MacRumors

This week saw an interesting range of Apple news and rumors, including a blockbuster earnings report, rumors about next year's "iPhone 14" and Face ID coming to Macs, and more.

Other popular topics included Apple's crackdown on leaks, changes in the latest round of betas for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, and several stories involving Tesla CEO Elon Musk, so check out our video above and read on below for all of the details!

Face ID Expected to Come to Mac Within a 'Couple of Years'

While it has been nearly four years since Face ID debuted on the iPhone X, the facial recognition feature has yet to expand to the Mac. However, that could change in the not too distant future, as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week said Face ID is coming to the Mac within a "couple of years."

Gurman believes that Apple's ultimate goal is to shift most of its product lineup to Face ID, including lower-end iPhone models such as the iPhone SE and the iPad Air, both of which currently feature Touch ID.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Takes Shots at Apple During Earnings Call

In an earnings call this month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made some pointed comments about Apple's so-called "walled garden" and the company's use of the rare-earth element cobalt, which has been associated with human rights issues like forced child labor and environmental concerns near mining sites.

Later in the week, Musk came out to publicly back Epic Games in its dispute with Apple, calling Apple's App Store "a de facto global tax on the Internet."

In crazier Musk news, a new book about Tesla claims that Musk demanded he be named Apple CEO in a brief phone discussion with Tim Cook about a potential acquisition of Tesla by Apple. Musk has denied the claim, saying that he and Cook have never even spoken or written to each other.

Apple Reports 3Q 2021 Results: $21.7B Profit on $81.4B Revenue, New June Quarter Records

Apple this week announced financial results for the third fiscal quarter of 2021, which roughly covered the months of April through June. For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $81.4 billion and net quarterly profit of $21.7 billion, or $1.30 per diluted share, shattering June quarter records for the company.

Apple saw strong performance across its product and services segments, but CEO Tim Cook says the company is expecting supply constraints to affect iPhone and iPad shipments during the current quarter.

Apple Demands Leaker Reveals Sources Under Threat of Being Reported to Police

It was recently reported that Apple sent letters to several prominent leakers asking them to immediately stop sharing information about unreleased products, or else face legal action, and further details about the letter have emerged this week.

First, it was reported that Apple demanded that leakers reveal any sources who provided them with information about Apple products that were not publicly available, and Apple also said that the leaks could mislead third-party case/accessory makers.

iPadOS 15 Gains macOS Monterey's Redesigned Safari Tab Interface

The fourth beta of iPadOS 15 that was released this week introduces tweaks to Safari, with the browser's layout now mirroring the updated design that was introduced in the third beta of macOS Monterey.

Apple also seeded a fourth beta of macOS Monterey to developers this week and this version enables the new Live Text feature on Intel-based Macs, whereas the feature was previously exclusive to Macs with the M1 chip.

iPhone 14 Pro Said to Feature Tougher Titanium Design

Next year's so-called "iPhone 14" lineup is expected to feature high-end models with a new titanium alloy chassis design, according to a recent investor note shared by investment banking firm JPMorgan Chase.

The investor note said the use of titanium alloy will be one of the biggest changes to the casing design of the 2022 iPhone models, and Foxconn will supposedly be the exclusive manufacturer of the titanium frames for the devices.

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!

Telegram Messenger has received a major update to its video capabilities, including support for video calls with up to 1,000 viewers.

Group video calls in Telegram allow up to 30 users to stream video from both their camera and their screen, and now a maximum of 1,000 people can tune into the broadcast. Telegram says it intends to continue increasing this limit "until all humans on Earth can join one group call."

Meanwhile, video messages now have a higher resolution, and any audio playing on the user's device will keep playing when a message is being captured so that it's included in the recording.

In addition, users can now tap on a video message to expand it in the conversation thread. Tapping on an expanded video message initially pauses it, and it's also possible to fast-forward and rewind the message.

Elsewhere in this update, the media player now supports multiple video playback speeds, screen sharing has been added to one-on-one calls, the in-app camera supports all zoom levels a device is capable of, and the media editor includes new tools to illustrate photos and videos with drawings, text, and stickers.

Several other smaller tweaks and improvements have made it into this bumper update, and Telegram has further details in its latest blog post. Telegram is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Since introducing the unified Find My app, Apple has been working to improve the ‌Find My‌ experience. iOS 15 brings some major new features to ‌Find My‌, including features like live locations and the ability to track an iPhone even after it's been erased or powered off.

This guide covers everything that Apple added to the ‌Find My‌ app in ‌iOS 15‌.

