MacRumors

MacRumors is pleased to announce our Twelfth Annual MacRumors Blood Drive, throughout the month of May 2021. Our goal is to save lives by increasing the number of life-saving donations of blood, platelets, and plasma. While most blood drives are specific to a geographic location, our blood drive is online and worldwide.

Over the past 11 years, MacRumors Blood Drives have recorded donations of 827 units of blood, platelets, and plasma, and celebrated new signups for the organ donor and bone marrow registries. We've heard from people whose lives were saved by blood donations from strangers.

With a worldwide health crisis, blood donations are more important than ever. Donation centers have taken necessary precautions to protect donors.

This year we pay special tribute to user Timelordprime, whose MacRumors Blood Drive totals exceed 130 units of platelets and plasma. He will reach his 400th lifetime blood and platelet donation next month, having donated well over 500 units to strangers in need!

How to participate in the MacRumors Blood Drive - during May 2021

1. If you are an eligible donor, schedule a blood, platelet, or plasma donation (see FAQ), at any donation center near you. Then post in the MacRumors 2021 Blood Drive! thread to tell us about it. You'll be added to our Honor Roll.

   Also post if you register as an organ donor or register for the bone marrow registry (see FAQ). You'll be added to our Honor Roll.

2. If you aren't eligible to donate or are deferred, please encourage someone else to make a donation, and let us know. If they donate, you'll both be added to our Honor Roll.
3. Share our message with friends, relatives, and followers. Thank the people who post in the MacRumors 2021 Blood Drive! thread.

How to participate in the MacRumors Blood Drive - from June 2021 to April 2022

In between the MacRumors Blood Drives each May, record your donations on our Team MacRumors page. We'll tally your donations and count them for the MacRumors Blood Drive next May.

1. Go to the Team MacRumors page and click PLEDGE TO GIVE BLOOD. (Bookmark the page for the future.)
2. Fill in your MacRumors username as your first name. Fill in @ macrumors as your last name.
3. In the comments field, tell us what type of donation and how many units, e.g., 1 unit of whole blood, 2 units of platelets, etc.
4. The email address and zip code fields don't matter. MacRumors won't use that information.

We look forward to another successful MacRumors Blood Drive.

Citing sources within the music industry, Hits Double Daily reports that Apple is preparing to launch a new HiFi Apple Music tier in the "coming weeks," which will come alongside the release of the rumored third-generation AirPods.

According to the report, the new tier, which will offer high-fidelity music streaming, will cost the same $9.99 monthly subscription as the current individual tier. Spotify, ‌Apple Music‌'s most fierce competitor, has announced that later in 2021, Spotify users will be able to "upgrade their sound quality to Spotify HiFi and listen to their favorite songs the way artists intended."

The report says that an announcement of the new Apple Musc tier and the launch of the third-generation AirPods will take place in the "coming weeks." Apple plans to hold its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 7, and while no hardware was announced at the conference last year, hardware announcements are possible at the software-focused event.

The third-generation AirPods are expected to feature a design that's similar to the design language of the AirPods Pro but lack certain "Pro" features such as Active Noise Cancelation. If the rumor is to be accurate, the new AirPods release comes on the backdrop of a report signaling that Apple is cutting back on AirPods production due to decreasing sales.

If you damage your new 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro and don't have AppleCare+, Apple will charge $699 to repair the broken device.

The fee update was added to Apple's iPad Service and Repair chart earlier today after ‌iPad Pro‌ orders went live. At $699, it is $50 more expensive to get a repair for the new fifth-generation ‌iPad Pro‌ than it was to get a repair for the prior fourth-generation model. The extra cost is likely due to the new mini-LED display that's exclusive to the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌.

The repair $699 fee only applies if you don't have ‌AppleCare‌+. If you damage your ‌iPad Pro‌ and have an ‌AppleCare‌+ plan, the ‌AppleCare‌+ service fee is $49, with two accidental damage repairs available every 12 months.

You also won't need to pay a fee if there is a manufacturing issue, as problems that Apple's fault will be covered under the standard one-year warranty. If the warranty has expired, Apple will charge the $699 fee.

The $699 price applies to any damage to the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, including a broken display, and with a device as expensive as the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, ‌AppleCare‌+ is a good idea. Apple charges $149 for two years of ‌AppleCare‌+, or an ongoing subscription can be purchased for $7.99. ‌AppleCare‌+ used to be available for a limited amount of time, but can now be extended indefinitely with the subscription options.

Out-of-warranty fees for the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ have not changed, and it costs $499 to repair a broken 11-inch model if you don't have ‌AppleCare‌+, or $49 with ‌AppleCare‌+.

Apple's new ‌M1‌ ‌iPad Pro‌ models went on sale this morning and the first new devices will be available to customers starting on May 21. The 12.9-inch model was in short supply and is now sold out until July.

