MacRumors

While we had been expecting a follow-up October Apple event focused on Mac and iPad announcements, it sounds like we might not be getting another event after all. Instead, the pending updates in those product segments could be considered minor enough that they may be announced via press releases.

It wasn't all bad news, however, with Apple announcing that it will be expanding an on-device version of the upcoming Stage Manager feature to older iPad Pro models rather than limiting it to M1-based models. Other news and rumors this week included the possibility of an "iPhone 15 Ultra" next year, a look at camera performance on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and more, so read on below for all of the details on these stories and more!

Apple Expands Stage Manager to Older iPad Pro Models

Apple made the surprise announcement this week that Stage Manager is expanding to older iPad Pro models with A12X and A12Z chips released in 2018 and 2020. The multitasking feature is available to test on those models in the latest iPadOS 16.1 beta.

Stage Manager will not have external display support on older iPad Pro models, limiting its versatility. Apple has also delayed external display support for the feature on iPad models with the M1 chip — it will be reimplemented in a software update later this year.

We shared our first impressions of Stage Manager on a 2018 iPad Pro in a recent video on our YouTube channel.

Gurman: Apple Might Not Hold an October Event

In his latest newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said another Apple Event in October "seems unlikely." Instead, he believes Apple is more likely to announce its remaining 2022 products via press releases, updates to its website, and media briefings.

Apple often holds an October event focused on new Macs and iPads, but Gurman believes that new versions of the iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini with the M2 series of chips might not be enough for another iPhone-style keynote.

iPhone 15 'Ultra' Could Replace Pro Max Model Next Year

Another tidbit mentioned in Gurman's newsletter this week was that the iPhone 14 Pro Max might be succeeded by a newly named iPhone 15 Ultra next year.

iPhone 15 Ultra branding could make sense given that analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently claimed that Apple is planning to further differentiate the Pro and Pro Max models in its iPhone lineup by making more features exclusive to the highest-end model going forward.

iPhone 14 Pro Features Live Sports Scores in Dynamic Island on iOS 16.1

Earlier this month, Apple announced that iOS 16.1 will enable a new Live Activities feature that allows iPhone users to stay on top of things that are happening in real time, such as a sports game or a food delivery order, right from the Lock Screen.

On the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, Live Activities also integrate with the Dynamic Island, making it easy to view live sports scores at a glance for MLB, NBA, and Premier League games. iOS 16.1 will be released to all users later this year.

Camera Comparison: iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max introduce some major improvements in camera technology, adding a 48-megapixel lens and low-light improvements across all lenses with the new Photonic Engine. We've spent the last week working on an in-depth comparison that pits the new ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max against the prior-generation iPhone 13 Pro Max to see just how much better the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max can be.

Based on our testing, the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max cameras are a definite improvement over the ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ Max cameras, but the new features for most people will only be used every now and then rather than on a daily basis. If you've already got an ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ Max, it's probably not worth upgrading just for the camera alone, but there are of course other features to consider like Dynamic Island, always-on display technology, Emergency SOS via Satellite, and Crash Detection.

10 Things AirPods Pro 2 Tell Us About AirPods Max 2

Upon the release of the second-generation AirPods Pro, the AirPods Max became the oldest current-generation product in the AirPods lineup.

With new features like the H2 chip and Adaptive Transparency, the second-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌ may provide some of the best indications yet of what to expect from the second-generation ‌AirPods Max‌. We've rounded up 10 potential features of the AirPods Max 2 in total.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Apple has acknowledged that some Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra users may experience microphone issues, including when trying to use Siri, make a phone call, and more.

Users have reported issues with their Apple Watch microphone becoming persistently unresponsive after some time, causing apps that rely on the mic to throw up errors and stop working entirely.

In a new memo obtained by MacRumors, Apple says it's aware of the bug affecting users, specifically saying customers could face problems with ‌‌Siri‌‌ not being able to hear them, recording voice memos, and conducting phone calls. A "Measurement Suspended" message may also appear in the Noise app.

Apple says that restarting the Apple Watch may temporarily fix the problem and suggests the problem is not hardware related. Apple in the memo says that customers should remain updated to the latest watchOS version, indicating a fix could soon be released.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been touring Europe this week, sitting down for interviews with various media publications. Augmented reality has been a running theme in Cook's discussions, and it is a topic he brought up again in an interview with Dutch publication Bright, which is part of RTL News.