Live Locations

When you track a friend or a family member using the ‌Find My‌ app, it now shows continuous streaming updates on their location rather than updating with a new location every few minutes.

Apple says that this feature is designed to provide an immediate sense of speed, direction, and progress when you're looking at someone's location.

Locate Lost Devices That Are Off

Devices that have been turned off can still be tracked by the ‌Find My‌ network in ‌iOS 15‌. If a device was low on battery power or turned off by a thief, it can still be found when it's close to another Apple device.

The ‌Find My‌ network is a feature that Apple introduced with iOS 13, and it enabled Apple devices to be located even without a WiFi or cellular connection by leveraging other nearby iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

In ‌iOS 15‌, Apple has extended the ‌Find My‌ network to work with devices that are turned off as well. Apple has not outlined just how this feature works, but either the U1 chip, Bluetooth, or NFC continues to be powered in the background even when your device is off or out of battery, though in the case of battery, tracking may last a limited number of hours.

Apple has a similar feature for Car Keys that uses NFC, and it lasts for about five hours after an ‌iPhone‌'s battery dies. In this case, it lets you continue to unlock your car if your ‌iPhone‌ is dead.

For this feature to work, the ‌Find My‌ network feature must be enabled. It's on by default, but you can double check by going to your profile, tapping on ‌Find My‌, selecting ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌, and then making sure "‌Find My‌ network" is toggled on.

Locate Lost Devices That Have Been Erased

If someone steals your ‌iPhone‌ and then erases it, in ‌iOS 15‌, it's still going to show up in the ‌Find My‌ app, and it will be trackable even after it's been wiped.

The feature is tied to Activation Lock, which prevents someone from using your ‌iPhone‌ without your Apple ID and password. In iOS 14 and prior iOS updates, erasing a device would leave Activation Lock on so no one could use your ‌iPhone‌ without your password, but erasing a device did prevent ‌Find My‌ from functioning.

A wiped ‌iPhone‌ would not show up in the ‌Find My‌ app, but now, erasing an ‌iPhone‌ no longer works that way. If Activation Lock is on (i.e., it wasn't wiped using your username and password to disable Activation Lock), it's tied to your account and locatable using ‌Find My‌.

Combined with the feature for tracking a device that's turned off, the ‌Find My‌ app serves as a much stronger theft deterrent.

To prevent someone from being tricked into purchasing a device that's tied to your account, the Hello screen will make it clear that the device is locked, locatable using ‌Find My‌, and the property of someone else.

Separation Alerts

With Separation Alerts, the ‌Find My‌ app can let you know if an ‌iPhone‌ or iPad is left behind by alerting you on one of the other devices with you.

Separation Alerts work for AirTags and for third-party accessories that integrate with the ‌Find My‌ network, so if you leave a wallet or a MacBook behind at a cafe after you walk out with your ‌iPhone‌, your ‌iPhone‌ will let you know.

Separation Alerts can be toggled on in the ‌Find My‌ app and need to be turned on for each individual item that you own. You can also set exceptions, so if you leave something behind at home on purpose, you won't get an alert.

• How to Get Notified If You Leave an AirTag or Apple Device Behind

Find My for AirPods

For AirPods Max and AirPods Pro, the ‌Find My‌ network is able to deliver an approximate location if these items become lost.

AirPods have always shown up in the ‌Find My‌ app, but until now, functionality has been limited. In ‌iOS 14‌ and earlier versions of iOS, ‌AirPods Pro‌ and Max show up in ‌Find My‌, but if they're out of Bluetooth range of your own devices, you only see their last known location.

With the ‌Find My‌ network, ‌AirPods Pro‌ and ‌AirPods Max‌ can communicate with the Apple devices of others, which lets you track them even when they're out of range of your own devices.

You can get an approximate location using this method, and Apple says it is designed to help you get within Bluetooth range so you can activate the Play a Sound feature to track them down.

Find My Widget

There's now a ‌Find My‌ widget that you can add to the Home screen or the Today View to track items at a glance without having to open up the ‌Find My‌ app.

Widgets come in two sizes, small and medium, and can be used to track People or Items. The People feature tracks your friends and family members who have location sharing enabled, and the Items widget tracks your AirTag items and third-party accessories that use the ‌Find My‌ network.

Tapping on either ‌Find My‌ widget opens up the full ‌Find My‌ app.

Find My on iPad and Mac

The changes in this guide are applicable to the ‌iPhone‌, but on the ‌iPad‌, there's support for Separation Alerts, the ‌Find My‌ Widget, and live locations for family and friends.

