MacRumors

There are all kinds of weird, unique, and interesting Apple-related accessories out there, and in our latest YouTube video, we've rounded up some of the most notable products we've come across in the last few months.

From an Apple Watch band with a camera to an ultra fancy phone sanitizer, these accessories may not be for everyone, but they're definitely worth checking out.

• Cleanstation ($200) - From Simplehuman, known for its trash cans, the cleanstation is a UV-C sanitizer that promises to rid your iPhone of 99.9% of germs in just 30 seconds.
• Wristcam for Apple Watch ($300) - As the name suggests, this is a band that adds a camera to your Apple Watch. It's an 8-megapixel camera and it holds 2000 photos or an hour of video, connecting to the watch over WiFi or Bluetooth. It's bulky, but useful if you need hands-free recording.
• Pivo ($139) - Pivo is a nifty little rotating stand for your iPhone. You can film yourself and the Pivo will make sure that you stay in the frame with smart autotracking, and it's compatible with any tripod.

All of the links to the products are in this article, but make sure to watch our video to see them in action.

New emojis are added to iOS devices on a near-yearly basis, with Apple adopting the characters voted on and approved by the Unicode Consortium on the regular.

The Unicode Consortium is now working on the list of emojis that will be added in the Emoji 14 update, and Emojipedia has details on what we can expect with mockups of what the emoji might look like.

New face emoji include melting face, face with open eyes and hand over mouth, face with peeking eye, saluting face, dotted line face, face with diagonal mouth, and face holding back tears.

There are several new skin tones that are proposed for emoji like palm up hand, heart hands, handshake, person with crown, pregnant person, and more, along with several miscellaneous items.

Troll, coral, lotus flower, empty nest, nest with eggs, beans, pouring liquid, biting lip, jar, playground slide, wheel, ring buoy, hamsa, mirror ball, low battery, crutch, x-ray, bubbles, ID card, and heavy equals sign may all make it into the next iOS emoji update after the final candidates are decided upon in September.

Emoji candidates are not finalized and will not be finalized until later this year, so that means that while these are on the draft list, they may not make it into the final version of Emoji 14. That said, most draft candidates are accepted.

All of the images are just designs that Emojipedia is guessing at, and each operating system maker (like Apple) will have their own custom designs.

Emoji 14 has been under development for some time and has been delayed due to the ongoing global health crisis. After the final emoji candidates are decided on, smartphone makers will begin using them in late 2021 and 2022. There's a good chance that we won't see Apple adopt these new emoji until 2022 as there's often a delay of several months before new emojis make it onto iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

World Emoji Day is coming up on July 17th, and in the past, Apple has given us insight into its future emoji plans in celebration of the day. Apple last added new emoji in April with the iOS 14.5 update.

Apple chip supplier TSMC has confirmed that it will begin mass production operations at its new factory in Arizona in 2024, Nikkei Asia reports.

TSMC Chairman Mark Liu announced that the company's $12 billion factory in Phoenix, Arizona, which is currently under construction, will begin mass production in the first quarter of 2024. While the 2024 timeframe had previously been rumored by Bloomberg, TSMC's announcement serves as a confirmation and indicates that the project is on track.

The first batch of engineers hired to staff the new U.S. factory arrived in Taiwan in late April this year for training, and the company is looking to accelerate its schedule for the facility as much as possible.

The facility will mass-produce chips fabricated with a 5nm process. TSMC has been gradually miniaturizing its process over the years, going from a 16nm A10 chip in iPhone 7 models, to a 7nm A13 chip in iPhone 11 models, and most recently a 5nm process for the iPhone 12's A14 chip. Likely clients for the chips made in the Arizona factory include Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Apple. The new Arizona plant will make it theoretically possible for Apple's 5nm custom silicon chips, such as the A14 or M1 chip, to be manufactured within the United States.

TSMC's main factories are located in Taiwan, but it already operates a factory in Camas, Washington, as well as design centers in Austin, Texas and San Jose, California, meaning that the Arizona facility will be its second manufacturing site in the United States.