"I think AR is a profound technology that will affect everything," Cook said, echoing comments from Italy earlier in the week. "Like I said, we are really going to look back and think about how we once lived without AR."

Cook went on to say that it "won't be that long" before we live in a world where we wonder how we did without augmented reality. Cook said that virtual reality also has its uses because of how immersive it is, but it is not a replacement for real life.

"It's something you can really immerse yourself in. And that can be used in a good way. But I don't think you want to live your whole life that way. VR is for set periods, but not a way to communicate well. So I'm not against it, but that's how I look at it."

On Facebook's "metaverse," Cook said that it's important that people have an understanding of a product. "I'm really not sure the average person can tell you what the metaverse is," he added. Metaverse is a word that precedes Facebook, having first been used in the sci-fi novel "Snow Crash," but Facebook has embraced it, going as far as renaming the company "Meta." Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that the company is committed to developing a "metaverse," aka a future digital reality.

Apple is hard at work on its own virtual and augmented reality headset that's expected to be released in 2023, followed by AR "Apple Glasses" that could come out in 2024, but Cook has made it clear that Apple does not want to keep people from actual reality.

As he often does, Cook also spoke on the importance of programming as a universal language, and he touched on topics like climate change, recycling, and politics. Cook's full interview can be read over at Bright using Google translate for those who do not speak Dutch.

Cook this week also spent time in London visiting AFC Richmond, home of "Ted Lasso," Italy where he was awarded with an Honorary Degree in Innovation and International Management, and Germany, where he celebrated Oktoberfest and met up with developers.

Apple today updated its list of vintage and obsolete products to add the iPhone 6 because it has now been more than five years since the device was last offered for sale. The ‌iPhone‌ 6 has something of a unique launch situation, so the timing of its addition to the list is a little bit off.

The ‌iPhone‌ 6 was released in September 2014 alongside the ‌iPhone‌ 6 Plus. It was sold in 2015 as a lower-cost option following the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ 6s, and then discontinued in 2016 alongside the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ 7. It was reintroduced as a low-cost ‌iPhone‌ in select countries in 2017, and it continued to be sold until September 2018.

The ‌iPhone‌ 6 Plus, the sister phone to the ‌iPhone‌ 6, was added to the vintage list earlier this year.

The ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 6 and 6 Plus were notable for being the first devices to offer support for Apple Pay and for marking the first year that Apple offered the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ in multiple size options. Apple has continued on with the multi-size release strategy since the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 6 and 6 Plus launch.

The vintage products list features devices that Apple stopped distributing for sale more than five years ago and less than seven years ago. Apple provides service and parts for vintage devices for up to 7 years, or as required by law, but repairs are subject to parts availability.

Obsolete products are products that Apple stopped distributing for sale more than seven years ago. All hardware service is discontinued for obsolete products, with the exception of Mac notebooks eligible for battery-only repair.

In addition to adding the ‌iPhone‌ 6 to the vintage list, Apple has moved the 2012 iPod nano 7 and the fifth-generation iPod touch from the vintage list to the obsolete list, while the 2015 iPod nano models are now listed as vintage. The fourth-generation iPod shuffle from 2012 was moved to the obsolete list, and the 2015 version is now listed as vintage.

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, MacRumors editor Hartley Charlton and videographer Dan Barbera talk in depth about their experiences using the new Apple Watch Ultra and the AirPods Pro 2, both of which launched last week.

Listen to The MacRumors Show via apps like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Castro, Google Podcasts, or subscribe by copying our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. You can also watch a video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

If you missed the prior episode of The MacRumors Show, make sure to check it out for a discussion of the new iPhone 14 lineup with Sara Dietschy.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for more episodes, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by exciting guests like Luke Miani, Sam Kohl, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, iJustine, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, Jon Rettinger, Rene Ritchie, Andru Edwards, Jon Prosser, and Mark Gurman. Remember to rate and review the show, and let us know what subjects you would like the podcast to cover in the future.