Macs with macOS Monterey support the ‌Find My‌ widget and for live locations for family and friends. Offline tracking and tracking for erased devices are features limited to ‌iPhone‌.

Guide Feedback

Have questions about ‌Find My‌ in ‌iOS 15‌, know of a feature we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.

"Unicorn Hunters," a YouTube and Facebook show starring Apple-cofounder Steve Wozniak and singer Lance Bass as judges, is aiming to make its way to television, reports Variety.

The show aims to find "unicorn" companies, which are startups able to reach a $1 billion valuation. A panel of investors called the "Circle of Money" serve as judges on the show, in a format that's similar to "Shark Tank." Circle of Money members include Steve Wozniak, Lance Bass, Moe Vela, Silvina Moschini, Alex Konanykhin, Scott Livingston, and Rosa Rios.

Unicorn is the name given to startup companies with a valuation of over one billion dollars. If you spot one and invest in it at an early stage, you could potentially earn enormous returns on your investment.

No one has the ability to predict which companies will ultimately become Unicorns, but Unicorn Hunters offers you a front-row seat to hear the pitch from businesses that have what it takes to become one.

With Unicorn Hunters, you "discover" private startups at the same time as our Panel of Experts, and you get an equal shot at investing in these very promising companies before they go big.

The Circle of Money can opt to invest in a show, but there is also a crowd funding component as audience members can opt in to be "hunters" to invest in private startups at the same time as the experts.

Four episodes of the first season of "Unicorn Hunters" with Steve Wozniak were filmed earlier this year and debuted online, but the show's producers and its stars want to transition from online to television and are seeking distribution both in the United States and internationally.

There is no word on which television companies might be interested in the show at the current time. Companies on the show so far include Far UV Technologies, fitness company Forte, Starton Therapeutics, Introimmune Therapeutics, and Carbon Connect. The initial episodes can be watched on the Unicorn Hunters website.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Harber London to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an Everyday Leather Briefcase and a matching Magnetic Envelope Sleeve for either the MacBook or the iPad.

Harber London makes a range of attractive, quality leather accessories designed for Apple devices, including multiple bag and briefcase options. The Everyday Briefcase is a sleek, high-quality bag that's ideal for carrying a Mac or an iPad.

Priced at GBP289.00 (~$400), the Everyday Briefcase can fit a 13 to 16-inch laptop or a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard attached, so it's ideal for all of Apple's Mac and ‌iPad‌ offerings. There are two sizes. The medium version has a 5.6L capacity, while the larger version has a 7.5L capacity.

The Everyday Briefcase is constructed from a full grain leather and handmade in Spain, with color options that include tan, deep brown, and black. Given the nature of the material, the Everyday Briefcase will age with a unique patina over time, and it will look even more refined with use.

Inside the Everyday Briefcase, there's a specially padded laptop compartment with double padding to keep a Mac or an ‌iPad‌ safe from bumps and scratches. In addition to the laptop compartment, there's a dedicated charger pocket, slots for cords, chargers, and pens, and more, plus pockets for notebooks, and a carry strap with a custom made buckle. There's also a bonus magnetic keychain that lets you dock your keys inside your bag and then take them out again when they're needed.

To go along with the Everyday Briefcase, Harber London is offering one of its Magnetic Envelope Sleeves, available for both Apple's MacBooks and Apple's iPads. There are sleeves sized to fit the full range of Mac notebooks and all of the modern ‌iPad‌ options.

At GBP89.00 (~$124), the Magnetic Envelope Sleeve is an ideal solution for protecting an ‌iPad‌ or Mac when the device is inside of another bag or when being carried. The Envelope Sleeves come in tan and black colors to match the Everyday Briefcase, and are made from a dense and soft protective wool material with a leather topper. There's a built-in charge through system for charging a device while it's inside the sleeve, and the name comes from the magnetic flap that keeps everything locked in place when you're on the go.

We have one Everyday Briefcase and one Magnetic Envelope Sleeve available for a lucky MacRumors reader. The winner will be able to choose the size of the briefcase and their preferred sleeve, as well as their favorite color option.

To enter to win our ‌giveaway‌, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the ‌giveaway‌ restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (July 30) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on August 6. The winner will be chosen randomly on August 6 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter today to criticize Apple's App Store fees in a tweet that sides with Epic in the ongoing Epic v. Apple dispute.