Alongside the news about the Arizona factory, TSMC also said that it was looking into chip production sites in Japan, likely for chips destined for Sony devices, and set out the intention to build up overseas manufacturing capacity to ensure long-term competitiveness.

The latest research from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) shows that all four iPhone 12 models accounted for 63% of total iPhone sales in the United States in the quarter ending June 2021.

The highest-end iPhone 12 Pro Max tied with the year-old iPhone 11 for the largest share of any single model at 23%, while the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone XR had the smallest share, each at 5%, according to CIRP. As pandemic-related restrictions ease in the United States, the Chicago-based research firm said increased consumer spending correlated with consumers shifting to more expensive iPhone models.

"Apple did very well as it emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Josh Lowitz, a CIRP co-founder. "Increased consumer spending correlated with consumers shifting to more expensive iPhone models as they retired older phones and shopped more at Apple's own retail locations to buy those iPhones."

The shift to more expensive models resulted in the iPhone's average selling price in the United States rising to $869 in the June 2021 quarter, added Lowitz.

The research note also indicates that Apple experienced a significant increase in iPhone sales through its retail operations, including both physical stores and online. In the June 2021 quarter, 27% of iPhone sales in the United States were completed through Apple, compared to a previous high of 21% in September 2020, according to CIRP.

CIRP bases its findings on its survey of 500 customers in the United States who purchased an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch in the April-June 2021 period.

Royalties from music streaming services, including Apple Music and Spotify, are weighted unfairly against artists, according to a committee of Members of Parliament in the UK (via BBC News).

An investigation by the UK parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee into music streaming found that artists see "pitiful returns."

The committee called for a "complete reset" of the market in the UK, with artists being given a "fair share" of record label earnings from streaming. All of the money streaming services currently pay goes to rights-holders, who then pass on a small share to artists. Labels and publishers currently keep the vast majority of profits.

MPs proposed that royalties should be split evenly between labels and artists, instead of the average current rate where artists receive around 16 percent. Other recommendations included new legislation that allows musicians to reclaim the rights to their work after a certain period of time, improves artists' rights to adjust contracts, and increased transparency about how much money is flowing from streaming services.

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), which represents the recorded music industry in the UK, said that streaming was "enabling more artists than ever" to earn a "long-term, sustainable income" and that any new policies should be properly examined to prevent "unintended consequences for investment into new talent."

The music industry's three major labels, Sony, Universal, and Warner Music, warned that any disruption could damage investment in new music and argued against the idea that streaming was comparable to radio, where artists already receive an equal 50/50 royalty split.

Representatives from streaming services, on the other hand, were not directly opposed to changing the royalty system but noted that 70 percent of their income already goes to labels, publishers, and artists, suggesting that it should be labels who reduce their share of royalties to give more to artists. Nevertheless, ‌Apple Music‌'s Global Senior Director of Music Publishing, Elena Segal, cautioned:

It is a narrow-margin business, so it wouldn't actually take that much to upset the so-called apple cart.

‌Apple Music‌ is believed to pay better royalties than Spotify and YouTube, which made it less of a focus for MPs, who were more concerned about the fact that YouTube accounts for 51 percent of music streaming while contributing just seven percent of music industry revenue.

The committee also said that streaming services should ensure that curators who make playlists adhere to a "code of conduct" to avoid bribes and favoritism toward certain artists that could lead to some music being unfairly overrepresented.

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.

The iPhone 13 set to launch later this year will feature the improved WiFi 6E protocol, offering users access to an extended version of the WiFi 6 framework with the added benefit of a 6GHz band, according to DigiTimes.

Apple introduced WiFi 6 with the iPhone 11 in 2019, and compared to the previous WiFi 5 framework, WiFi 6 offers significantly improved speeds and security. WiFi 6E adds minimal changes compared to WiFi 6 except for an added 6GHz band, which will result in increased bandwidth and less interference for devices that support Wi-Fi 6E.

DigiTimes says that as Apple plans to include the newer framework in this year's flagship model, it will slowly become the standard for iOS and Android devices next year, despite only being announced early last year.

Apple is set to incorporate Wi-Fi 6E technology into its new iPhones for this year, and the technology is expected to become a standard feature of both iOS and Android smartphones in 2022, the sources said.