Apple today shared a new ad designed to highlight iPhone 14 Pro camera features that include the 48-megapixel Main camera, Action mode when capturing video, Cinematic mode for movie-like shots, and zoom options.

In the spot, a filmmaker uses the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ to shoot a series of action sequences, including a chicken running, a restaurant fight scene, a dance number, stop motion animation, a car chase, a helicopter ride, and more. The ad ends with the tagline "Our most Pro camera ever."

Apple improved all three cameras in the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ models, with the 48-megapixel Main camera allowing for full resolution ProRAW footage. Action mode is able to capture 2.8K video with gimbal-like stabilization, while Cinematic mode now works in 4K at 24 frames per second.

The ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max are priced starting at $999 and can be purchased from Apple's website.

The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern recently traveled to Michigan to test Apple's new crash detection feature on the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Ultra. In response, Apple provided some additional information about how the feature works.

Stern recruited Michael Barabe to crash his demolition derby car with a heavy-duty steel frame into two unoccupied vehicles parked in a junkyard — a 2003 Ford Taurus and a 2008 Dodge Caravan. The results were mixed, with the iPhone and Apple Watch only detecting some of the crashes, which Apple said was the result of the testing conditions in the junkyard failing to provide enough "signals" to trigger the feature every time.

When I contacted Apple with the results, a company spokesman said that the testing conditions in the junkyard didn't provide enough signals to the iPhone to trigger the feature in the stopped cars. It wasn't connected to Bluetooth or CarPlay, which would have indicated the car was in use, and the vehicles might not have traveled enough distance prior to the crash to indicate driving. Had the iPhone received those extra indicators—and had its GPS shown the cars were on a real road—the likelihood of an alert would have been greater, he said.

Apple says its crash detection feature relies on "advanced Apple-designed motion algorithms trained with over a million hours of real-world driving and crash record data." Stern outlined the various hardware sensors and software algorithms that assist with detecting a crash on supported iPhone and Apple Watch models:

• Motion sensors: All the devices have a three-axis gyroscope and high-g force accelerometer, which samples motion more than 3,000 times a second. It means the devices can detect the exact moment of impact and any change in motion or trajectory of the vehicle.

• Microphones: The mics are used to detect loud sound levels that might indicate a crash. The microphones are only turned on when driving is detected, and no actual sound is recorded, Apple says.

• Barometer: If the air bags deploy when the windows are closed, the barometer can detect a change in air pressure.

• GPS: Readings can be used to detect speeds prior to a crash and any sudden lack of movement, as well as inform the device that it's traveling on a road.

• CarPlay and Bluetooth: When connected, these give the algorithms another signal that the phone is on board a car, so it knows to look out for a crash.

Crash detection is enabled by default on the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 8, second-generation Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra. The feature can be found in the Settings app under Emergency SOS → Call After Severe Crash and is not available on older iPhone and Apple Watch models.

Apple's website says that the crash detection feature is designed to detect "severe" car crashes, such as "front-impact, side-impact, and rear-end collisions, and rollovers" involving "sedans, minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks, and other passenger cars." Apple warns that the feature "cannot detect all car crashes," so it is not failproof.

When a severe car crash is detected, a supported iPhone or Apple Watch displays an alert and sounds an alarm, according to Apple. If a user is able, they can call emergency services by swiping the Emergency Call slider on the iPhone or Apple Watch, or dismiss the alert. If they do not respond to the alert after 10 seconds, the device begins another 10-second countdown. If they still haven't responded, the device calls emergency services.

Apple says if a severe car crash is detected, users will interact with the Apple Watch if they are wearing one. Otherwise, users interact with the iPhone.

All in all, while Stern said her test was not exactly scientific, it is reassuring that the feature detected some of the crashes. However, tests involving stationary vehicles in a controlled environment can never truly replicate an on-street collision.

This week's best Apple deals focus on the AirPods Pro, AirPods Pro 2, and M2 MacBook Air, including numerous all-time low prices on these devices. You'll also find up to 50 percent off discounts on Anker and Eufy accessories on Amazon.

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.