"Epic is right," wrote Musk, before going on to call Apple's ‌App Store‌ fees a "de facto global tax on the Internet."

Musk earlier this week made veiled comments about ‌App Store‌ fees, but today's statement is a much more direct criticism.

During Tesla's earnings call, Musk said that Tesla was planning to let other companies use its charger network because Tesla does not want to "create a walled garden" and use that to "bludgeon" competitors. Musk said that this is a tactic used by "some companies," and then he fake coughed and said "Apple."

Epic Games launched a major dispute with Apple in August 2020, defying the ‌App Store‌ rules and getting popular game Fortnite removed from the ‌App Store‌. After that, ‌Epic Games‌ launched a planned lawsuit to call out Apple's ‌App Store‌ fees and restrictions.

Apple and ‌Epic Games‌ went to trial earlier this year, and we're waiting to hear the outcome. ‌Epic Games‌ is aiming for alternate app store or app loading options, while Apple wants to maintain the status quo.

Musk has clashed with Apple over the years due to employee poaching issues, but this is the first time he's directly spoken out about Apple's ‌App Store‌ policies. Tesla does not have a paid app in the ‌App Store‌ and is not impacted by fees.

Musk also took to Twitter today to deny claims that he'd once asked to be the CEO of Apple. A new book says that Musk once called Cook about a potential Apple acquisition of Tesla. The book claims that Musk asked to be CEO of Apple, at which point Cook said "F-- you" and hung up the phone.

According to Musk, he has never spoken or written to Cook, and while there was one point where he requested a meeting with Cook about a potential acquisition, Cook refused to meet. Cook has also said that he has never spoken with Musk.

While the iPad has long been the world's most popular tablet, newly published market research helps put Apple's lead into perspective.

According to estimates shared by research firm IDC, Apple shipped 12.9 million iPads in the second quarter of 2021. By comparison, IDC estimated that Samsung and Amazon shipped a combined 12.3 million tablets in the quarter, suggesting that Apple shipped more tablets than Samsung and Amazon did combined in the quarter.

A big caveat is that Apple no longer reports iPad unit sales in its earnings results, forcing IDC to estimate shipments based off the iPad quarterly revenue number that Apple does share. As a result, other research firms like Strategy Analytics and Canalys have different iPad shipment numbers for the second quarter, but it doesn't change the narrative, as both have Apple with a significant lead over Samsung and Amazon.

iPad sales continued to surge last quarter as many people continue to work, learn, and communicate with others remotely. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the ‌iPad‌ had its best June quarter in nearly a decade, with the company reporting iPad revenue of $7.4 billion in the quarter, a significant increase over $6.6 billion in the year-ago quarter.

The launch of a new iPad Pro with an M1 chip and a mini-LED display on the 12.9-inch model likely also bolstered sales during the quarter.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly once demanded that he be made Apple CEO in a brief discussion of a potential acquisition with Apple's current CEO, Tim Cook. The claim comes in a new book titled "Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century," as reviewed by The Los Angeles Times.

According to the book, during a 2016 phone call between Musk and Cook that touched on the possibility of Apple purchasing Tesla, Musk told Cook that a purchase of Telsa by Apple could only go forward if he became CEO of the combined company.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk are talking on the phone. The 2016 unveiling of the make-it-or-break-it Model 3 is coming soon, but Tesla is in serious financial trouble. Cook has an idea: Apple buys Tesla.

Musk is interested, but one condition: “I’m CEO.”

Sure, says Cook. When Apple bought Beats in 2014, it kept on the founders, Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.

No, Musk says. Apple. Apple CEO.

“F— you” Cook says and hangs up.

Elon Musk has previously claimed that he once reached out to Tim Cook to "discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla." Cook, according to Musk, declined to take the meeting. The new book claims that while a meeting never took place, a phone call between the two CEOs did. It is worth noting, however, that during an interview with The New York Times' Kara Swisher in April, Cook said he had never spoken to Musk but has "great admiration and respect" for Tesla.

Update: In a tweet, Elon Musk is denying the contents of the book, calling it both "false and boring."

Update 2: Musk has shared another tweet explicitly denying that he and Cook have ever spoken or written to each other, reiterating his statements from months ago that he had at one point requested a meeting with Cook to discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla but that Cook refused the meeting.

Back to school season is already upon us, and in order to prepare students for a return to school we're collecting all of the best back to school sales from popular Apple-related accessory companies. These include Nomad, Twelve South, Nimble, Brydge, and more, with plenty of discounts to make a dent in your shopping list, whether it be for a return to in-person school or remote learning.