Today's report also further reiterates past reports that the LiDAR sensor, currently exclusive to the high-end Pro and Pro Max iPhone 12 models, will remain exclusive to those variants. Reports earlier in the year casted the possibility of LiDAR expanding to all models of the lineup; however, that's increasingly unlikely to be the case.

As new iPhones will continue to adopt 3D face ID sensors for general models and ToF LiDAR scanners for Pro series, the three GaAS players will also see their third-quarter revenues further bolstered by VCSEL chips demand for the sensing solutions, the sources said.

The iPhone 13 is expected to be a minor upgrade compared to the iPhone 12, with rumors of more advanced displays, improved cameras, and a smaller notch. Learn more about what we're expecting for this year's new iPhone.

Microsoft has announced Windows 365, a new Cloud PC service that allows users to stream a Windows desktop via web browser to any device, including Macs and iPads.

The service works similar to the company's Xbox Cloud Gaming service – the Windows OS is loaded on a remote computer in the cloud, and Microsoft streams the entire desktop PC experience to the user's device. Microsoft is calling it a "hybrid Windows for a hybrid world" where office and remote working interchange.

Windows 365 provides an instant-on boot experience that enables users to stream all their personalized applications, tools, data, and settings from the cloud across any device including your Mac, iPad, Linux device, and Android," explained Microsoft 365 general manager Wangui McKelvey. "The Windows experience is consistent, no matter the device. You can pick up right where you left off, because the state of your Cloud PC remains the same, even when you switch devices."

Users will be able to choose the configuration of the virtual PC, such as the amount of storage and working memory. According to Microsoft, a cloud PC can be configured with up to 512GB and 16GB of RAM.

There will be two edition options with multiple Cloud PC configurations based on performance needs: Windows 365 Business and Windows 365 Enterprise. Information and files are encrypted and stored in the cloud, to avoid security concerns about leaving sensitive data on local devices.

The service will launch in early August and, initially at least, will be offered to business customers on a per-user, per-month subscription basis. Microsoft hasn't mentioned whether a personal product is in the works, but the company has been working from a roadmap that should see all its main services eventually move to a subscription model.

Assuming Microsoft offers a consumer plan down the line, not only should Windows 365 offer a full desktop experience on iPads, it may appeal to owners of Apple silicon Macs who are unable to run Windows through Boot Camp.

Apple yesterday released the third betas of iOS 15 and watchOS 8, and while there are plenty of front-end changes, one notable behind-the-scenes issue that was resolved is that users will now be able to install software updates when their device is low on storage.

In the release notes for the updated iOS 15 and watchOS 8 betas, Apple says that software updates can now be downloaded and installed on devices even if they have as little as 500MB of storage left.

You can now update your device using Software Update if less than 500 MB of storage is available

Apple doesn't provide any context to the new change; however, it is likely targeted at users of the older Apple Watch Series 3. Owners of the older Apple Watch currently have to face an unpleasant experience when updating their device to newer versions of watchOS, including resetting and repairing their watch to their iPhone due to little available storage. Apple is aiming to address these and other concerns with iOS 15 and watchOS 8 this fall.

The third beta of iOS 15 also includes plenty of other changes, including refinements to the controversial Safari design, with a relocated address field. Check out our roundup to see everything that's new in the latest beta.

(Via 9to5mac)

AT&T is planning to bring its 5G mmWave technology to additional airports in the United States by the end of 2021, offering customers access to its "AT&T 5G+" service with faster speeds and lower latency.

In a press release, AT&T says that by the end of 2021, it will have expanded its 5G mmWave technology, which requires more advanced infrastructure compared to typical sub-6GHz 5G, to an additional 7 major airports in the United States. AT&T will offer its 5G+ technology in certain high-traffic parts of the airport, such as gates and concession areas.

Immersing our customers in content and connectivity no matter where they go is important to us and at the core of how we're building our 5G network. And as our customers start to take off and travel again, their need for 5G connectivity on the go is taking off as well. We're providing super-fast 5G+ connectivity at the major gate and concession areas inside the Tampa International Airport and have plans to connect 7 more major airports by the end of the year.