M2 MacBook Air

• What's the deal? Take $150 off M2 MacBook Air
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Earlier in the week we shared discounts on the M2 MacBook Air lineup, and now Amazon has an even steeper discount on the 256GB model. It's available for $1,049.00, down from $1,199.00, making this a new all-time low price on the notebook. The 512GB model is still at $1,349.00, down from $1,499.00, which is also a record low price.

AirPods Pro

• What's the deal? Take $9 off AirPods Pro 2 and $69 off AirPods Pro
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

We're continuing to track a $9 discount on the all-new AirPods Pro 2 on Amazon this week, priced at $239.98, down from $249.00. If you're looking to save more money and are okay with investing in a previous-generation model, the 2021 AirPods Pro with MagSafe are priced at $179.98 on Amazon, down from $249.00.

Anker Accessories

• What's the deal? Take up to 50% off Anker and Eufy products
• Where can I get it? Amazon
• Where can I find the original deal? Right here

Anker and Eufy kicked off the week with a collection of discounts across a variety of products, centered around a $200 markdown on the Eufy Security SmartDrop Package Box. Additionally, the Eufy Solo IndoorCam P24 for $44.99 with an on-page coupon, down from $54.99. The Eufy Smart Scale P2 Pro is $59.99 with the code eufyscale, down from $79.99.

Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

The iPhone 14 models have depreciated in value more than twice as much as the iPhone 13 in the same time frame last year, according to data gathered by SellCell.

SellCell's analysis is based on averaged trade-in values from over 40 buyback vendors. The data shows that the ‌iPhone 14‌ and ‌iPhone 14‌ Plus are performing poorly in terms of value retention, depreciating twice as much as the ‌iPhone 13‌ and ‌iPhone 13‌ mini in the same 10-day period after launch. In the 10 days after launch, the standard ‌iPhone 14‌ models lost 38.4 percent of their value on average, over double the 18.2 percent depreciation of the ‌iPhone 13‌ models in the same timeframe last year.

The 512GB ‌iPhone 14‌ is the worst-performing model, depreciating 40.3 percent during the 10 days after launch. Last year, the 512GB ‌iPhone 13‌ mini was Apple's fastest depreciating model, losing 29.8 percent of its value 10 days after launch, followed by the 512GB ‌iPhone 13‌, which lost 27.2 percent of its value.

While the ‌iPhone 14‌ Plus is not yet available, aftermarket prices for the device are already in place, showing an expected average depreciation of 38.6 percent for the device. Naturally, this is subject to change once the device is available and the market can better evaluate demand.

The situation is markedly better for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which has depreciated by just 19.6 percent. This is 1.8 percent better than last year's iPhone 13 Pro Max in the 10 days after launch. With deprecation of 18.2 percent, the 512GB ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max is the best-performing model overall, compared to the 256GB ‌iPhone 13‌ from last year, which lost just 9.9 percent of its value. As a whole, the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max are depreciating at a similar rate to the ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ Max, indicating similar strong demand.

The information is in line with multiple other reports claiming that there is low demand for the ‌iPhone 14‌ and ‌iPhone 14‌ Plus. Earlier today, display analyst Ross Young tweeted that panel orders for the ‌iPhone 14‌ are down 38 percent versus the ‌iPhone 13‌ at the same time last year. He added that ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max panel orders are up 18 percent compared to the ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ Max.

Shortly after launch, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that demand for the two devices is "lackluster," with worse pre-order results than the third-generation iPhone SE and the ‌iPhone 13‌ mini. He went as far as to claim that "Apple's product segmentation strategy for standard models fails this year" and Apple is believed to have shelved plans to increase production of the two devices. On the other hand, the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max continue to see high demand.

Following the launch of iOS 16.0.2 last Thursday, Apple has stopped signing iOS 16 and iOS 16.0.1, the two previously available versions that came out in mid-September. Since the two versions are no longer being signed, it is not possible to downgrade to those versions of iOS after installing iOS 16.0.2.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date, so it is not unusual that iOS 16 and iOS 16.0.1 are no longer being signed.

Apple released iOS 16 to the general public on September 12 following several months of beta testing. Key new features include a highly customizable Lock Screen, the ability to temporarily edit or unsend iMessages, improvements to Focus modes, and more. The free software update is compatible with the iPhone 8 and newer.