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.

Nomad

We've got a few exclusive sales lined up for our readers during back to school season, starting with 20 percent off sitewide on Nomad through Monday, August 2. You can shop across Nomad's website (sale items excluded) and use the code MR20 to save 20 percent.

Nomad has a wide array of popular Apple related accessories, including Base Station wireless chargers, titanium Apple Watch bands, leather iPhone 12 cases, AirPods cases, and more. You can also save on the company's charging cables and useful USB-A to Lightning Carbon Carabiner, perfect for backpacks.

Nimble

Our second exclusive can be found at Nimble, where you can get 25 percent off any order by using the code MACRUMORS25. This code will also last through the end of August.

At Nimble you can shop for a variety of portable chargers, wireless chargers, and other charging accessories. Nimble's portable chargers start at $18.72 (regular $24.45) for the 5,200 mAh CHAMP Lite Portable Charger, and rise to $37.47 (regular $49.95) for the 10,000 mAh model and $74.97 (regular $99.95) for the 20,000 mAh model.

For wireless chargers, you can get the MagSafe-compatible APOLLO Duo Wireless Pad for $59.97 (regular $79.95). And for cables, there's the 1m PowerKnit USB-C to Lightning for $18.72 (regular $24.95).

Twelve South

Twelve South is offering our readers a chance to take 12 percent off sitewide with the code MacRumors. This is another sale that will last for the entire month of August and end on August 31.

For back to school related items, Twelve South has a new landing page dedicated to products like the SuitCase for MacBook, BookBook Case for iPad, AirSnap, and Curve Riser for iMac. Of course, our exclusive code works sitewide at Twelve South, so you can browse anywhere on the company's website and take 12 percent off for the next month.

Brydge

Brydge's back to school sale has a large collection of the company's iPad keyboards at notable discounts, including those compatible with iPad, iPad mini, and iPad Pro. You'll also find USB-C accessories, a MacBook dock, and more.

• Brydge 7.9 (for iPad mini) - $59.99, down from $99.99
• Brydge Pro (for iPad Pro) - $89.99, down from $169.99
• Brydge 10.2 MAX+ (for iPad) - $99.99, down from $129.99
• Brydge 10.2 (for iPad) - $99.99, down from $129.99
• Brydge Pro+ (for iPad Pro) - $119.99 - $139.99, down from $149.99 - $169.99
• Stone II USB-C Dock - $119.99, down from $149.99
• MacBook Vertical Dock - $129.99, down from $169.99

Hyper

Hyper is discounting USB-C hubs and docks that are compatible with the MacBook Pro and will help anyone working on Apple's notebook this semester to expand their productivity. The 4-in-1 USB-C Hub has USB-C, HDMI, USB-A, and a 3.5mm audio jack for $39.99, down from $49.99.

The PRO 8-in-2 USB-C Hub has HDMI, MicroSD, SD, Mini DisplayPort, 2x USB-A, and 2x USB-C for $99.99, down from $119.99. Lastly is the 4K HDMI 3-in-1 USB-C Hub with HDMI, USB-A, and USB-C at $39.99, down from $49.99.

You'll also find a pair of multi-purpose sterilization solutions on Hyper's sale this week, including a UV-C LED Sterilizing Box ($199.99) and UV-C LED Sterilizing Wand ($79.99). These accessories aid in eliminating germs and bacteria from any number of products, including tech items.

Adorama

Adorama is hosting a wide variety of discounts on computers, keyboards, mice, printers, headphones, and more, all perfect for those returning to remote learning this fall.

• Lexar 2-Pack JumpDrive 64GB Flash Drive - $24.99, down from $33.98
• Epson Expression Wireless Printer - $79.99, down from $149.99
• HP Chromebook - $189.99, down from $299.99
• LG 27-Inch Ultra HD Monitor - $399.00, down from $449.00

ZAGG/Mophie

ZAGG is still offering an ongoing deal that lets you take 30 percent off your entire cart when you purchase two or more products on ZAGG's website. This includes all ZAGG brands, like InvisibleShield, Mophie, gear4, and Halo.

Mophie's portable chargers are perfect backpack accessories, for anyone going back to school or if you still have a few trips planned before the summer ends. The only exclusions for the sale are already-discounted items.

Belkin

If you're on the hunt for surge protectors, bedside Qi charging mats, Lightning cables, headphones, and other college dorm essentials, Belkin's sale is a good place to start. You'll find plenty of new accessories on sale, as well as some certified refurbished products at steeper discounts.

