadOS 15.1, the first major updates to the iOS 15 operating system that was released in September 2021. iOS 15.1 comes one month after the launch of iOS 15.

The iOS and iPadOS 15.1 updates can be downloaded for free and the software is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the new software, go to Settings > General > Software Update. For those who don't want to update to iOS 15, Apple has also released a 14.8.1 update that includes security updates.

iOS 15.1 includes SharePlay, which is designed to allow users to call their friends and family and interact by watching movies and TV or listening to music together, plus there's a built-in screen sharing feature. There's ProRes video capture and an Auto Macro toggle for the iPhone 13 Pro, along with Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos support for the HomePod (with accompanying ‌HomePod‌ update). There's also support for generating vaccine cards in the Wallet app from vaccination records stored in the Health app.

Apple's full release notes for the iOS 15.1 update are below.

SharePlay
- SharePlay is a new way to share synchronized experiences in FaceTime with content from the Apple TV app, Apple Music, Fitness+, and other supported App Store apps
- Shared controls give everyone the ability to pause, play, rewind or fast forward
- Smart volume automatically lowers the audio of a movie, TV show or song when your friends speak
- Apple TV supports the option to watch the shared video on your big screen while you continue the FaceTime call on iPhone
- Screen sharing lets everyone on a FaceTime call look at photos, browse the web, or help each other out

Camera
- ProRes video capture using iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Setting to turn off automatic camera switching when taking macro photos and videos on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

Apple Wallet
- COVID-19 vaccination card support allows you to add and present verifiable vaccination information from Apple Wallet

Translate
- Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan) support in the Translate app and for system-wide translation

Home
- New automation triggers based on the current reading of a HomeKit-enabled humidity, air quality, or light level sensor

Shortcuts
- New pre-built actions let you overlay text on images or gifs, plus a new collection of games lets you pass the time with Siri

This release also fixes the following issues:
- Photos app may incorrectly report storage is full when importing photos and videos
- Weather app may not show current temperature for My Location, and may display colors of animated backgrounds incorrectly
- Audio playing from an app may pause when locking the screen
- Wallet may unexpectedly quit when using VoiceOver with multiple passes
- Available Wi-Fi networks may not be detected
- Battery algorithms updated on iPhone 12 models to better estimate battery capacity over time

On the iPad, the update adds the above listed features and support for Live Text in the Camera app. With Live Text, the Camera can detect text, phone numbers, addresses, and more, with the feature available on iPads that have an A12 Bionic chip or later. Live Text was already available on the iPhone.

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

For details on everything that's new in the iOS 15 update, we have a dedicated iOS 15 roundup.

The first 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro reviews are now out and there are a few notable tidbits that are worth highlighting.

Brian Tong's review provides a first look at High Power Mode, a new feature that is exclusive to 16-inch MacBook Pro models configured with an M1 Max chip. High Power Mode can be enabled in System Preferences under Battery > Power Adapter > Energy Mode when connected to a power source or under Battery > Battery > Energy Mode when running on battery.

High Power Mode is designed to maximize performance during intensive, sustained workloads such as color grading 8K ProRes video, according to Apple. Fine print in System Preferences indicates that High Power Mode may result in louder fan noise, suggesting that the feature allows the M1 Max chip to run hotter and ramps up fan speeds to accommodate this.

High Power Mode is not available on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, even when configured with an M1 Max chip, or on any models with an M1 Pro chip.

Tong tested High Power Mode on the 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M1 Max chip by exporting a 19-minute video in Adobe Premiere Pro version 15.4.1. The export took 7 minutes and 18 seconds, which was just 16 seconds faster than the same export took with High Power Mode turned off, so there wasn't a significant difference in performance in this particular test, but High Power Mode could have more benefit with other workflows.

Tong also said the bottom of the MacBook Pro was noticeably hotter to the touch while he tested High Power Mode compared to normal usage.

Meanwhile, Dave Lee's review reveals that the new MacBook Pro models include black Apple logo stickers in the box rather than standard white stickers, as Apple associates the color black with its professional line of products.

We've seen Apple experiment with colors before. The new 24-inch iMac, for example, includes color-matching Apple stickers in the box.

SharePlay, a new feature that's been introduced in iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, macOS Monterey, watchOS 8.1, and tvOS 15.1, is compatible with Apple Fitness+ and adds a fun new feature to Apple's fitness service - working out with friends.