AT&T also says that by the end of 2021, it will be offering its 5G mmWave technology to more than 40 cities and venues across the US.

As part of our commitment in March, our teams are deploying our super-fast AT&T 5G+ in more stadiums, airports and cities across the country. Right now, AT&T 5G+ (mmWave 5G) is bringing customers increased speeds and enhanced connectivity in parts of 38 cities and 20 venues across the U.S. By the end of 2021, we expect to offer 5G+ to parts of more than 40 cities and 40 venues. That's something T-Mobile can't offer.

There are two separate types of 5G networks, one based on the standard sub-6Ghz frequency and the other on mmWave. mmWave offers significantly faster speeds compared to sub-6GHz but requires more advanced and costly infrastructure. Since the introduction of 5G in the iPhone last year, carriers and governments have boosted up the expansion of 5G technology overall, but mmWave remains to be seen mainstream.

With the iPhone 13 later this fall, Apple plans to expand its 5G mmWave compatible iPhones to countries beyond the United States, incentivizing carriers to adopt support for the technology. Check out our guide on mmWave vs. sub-6GHz to learn more.

Netflix is planning to add to its TV and movie offerings by breaking into video game content, reports Bloomberg.

Netflix has hired former Electronic Arts and Facebook executive Mike Verdu as vice president of game development, and he will report to Netflix chief operating officer Greg Peters. At Facebook, Verdu worked with developers to bring games and other content to the Oculus VR headset.

It is not clear how Netflix's gaming offering will work nor if the company plans to develop original gaming content. Netflix could have a cloud gaming setup similar to Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, or it could work with developers on original titles, making it more similar to Apple Arcade.

Netflix's gaming efforts are in the very early stages and Netflix's plans for gaming will become more clear in the future.

With ‌Apple Arcade‌, Apple makes mobile games available on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and the Apple TV, with ‌Apple TV‌ integration allowing people to play on their television sets similar to traditional consoles.

ElevationLab, known for its range of useful accessories for Apple's devices, today introduced the MagBase, which is designed to increase the functionality of Apple's MagSafe Charger.

Priced at $9.95, the MagBase is a small attachment that fits onto the ‌MagSafe‌ Charger. It has a micro air suction surface at the bottom, which ElevationLab has used in prior products. This micro air suction is not adhesive, but it's quite strong and is able to keep the MagBase securely attached to a desk or a table.

The MagBase has multiple functions when used with a ‌MagSafe‌ Charger. If you pull upwards on an iPhone that's on the MagBase, the iPhone and the ‌MagSafe‌ charger will come up, which is useful if you need to check something while still continuing to charge. When you're done, it can be set right back in the MagBase.

If you want to pick up the iPhone and leave the ‌MagSafe‌ Charger attached to the MagBase, you can use a quick slide gesture to remove the iPhone, which leaves the ‌MagSafe‌ Charger right where it is.

The design of the MagBase adds on an additional 3-ft USB-C cord that attaches to the USB-C end of the ‌MagSafe‌ Charger, so you have more cord to work with when using it at a desk. It increases the length of the ‌MagSafe‌ Charger cable from three feet to six feet.

Because the MagBase is barely larger than the ‌MagSafe‌ Charger, it takes up minimal space while on a desk while also providing a useful and versatile base for housing it.

The MagBase can be purchased from the ElevationLab website for $9.95.

Linksys today announced that it has added HomeKit support to the Linksys Velop AX4200 WiFi 6 System, otherwise known as the Linksys Atlas Pro 6 Tri-Band. ‌HomeKit‌ integration is available through a software update.

Launched last November, the AX4200 is Linksys' latest flagship WiFi mesh system, offering up WiFi 6 connectivity at an affordable price.

‌HomeKit‌ support in the Linksys Velop AX4200 allows it to be managed through the Home app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The Home app offers up options to define how HomeKit-connected routers are able to communicate within the home and over the internet.

‌HomeKit‌ users can opt to firewall off ‌HomeKit‌ accessories to prevent them from communicating with other WiFi devices on a home network and untrusted internet services, putting a stop to hacking attempts and providing better security for connected home devices.