• 6-Outlet Surge Protector (2-pack) - $9.99, down from $12.99
• 12-Outlet Surge Protector - $24.99, down from $29.99
• Soundform Headphones with Lightning connector - $24.99, down from $29.99
• 3-Outlet Mini Surge Protector (with 2x USB-A) - $29.99, down from $34.99
• Wall Mount Surge Protector (2x USB-A, 3x AC outlet) - $29.99, down from $34.99
• USB-C + USB-A Wall Charger (with USB-C to Lightning Cable) - $44.99, down from $49.99
• Soundform True Wireless Earbuds - $49.99, down from $59.99

Office Depot, OfficeMax, and Staples

Of course, some of the all-around best school supply savings can be found at Office Depot and OfficeMax, which are both hosting a four day flash sale in anticipation of kids around the country going back to school soon. You can save up to 40 percent on backpacks, up to 70 percent on crayons, and up to 65 percent on Office Depot branded school essential storage items.

Staples has many competing prices on these school supply essentials. One inch three ring binders start as low as $1.88, while art supplies like a box of twelve colored pencils starts at $0.97.

Pad & Quill

Pad & Quill's Summer Clearance Sale has notable discounts across a collection of iPad Pro and iPhone cases. For iPhone, prices start at $39.45 for the Bella Fino iPhone 12 mini Wallet Case (originally $69.95).

iPad Pro cases start at $58.85 for the Seconds Oxford Leather iPad Pro 11-inch Case (originally $129.95). You can also get the Seconds Oxford Leather iPad Pro 12.9-inch Case at $79.90 (originally $159.95).

Speck

At Speck you can take 30 percent off sitewide through July 31 at 11:59 p.m. PST, during the company's friends and family event. Speck has a large collection of cases compatible with Apple products like iPhone 12, iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, AirPods, and much more.

Other Sales

• Best Buy - Shop tech for fitness, studying, productivity, and more.
• eBay - Save up to 50 percent on back to school products, including certified refurbished items.
• JBL - Get up to 40 percent off headphones, earbuds, and more.
• Moment - Save on gimbals, backpacks, tripods, and more.
• Newegg - Save up to 40 percent on gaming monitors and PCs.
• OWC - Save on USB-C docks, storage, power accessories, and more.
• SENA Cases - Get up to 25 percent off select iPhone cases with code LEGACY.
• Target - Save on back to school tech and other essentials like kids' headphones, tablets, and calculators.

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

A few years ago, Apple announced that it would be revamping its Maps app with more detailed maps, better road coverage, and faster and more accurate navigation. The improvements have since rolled out in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain, and Apple is focusing on Italy next.

According to Apple Maps enthusiast Justin O'Beirne, Apple recently started testing its revamped Maps experience across the Italian Peninsula, including San Marino and Vatican City. The updated maps appear to be limited to devices with the iOS 15 developer or public betas installed for now, but at WWDC 2021 last month, Apple announced that its revamped Maps experience would be expanded to all users in Italy and Australia later this year.

In early 2020, Apple said it would begin rolling out the revamped Maps experience across Europe in the coming months, so other countries should soon follow. The updated maps provide more comprehensive views of roads, buildings, parks, airports, shopping malls, sports venues like baseball fields and tennis courts, and other details.

July was a busy month for Apple Arcade, with eight new titles joining the library of almost 200 games on Apple's growing mobile gaming subscription service, including some familiar, fan-favorite games.

Last month, "Legends of Kingdom Rush," "Game Dev Story+," "Frenzic: Overtime," "INKS.+," and "Leo's Fortune+" arrived on Apple Arcade. In July, eight new games joined the platform in the card, sports, puzzle, action, simulation, and racing genres.

July 2: Solitaire Stories

The first game to arrive on ‌Apple Arcade‌ this month was "Solitaire Stories," putting a new spin on the classic card game with a narrative focus, a range of deck designs, daily challenges, and global leaderboards.

Solitaire Stories features a progressive journey through increasingly difficult levels. Each story has a different theme with its own deck design, gameplay environment, level map, and soundtrack. There is also a quick play mode for a classic game of solitaire.

July 9: Ultimate Rivals: The Court

Next was "Ultimate Rivals: The Court," an action basketball game featuring more than 140 athletes from the NHL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL Players Association, WWE, and U.S. women's soccer national team. Players can create a squad of their favorite athletes to compete with friends and family in three-on-three matches.