Apple then released iOS 16.0.1 as a day-one update for the iPhone 14 models to fix bugs including an issue with activation and migration during setup, a problem that could cause photos to appear soft when zooming in in landscape orientation on iPhone 14 Pro Max, and a bug that could cause enterprise single sign-on apps to fail to authenticate.

Although it's no longer possible to downgrade to the earlier versions of iOS outlined above, users can still revert to iOS 15 by connecting to a Mac or PC, thanks to a security fix that Apple issued alongside iOS 16 in the form of iOS 15.7.

Anker has one-upped Apple by launching new Soundcore Liberty 4 earbuds with in-ear heart rate sensors – a feature that was rumored to be coming to the AirPods Pro 2 but ultimately never made the cut.

Anker's new earbuds feature a stemmed design reminiscent of Apple's AirPods, while the right-hand earbud includes a special sensor that can monitor your heart rate continuously or just when you're working out. The HR data is linked to Anker's Wellness app, which also features tracking options for guided, freestyle, and custom exercise routines.

The Liberty 4 also come with spatial audio support, active noise cancelation, a customizable equalizer, and support for AAC, LDAC, and SBC codecs, but not aptX. The earbuds also include support for multiple connection switching.

Battery life is stated at up to nine hours on a single charge, but this decreases to seven hours with noise canceling enabled, six hours in LDAC mode and no noise cancelation, and five hours with spatial audio on.

The wireless charging case has a USB-C port for wired charging, provides up to 28 hours of battery life, and it can fast charge the earbuds in 15 minutes to provide three hours of playback, or fully charge them in an hour.

Anker's Soundcore Liberty 4 earbuds cost $149.99 and come in either black or white, with the latter available from today on Soundcore.com. The black earbuds are also coming to Amazon on October 10, while the white set it due to go on sale on October 7 on Soundcore's website and October 17 on Amazon.

As for Apple, it's not clear whether heart rate tracking was a feature the company pulled from its second-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌ or if it's something Apple is developing for future AirPods models. Apple has been rumored to be developing health-monitoring functions for AirPods for some time, with even Apple executives hinting at the possibility.

According to documents seen by The Wall Street Journal, prototypes of AirPods with temperature sensors for monitoring a wearer's core body temperature from inside the ear are being developed by Apple, but which model they are for and when they will make an appearance, if ever, remains unknown.

Apple's South Korean headquarters have been raided by antitrust regulators after a complaint was raised by developers that it is charging them over the standard 30% App Store commission rate.

The dawn raid by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) was reported by local media on Monday and covered on Friday by the Foss Patents blog, highlighting the ongoing investigation in the country into Apple's alleged abuse of market power.

The complaint that sparked the raid was reportedly brought by mobile game developers who argued that Apple charges more than the typical 30% commission rate for purchases made in the ‌App Store‌.

As Foss Patents points out, Apple charges 30% of the price paid by end users, which includes value added tax (VAT), making it 10% higher than the amount on which Google bases its 30% commission, which doesn't include VAT. Apple is therefore collecting 33% (30% of 110%), not the headline 30% rate.

The above also comes into play for the 15% rate applied to small businesses or to subscriptions in the first year: Developers in Korea get charged 16.5% because Apple collects the commission on the gross price which is inclusive of VAT. The additional 3% reportedly amounted to approximately 345 billion won ($240 million) in the period from 2015 to 2020.

It's a similar story in other countries where Apple operates including France and Italy (32.1%), Turkey 35.25%, and the UK (31.5%) when tax is taken into account, although no-one has yet lodged a formal complaint about the practice in any of those countries.

The development means Apple is now being investigated by two Korean government agencies. In August, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said that it had conducted an inspection of Apple, Google, and One Store since May 17 to determine if they have violated in-app payment laws, and concluded that all three companies may have done so. If the new probe discovers malpractice, the KCC could issue correction orders and impose fines up to as high as 2% of the average annual revenue from relevant business practices.

In January, Apple announced that it would comply with a new South Korean law that bans app store operators from requiring developers to use their own in-app purchase systems. In late June, the change came into effect, enabling developers to offer alternative payment systems in South Korea.