Using SharePlay, Apple Fitness+ users can work out with friends and family members over FaceTime. Apple says that this is a good way to help people "stay motivated and accountable on their fitness journey."

"We created Fitness+ so everyone would have a place they feel inspired and motivated, no matter where they are on their fitness journey. We are so excited to be available to millions more people as we bring Fitness+ to 15 new countries next week, and can't wait for them to meet our welcoming trainer team," said Jay Blahnik, Apple's vice president of Fitness Technologies. "We also think our users are going to love working out or meditating together with SharePlay. It's a really fun way to connect with friends and family, even trade some words of encouragement or friendly smack talk, while also making progress toward closing their rings."

Group workouts or meditations can feature up to 32 people over ‌FaceTime‌ on the iPhone or iPad, and the chosen Fitness+ workout will be in sync for all participants.

To use the feature, Fitness+ users can start a ‌FaceTime‌ call with their friends or family members and then navigate to the Fitness+ app to start a workout. SharePlay works with the Apple TV, so users can watch the workout on the bigger screen while staying connected with friends on a ‌FaceTime‌ call on the iPhone or the ‌iPad‌.

Users who participate in a group workout over SharePlay will see their metrics and progress toward closing their own Activity rings while also seeing and hearing friends. When someone moves ahead on the Burn Bar or closes their Activity rings, all participants are notified and can celebrate together.

Fitness+ is available in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the United States at the current time, but Apple plans to release it in 15 additional countries on November 3. Fitness+ is priced at $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, and it is included in the Apple One Premier plan for $29.95 per month.

New Apple Watch owners can get a free three month trial of Apple Fitness+, and starting on November 1, UnitedHealthcare members in nearly all states will be able to get a free 12-month Apple Fitness+ subscription.

Apple today released watchOS 8.1, the first major update to the watchOS 8 operating system that launched in September. watchOS 8.1 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 3 and later, and it comes one month after the release of watchOS 8.

‌‌watchOS ‌8.1 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌.

According to Apple's release notes, the watchOS 8.1 operating system introduces enhanced fall detection algorithms, support for a COVID-19 vaccination card in the Wallet app, and Fitness+ workouts with others over FaceTime using SharePlay.

watchOS 8.1 includes the following improvements and bug fixes for your Apple Watch:
- Enhanced algorithms to detect falls during workouts and option to enable fall detection during workouts only (Apple Watch Series 4 and later)
- COVID-19 vaccination card support allows you to present verifiable vaccination information from Apple Wallet
- Fitness+ supports SharePlay to allow subscribers to invite up to 32 people to workout together through a FaceTime call using iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV
- Always On may not display the time accurately for some users when their wrist is down (Apple Watch Series 5 and later)

Details on what's new in the watchOS 8 update can be found in our watchOS roundup.

Alongside the iOS 15.1 update that was released today, Apple has introduced a new 15.1 software update that's designed for the HomePod and the HomePod mini.

The ‌HomePod‌ update introduces Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio to Apple's HomePods, bringing them in line with other devices that have supported the features since earlier this year. Lossless Audio is available on both the ‌HomePod‌ and ‌HomePod mini‌, while Spatial Audio is available on the larger-sized and now-discontinued ‌HomePod‌.

Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos can be enabled through the Home app. Open up Home Settings, tap on your profile, and then under Media, tap on Apple Music. From there, toggle on Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos. Note that these options appear in the iOS 15.1 beta, but the ‌‌HomePod‌‌ 15.1 beta seems to be needed to actually use the features on the ‌‌HomePod‌‌.

‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ software is installed automatically on the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌ unless the feature is disabled‌‌‌‌, but the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ can also be manually updated in the Home app by following the instructions in our ‌‌HomePod‌‌ update how to.

Last month, Apple announced that its subscription-based Fitness+ workout service would be launching in 15 additional countries "later this year," and today, the company confirmed the launch will take place on November 3.

Apple Fitness+ launched in December 2020 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. Less than a year later, on November 3, Apple is expanding Fitness+ to millions of new customers in Austria, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.

Apple Fitness+ workouts will continue to be hosted and taught in English, with subtitles in major languages for all countries. New workouts are added to the database every week through the Fitness app on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Apple Fitness+ costs $9.99 per month, with prices expected to vary in every country based on local currencies.