The game features unique player moves, short sessions, a "Gauntlet" arcade mode that allows players to play through bracketed tourneys to unlock new athletes, four battle environments, and more.

July 16: Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City, Angry Birds Reloaded, and Doodle God Universe

Mid-July saw three fan-favorite titles join ‌Apple Arcade‌. "Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City" is an endless runner set in the desert, where the goal is to sail across dunes, canyons, and temples to unearth the secrets of the Lost City. The game offers simple tap controls that are easy to learn but tough to master, and players are tasked with building up combos and meeting goals.

"Angry Birds Reloaded" builds on the physics-based bird slingshotting action from the original Angry Birds game, introducing new characters from the Angry Birds movie universe, a new game mode, new power ups, and all new levels.

In "Doodle God Universe," players start out on an empty planet with four elements, and the goal is to combine these different elements to create hundreds of new elements to make the planet thrive and grow.

July 23: Jetpack Joyride+ and Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector+

"Jetpack Joyride+" is another classic App Store Game that originally launched in 2011. The popular game consists of a character embarking on a journey with a jetpack, with the player controlling them to avoid obstacles. It features a wide range of jetpacks, missions, outfits, obstacles, and power-ups.

"Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector+" is a simulation game that encourages players to attract cats to a yard with food and toys. The game features over 40 varieties of cat, and players can entice rare cats with particular items. Each visiting cat is logged in a book and players strive to collect as many cats as they can.

July 30: Detonation Racing

"Detonation Racing" is the final game to come to ‌Apple Arcade‌ this month. The racing game allows players to tactically collapse and disintegrate the track to open up new routes and hazardous shortcuts to gain a competitive advantage.

The game can be played in solo, online, and local modes, and features six tracks, nine cars, and a variety of unlockable vehicle paint jobs.

Coming Soon: Super Leap Day, Monster Hunter Stories+, Super Stickman Golf 3+, wurdweb, Tetris Beat, Baldo, and Asphalt 8: Airborne+

There are seven games slated to arrive on Apple Arcade soon, of which at least four are due to arrive in August, in the action, roleplaying, sports, word, puzzle, adventure, and racing genres. "Super Leap Day," "Monster Hunter Stories+," and "Super Stickman Golf 3+" are the first set to launch next on Friday, August 6. You can tap "Get" on any of these upcoming games on the App Store to be notified when they are available and set them to automatically install.

Solitaire Stories, Ultimate Rivals: The Court, Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City, Angry Birds Reloaded, Doodle God Universe, Jetpack Joyride+, Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector+, and Detonation Racing are available on the ‌App Store‌ now. Keep an eye out throughout August for more new games.

‌Apple Arcade‌ is priced at $4.99 per month with a one-month free trial available to test it out. Apple also has a one-year subscription option available for $49.99 per year, a savings of $9.89 over the monthly price, and it is also available as part of all tiers of Apple One, starting at $14.95 per month.

The most important TSMC factory that manufactures Apple's chips destined for next-generation iPhone and Mac models has been hit by a gas contamination, according to Nikkei Asia.

The factory, known as "Fab 18," is TSMC's most advanced chipmaking facility. TSMC is Apple's sole chip supplier, making all of the processors used in every Apple device with a custom silicon chip.

Industry sources speaking to Nikkei Asia said that all of the processors for Apple's upcoming ‌iPhone‌ and Mac devices are produced at this facility. This presumably translates to the iPhone 13 lineup and redesigned MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon, containing the "A15" and "M1X" or "M2" chips.

Gas used in the production of these chips was found to be contaminated on Thursday night. TSMC told Nikkei Asia: "Some TSMC production lines in the South Taiwan Science Park received certain gases from suppliers that are believed to be contaminated. These were quickly replaced with other gas supplies." Employees who had gone home were called back to the factory to bring the situation under control.

The company said that it is carrying out follow-up operations to ensure that product quality is not affected, and the incident is not believed to have caused a "significant impact on operations." Sources speaking to Nikkei Asia said that the gas contamination had affected the chip manufacturing process, but only in a limited way.

The contamination comes at a particularly bad time for Apple, as the company and its suppliers are currently said to be finalizing components for the final assembly process of new ‌iPhone‌ and Mac models by the end of August.

The ‌iPhone 13‌ lineup is expected to launch in Apple's normal September timeframe. Redesigned MacBook Pro models featuring Apple silicon chips are also still expected to arrive this year, either alongside the iPhone 13 in September or at a separate event around October.

Apple has started accepting App Store and iTunes payments in India using UPI and Rupay cards and Net Banking.