However, Foss Patents argues that Apple is acting in bad faith by making it prohibitively expensive to use alternate payment services. Apple charges a 26% commission on payments processed by other service providers, meaning that developers using a third-party payment processor in Korea would have a total cost that is about twice as high as if they used Apple's in-app purchases.

The third beta of iOS 16.1 that was released earlier this week expands the Adaptive Transparency feature introduced with the second-generation AirPods Pro to the original ‌AirPods Pro‌.

As noted on Reddit, first-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌ owners who also have the AirPods beta software will now see an "Adaptive Transparency" toggle in the AirPods section of the Settings app. The 5A304A beta firmware is required to see the setting.

Apple debuted Adaptive Transparency with the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2. It is designed to allow the AirPods to block out loud sounds, such as sirens, construction work, or loud speakers at a concert without blocking out all noise.

The ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 have an upgraded H2 chip that allows for Adaptive Transparency to work, so it is not yet clear how Adaptive Transparency with the H1 chip in the original ‌AirPods Pro‌ works in comparison.

(Thanks, Aaron!)

Tony Blevins, Apple's vice president of procurement, is set to depart the company after he made a crude comment about his profession in a recent TikTok video, reports Bloomberg.

Blevins was in a video by TikTok creator Daniel Mac, who was doing a series on the jobs of people he spotted with expensive cars. After seeing Blevins in an expensive Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, Mac asked Blevins what he does for a living, and Blevins had a lewd response. From Bloomberg:

When asked what he does for a living, Blevins said, "I have rich cars, play golf and fondle big-breasted women, but I take weekends and major holidays off." He also touted that he has a "hell of a dental plan." [...]

The TikTok video was taken at a car show that Blevins attended last month in Pebble Beach, California. His remarks in the 25-second clip reference a line from the 1981 movie Arthur, where main character Arthur Bach describes his own career: "I race cars, play tennis and fondle women, but I have weekends off and I am my own boss."

Blevins is in fact a high-ranking executive at Apple, and as Apple's vice president of procurement, his job was to work with suppliers and Apple partners. He was part of the team that inked a deal with Globalstar for Apple's iPhone 14 satellite functionality, and he has a reputation for aggressively negotiating with Apple suppliers to bring down Apple's costs.

In a 2020 profile, The Wall Street Journal said that Blevins had earned the nickname "the Blevinator" within Apple because of his tough stance on negotiations. Blevins was said to be the one encouraging Apple suppliers to deprive Qualcomm of royalty payments during the Qualcomm v. Apple dispute, and he was personally tapped by Apple CEO Tim Cook to manage negotiations for the Apple Park campus.

Apple held an internal investigation after learning about the TikTok video, and afterward, he was removed from his team of a dozen direct reports and several hundred employees. Blevins told Bloomberg that he was sorry for what he said. "I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to anyone who was offended by my mistaken attempt at humor," he said.

An Apple spokesperson also confirmed that Blevins will be leaving the company, a decision that came down to Apple's senior vice president of operations, Jeff Williams. Williams will be overseeing Blevins' team following his departure.

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.

Accessory maker Hyper is recalling its 65W and 100W HyperJuice Stackable GaN Chargers and its 130W Battery Pack because of a product design issue that can cause them to overheat while charging. Hyper says that this can lead to a "potential fire hazard."

Affected stackable products include the 65W and 100W GaN chargers that were initially introduced in 2021. Each one features a pass-through AC power outlet rated up to 1500W for stacking multiple units on top of one another. Each 100W unit featured three USB-C ports and one 18W USB-A port, while each 65W unit included two USB-C ports and one USB-A port.

The USB-C 130W Battery Pack was released in 2019, offering a 27,000mAh battery capacity. It included two USB-C ports and a USB-A port.

If you own one of the HyperJuice Stackable GaN Chargers or the 130W Battery Pack, Hyper is providing a one-time store credit in the full amount of the purchase price. There is no option for a cash refund for those who are no longer interested in owning Hyper products.

According to the recall site, approximately 18,200 Stackable Chargers were sold, and 13,700 battery packs were sold. Two battery packs overheated, resulting in smoke, melting, and property damage, and there were seven reports about the Stackable chargers. No injuries have been reported.

Consumers should stop using all of the recalled products immediately because of the fire risk.