The Linksys Velop AX4200 Mesh System with one node is available for $250, while the AX4200 with three nodes is available for $500. The AX4200 can also be purchased from the Apple online store.

In the third developer beta of macOS Monterey, which came out this morning, Apple has overhauled the design of Safari, making the tab bar more similar to the current tab bar in macOS Big Sur.

The prior Safari design did away with the dedicated URL and search interface, instead allowing any individual tab to be used for navigation input. Tabs were also all arranged at the top of the display to minimize the space taken up at the top of a Safari window.

In macOS Monterey, Apple has walked this back. There's a dedicated URL/search bar at the top of the Safari window, with the tabs arranged below it. Clicking on a tab makes it the active window and it's easier to drag tabs for rearranging or opening in a new window.

It's still quite far off from the current Safari design in macOS Big Sur, but it's certainly an improvement over the initial macOS Monterey design.

The new and separate tab bar is enabled by default when upgrading to macOS Monterey beta three, but Apple has included an option to revert to the original Monterey design. If you to go View and toggle off "Show Separate Tab Bar," you can use the original design.

macOS Monterey beta 3 also appears to lay the groundwork for Universal Control. Under System Preferences -> Displays -> Add Display -> Advanced, there are now preferences that can be selected for the ‌Universal Control‌ feature.

Unfortunately, ‌Universal Control‌ is not functional and we'll have to wait for a later beta to experience a working version.

Apple today released the third betas of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, and the company is continuing to refine the suite of new features that are coming in the update. There have been multiple complaints about Safari on iOS, so in the third beta, Apple has introduced some refinements.

This article covers everything that's new in the third beta of iOS 15.

Safari Search

When you tap into a URL bar on a Safari tab, the interface for entering another URL or a search term has been relocated to above the keyboard. Previously, it was located at the top of the start page. The search interface has also been streamlined.

Safari Reload

There's now an option to long press on a floating tab bar to initiate a reload, which is an alternative to using the built-in menu option.

When you reload a tab in Safari, the tab gets a permanent reload icon that can then be tapped to refresh again. The reload icon is only available in portrait mode on iPhone, but it shows up in both portrait and landscape mode on iPad. Making the button appear requires an initial reload, something that Apple may streamline in the future.

Safari Updates for iPadOS 15

The new Safari features introduced in iOS 15 and macOS Monterey were not brought to the ‌iPad‌, so iPadOS 15 in beta 3 offers the same Safari experience as beta 2. Apple is, however, planning to add Safari updates to a future version of iPadOS 15, improving the usage experience on the ‌iPad‌ as well.

Daring Fireball's John Gruber says some of the same changes brought to iOS 15 and macOS Monterey will also be added in iPadOS 15.

The good news is that today's betas show that Apple has taken criticism of the new Safari UI designs seriously -- on MacOS, Safari once again defaults to showing the tab bar as a discrete UI element in the window, with one URL address bar. (Similar changes are coming for iPadOS, but didn't make it for today's beta.) The iOS changes today aren't as significant, but, having talked to folks at Apple, there are a lot of changes and refinements still to come as summer progresses.

App Store Splash Screen

There is a new App Store splash screen that highlights new features available in the ‌App Store‌ in iOS 15 such as in-app events in apps and games, the ‌App Store‌ widget, and Safari Extensions on iOS.

Focus Updates

In the Focus interface in the Settings app, Apple has removed the Focus Status and Phone Calls options from the main interface, relocating them into each Focus section.

Apple Music Widget

The Apple Music widget now changes color and art based on the individual song that's playing rather than using album art. It's also more clear when a song is playing and when it's paused thanks to a new "Paused" label.

Resetting iPhone

In the Settings app under General, the "Reset" button for the iPhone is now "Transfer or Reset iPhone." In this interface, the "Prepare for New iPhone" option is front and center. Prepare for New iPhone was an option in the prior beta, but Apple is now assuming that most people want to use this section to set up a transfer to a new iPhone. All of the reset options for Network Settings, Keyboard Dictionary, Home Screen Layout and more are still there, but are now housed under the "Reset" button.