The acceptance of RuPay and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) cards means Apple users in India will be able to use the domestic payment systems as alternatives to regular credit/debit card payment methods to add funds to their Apple ID balance.

They can then use their ‌Apple ID‌ balance to buy apps, games, music, iCloud storage, and more in Apple's online stores.

RuPay was launched in India in 2012, and facilitates real-time electronic payments at all Indian banks and financial institutions. The massively popular instant payments network UPI followed in 2016.

Apple today sent out emails letting customers know about the latest Apple Pay promotion, which offers discounts for SONIC, ParkWhiz, and HotelTonight.

From now until August 4, customers can get a free SONIC cheeseburger, 10 percent off three parking reservations with ParkWhiz, and 10 percent off hotel reservations with HotelTonight.

To get the SONIC deal, customers must be logged into their MySonic account, and the free cheeseburger will become available in a future order after any SONIC purchase. For ParkWhiz, customers will need to use the promo code APPLEPAY10 when checking out, and for HotelTonight, customers will need to use promo code APPLEPAYHT when reserving a room. For all of these deals, ‌Apple Pay‌ must be used as a payment method.

Apple today released watchOS 7.6.1, a minor update to the watchOS 7 operating system that was released in September 2020. watchOS 7.6.1 comes two weeks after the release of watchOS 7.6, an update that brought ECG capabilities to new regions.

‌‌The watchOS 7.6.1 update‌‌ 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 7.6.1 update includes important security updates and it is recommended for all users. An Apple security support document indicates that the update fixes a memory issue that may have been actively exploited in the wild, so Apple Watch users should upgrade as soon as possible. This is the same issue that Apple previously addressed in iOS 14.7.1 and macOS Big Sur 11.5.1.

Panic, a company known for its range of apps designed for Apple's iPhones, iPads, and Macs, today announced the launch of pre-orders for its Playdate handheld gaming system.

Panic had 20,000 Playdate systems available for preorder for shipping in late 2021, but those quickly sold out and orders placed now will ship out in 2022.

Priced at $179, the Playdate is a pocket-sized gaming system that has a unique design. It features a black and white display, bright yellow chassis, a d-pad, A+B buttons, and a crank on the side that serves as a flip-out rotational controller.

The pocketable gaming system will feature pre-installed games from developers like Zach Gage, Shaun Inman, Bennett Foddy, and Keita Takahashi.

There will be several games available at launch, and an additional game will be delivered each week for a few months. The Playdate comes equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a USB-C port for charging, and a headphone jack.

Those interested in the Playdate can pre-order it today it from the Play.date website.

Back in April, Apple announced a $430 billion investment over the next five years to create more than 20,000 new jobs as the company continues to expand. One significant piece of that plan is a new engineering and research center in North Carolina where Apple will be investing over $1 billion and hiring at least 3,000 employees.

Apple actually acquired the land for its new North Carolina campus in late 2018, purchasing about 280 acres in Research Triangle Park (RTP) near the state capital of Raleigh for around $50 million, but while Apple announced plans for a new campus in Austin, Texas, around that time, it remained silent on its RTP plans until this year.

It will take several more years for Apple's campus in RTP to get up and running, so the company is moving forward with plans for over 200,000 square feet of temporary space in nearby Cary, MacRumors has confirmed.

Apple will be taking the most recently constructed facility in a three-building complex built over the past eight years for insurance company MetLife. With the global health crisis impacting corporate facility needs around the world, MetLife has consolidated its Cary operations into two buildings on the campus and made the entire third building available for lease.

Based on plans filed with the Town of Cary, Apple will be taking the entire seven-floor "MetLife III" building, which totals over 220,000 square feet. An initial phase of buildout for Apple includes the first three floors of the building, but documents from the project architect indicate that Apple has the "intent of occupying the entire building in the near future."

Development plans for Apple's renovation were filed with the town at the end of June and were approved on July 8 and 9, clearing the way for construction to begin. Filings indicate that initial renovations will cost nearly $5.5 million and are fairly limited in scope, with Apple largely retaining the open plan already in place and previously used by MetLife.

Apple will be doing select demolition of floor and wall coverings in certain areas of the first three floors and reconfiguring some spaces to customize things to its own liking, but Apple will be avoiding major changes and expenses given that its tenancy is expected to be rather short-lived.

There don't appear to be any signs of progress on Apple's future RTP campus yet, but that's not terribly surprising considering the announcement was made just a few months ago and Apple is likely continuing to work with architects and others on finalizing its plans.