Hyper is providing customers with a self-addressed prepaid shipping label for the return of affected units. Store credits will be issued when the product is returned or, if the product is no longer available, proof of purchase. Customers can learn more on Hyper's website.

Google today announced that it is shutting down its Stadia cloud gaming service, with access set to end in mid-January 2023. Google will be providing refunds for all hardware purchases, all game purchases, and all purchases of in-app add-on content made through the Stadia store.

Stadia was not able to gain the traction with users that Google was expecting, which is why it is being shuttered.

For many years, Google has invested across multiple aspects of the gaming industry. We help developers build and distribute gaming apps on Google Play and Google Play Games. Gaming creators are reaching audiences around the world on YouTube through videos, live streaming and Shorts. And our cloud streaming technology delivers immersive gameplay at massive scale.

A few years ago, we also launched a consumer gaming service, Stadia. And while Stadia's approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn't gained the traction with users that we expected so we've made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service.

Players can access their games library and play through January 18, 2023, with Google expecting most refunds to be complete in mid-January. During the winding down process, some games may have gameplay issues, especially games requiring commerce, but the majority will "continue to work normally."

While all hardware purchases and all software transactions will be refunded, Google is not refunding Stadia Pro subscriptions.

We will be offering refunds for all Stadia hardware purchases (Stadia Controller, Founders Edition, Premiere Edition, and Play and Watch with Google TV packages) made through the Google Store and software transactions (games and add-on purchases) through the Stadia store. Stadia Pro subscriptions are not eligible for refund, however you will be able to continue playing your games in Pro without further charges until the final wind down date.

Ahead of the shutdown, the Stadia store has been shuttered and all commerce on the Stadia platform, including in-game transactions, has ended. More information on refunds for Stadia users can be found on Google's website.

Google Stadia has only been around since 2019, having launched in November of that year. The service was designed to allow for cloud-based gaming across a range of devices, including PCs, Chromebooks, Macs, iPhones, and iPads.

One of the biggest new features in iOS 16 is a completely redesigned iPhone Lock Screen. The new Lock Screen is entirely customizable, letting you change the colors and fonts, add widgets and new wallpapers, and more to make your ‌iPhone‌ uniquely yours.

Of course, even before ‌iOS 16‌, you could customize your Lock Screen with a wallpaper of your choice. ‌iOS 16‌ takes the Lock Screen wallpaper experience even further by introducing a new effect to images. With ‌iOS 16‌, users can choose a new multilayered effect for wallpapers so that the subject of the photos is set in front of the time, creating a depth effect.

• iOS 16: How to Set a Photo As Your Lock Screen Wallpaper

‌iOS 16‌ will automatically suggest wallpaper photos for you based on your own personal Photos library, but some users may want even more choices. To help, we've rounded up five apps to check out that offer wallpapers that work with ‌iOS 16‌'s new Lock Screen depth effect.

• Lockd - Lock Screen Wallpapers
• Lock Screen Wallpapers +
• Wallpapers Now
• Unsplash
• Widgets & Wallpapers: MyScreen

Note: All apps are free to download and use, but most offer in-app purchases for an ad-free experience and to unlock premium wallpapers.

In addition to new depth effect wallpapers, users can customize the font and color of the time and date on the Lock Screen. Additionally, users can now add widgets to their Lock Screen, offering timely information without needing to unlock their phone. A growing number of third-party apps have introduced ‌iOS 16‌ Lock Screen widget support, and you can check some of the early additions in our guide.

The latest iPadOS 16 beta released earlier this week expands a Display Zoom option for more screen space to 2018 and 2020 models of the 11-inch iPad Pro with A12X and A12Z chips. The feature was previously limited to iPad models with the M1 chip.

The feature can be enabled in the Settings app by tapping Display & Brightness → Display Zoom → More Space. Apple says this mode gives users more screen space to work with by scaling the display's resolution, which can be useful for features like Split View and Stage Manager. Apple announced earlier this week that Stage Manager is expanding to 2018 and newer iPad Pro models, albeit without external display support.

For the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the More Space option is still limited to the model with the M1 chip, according to developer Steve Troughton-Smith.

iPadOS 16 remains in beta testing and will be released as iPadOS 16.1 in October.

(Thanks, Erik Landi!)