Shortcuts

There are actions for Background Sounds in the Shortcuts app to set a sound track, adjust volume, tweak volume when media is playing, and more.

Know of a feature that we left out? Let us know in the comments.

Twitter in November debuted a new ephemeral tweet option called "Fleets," with the feature designed to compete with Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, Snapchat, and more.

Fleets apparently did not catch on, because Twitter today announced that Fleets are being discontinued as of August 3, which is less than a year after the feature launched.

Twitter says that it had hoped Fleets would help people "feel more comfortable joining the conversation on Twitter," but there hasn't been an increase of people joining Twitter with Fleets as Twitter expected.

We're evolving what Twitter is, and trying bigger, bolder things to serve the public conversation. A number of these updates, like Fleets, are speculative and won't work out. We'll be rigorous, evaluate what works, and know when to move on and focus elsewhere. If we're not evolving our approach and winding down features every once in a while - we're not taking big enough chances. We'll continue to build new ways to participate in conversations, listening to feedback and changing direction when there may be a better way to serve people using Twitter.

Going forward, Twitter says that it will use what it learned from Fleets to focus on creating other ways for people to "join the conversation" and will find new ways to address "what holds people back from participating on Twitter."

Twitter also plans to test updates to the Tweet composer and camera that will incorporate Fleets features like text formatting, full screen camera for photo taking, and GIF stickers.

Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit features have been rolling out to a number of smart TVs, and as of today, the functionality is available on 2020 Toshiba and Insignia 4K UHD Smart Fire TVs.

‌AirPlay‌ 2 is designed to allow iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to stream content to an AirPlay-compatible device, and with built-in support in Toshiba and Insignia TVs, an Apple TV is not required to use ‌AirPlay‌ 2.

‌AirPlay‌ 2 also works across multiple devices for a whole home audio experience, and can be used for streaming TV shows, music, photos, and more to the television set.

With ‌HomeKit‌, smart TV owners can control their television through Siri voice commands or through the Home app on iPhone, ‌iPad‌, or Mac. ‌Siri‌ and the Home app can be used to turn the TV on or off, adjust the volume, and switch the TV input to another device.

To use ‌HomeKit‌, the TV needs to be added as a ‌HomeKit‌ accessory, which can be done by going to the Settings menu on the TV, selecting Display and Sounds, and choosing the ‌AirPlay‌ and ‌HomeKit‌ option. From there, instructions are available on the setup process.

‌AirPlay‌ and ‌HomeKit‌ are available on the Toshiba 4K UHD Smart Fire TV with Dolby Vision (2020 model) and the Insignia 4K UHD Smart Fire TV (2020 model).

Apple today seeded the third developer beta of macOS Monterey, the newest version of the macOS operating system. The third beta comes nearly three weeks after Apple released the second macOS Monterey beta.

Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.

As with all new betas, Apple recommends not installing the new macOS update on a primary machine because it is early release software and could have bugs.

macOS Monterey introduces Universal Control, a feature that lets a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard be used across multiple Mac or iPad devices, plus there's a new AirPlay to Mac feature.

Safari has been redesigned with a new tab bar and support for Tab Groups, and FaceTime has gained spatial audio, a Portrait Mode on M1 Macs, and Voice Isolation for cutting out background noise. There's also a new SharePlay ‌FaceTime‌ feature that lets Apple users watch TV, listen to music, and share their screens with one another.

Shared With You, a separate feature, keeps track of the music, links, podcasts, news, and photos that people are sent in Messages, highlighting it in the relevant apps. Notes has a new Quick Note feature for jotting down thoughts, and collaboration is easier with mentions and an Activity View.

The Shortcuts app from iOS is now available on the Mac, and Focus helps people stay on task by cutting out background distractions. There's an updated Maps app with a whole slew of new features, and with Live Text, Macs can now detect text in photos or provide details on animals, art, landmarks, plants, and more in images.

Mail Privacy Protection hides IP and prevents tracking through invisible pixels, and iCloud Private Relay keeps Safari browsing protected. There are many other new features in macOS Monterey, with a full rundown available in our macOS Monterey roundup.