After years of waiting for the AirTags to debut, launch day is finally upon us and AirTags are now in the hands of customers. We got our AirTags in the mail today and thought we'd share a hands-on look for those who are still waiting for their orders or debating whether AirTags might be useful.

As you probably know by now, AirTags are small, coin-shaped Bluetooth item trackers similar to Tile that you're meant to put on items that might be misplaced like keys, wallets, jackets, and more. They integrate into the Find My app under the Items tab and can be conveniently tracked right alongside your Apple devices.

AirTags come in typical Apple easy-open packaging, and once unboxed, pairing an AirTag is a matter of pulling off the plastic packaging and holding it close to the iPhone. The iPhone immediately recognizes the ‌AirTag‌ and you can go through the setup process, naming the ‌AirTag‌ and registering it to your Apple ID.

Once registered, the ‌AirTag‌ shows right up in the ‌Find My‌ app, relaying its location back to you. AirTags have many of the same ‌Find My‌ features as Apple devices, so you can put them into Lost Mode and play a sound to locate them.

If you have an iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 model there's a useful Precision Finding feature for locating an item that's lost nearby like keys that have fallen into a couch cushion, and if an ‌AirTag‌ is lost far away, it can take advantage of the ‌Find My‌ network, using billions of active Apple devices to help you track down its location.

Design wise, the ‌AirTag‌ has a white plastic front and a stainless steel backing, which will undoubtedly scratch easily depending on where the ‌AirTag‌ placed. The front side can be engraved by Apple with letters and emoji, but it's worth noting that there is no hole for attaching a keyring or any other built-in attachment method.

Apple instead expects people to buy add-on accessories for each ‌AirTag‌, and Apple's own accessory options are priced starting at $29. Luckily third-party companies like Belkin are selling cheaper holders, but it's still an added expense.

AirTags are equipped with CR2032 batteries that will last for a good year before needing to be replaced, and you can push and twist the front of the ‌AirTag‌ off to get to the battery compartment. This is also the method used for resetting an ‌AirTag‌ or finding the serial number.

You can get AirTags from Apple for $29 or $99 for a pack of four, and they're also available from third-party retailers. Engraved AirTags only come from Apple, though there are some month-long waits right now.

Did you get an ‌AirTag‌? Let us know what you think of Apple's tracker in the comments below.

Apple's AirTags are small, button-shaped devices that are designed to be attached to items like keys and wallets to allow these accessories to be tracked using Bluetooth right alongside Apple devices in the Find My app.

If you've set up an AirTag and attached it to an item, you can track said item in the ‌Find My‌ app, should you misplace it. ‌Find My‌ uses Bluetooth signals from a lost ‌AirTag‌ to relay its location back to its owner. Apart from Bluetooth, however, each ‌AirTag‌ is also equipped with a U1 Ultra Wideband chip, and on devices that also have U1 chips, there's a Precision Finding feature that enables you to more accurately determine the distance and direction of a lost ‌AirTag‌ when it's in range, when compared to Bluetooth alone.

If you're aiming to find a lost item and you have an ‌iPhone 11‌ or 12, Precision Finding will direct you to the exact location of your lost ‌AirTag‌ using input from the camera, accelerometer, and gyroscope, with guidance provided through sound, haptics, and visual feedback. Here's how to use it.

How to Find the Precise Location of an AirTag

1. Launch the Find My app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Items.
3. Tap the ‌AirTag‌ you want to get the precise location for.
4. Tap Find. It should say "Nearby" underneath if the Precision Finding feature is available.
5. Now start moving around to locate the ‌AirTag‌ and follow the onscreen instructions. You should see an arrow pointing in the direction of the ‌AirTag‌, an approximate distance telling you how far away it is, and a note if it's located on a different floor.

As you approach an item, you'll feel haptic feedback from your phone and there will be audio cues to let you know that you're approaching an item. The ‌AirTag‌ graphic on the iPhone will also shift as you get nearer to it. Precision Finding exits when you've successfully located your ‌AirTag‌ and your iPhone or Apple device is in very close proximity.

Note that Ultra Wideband isn't universally supported worldwide, therefore Precision Finding won't work in some countries. For more details, see our guide on what to know if you plan to travel abroad with AirTags.

Apple's AirTags are small, coin-shaped devices that can be attached to items like keys and wallets to allow these accessories to be tracked using Bluetooth right alongside Apple devices in the Find My app.

AirTags can be tracked using the Items tab in ‌Find My‌, and just like your Apple devices, if one should become lost, you can put it in Lost Mode to locate it. If an AirTag is nearby, it will connect to an Apple device over Bluetooth to relay its location, and there's even a Precision Finding feature on the iPhone 11 and 12 that uses the U1 chip for finding items that are misplaced close by.

An ‌AirTag‌ that's out of range can still be tracked using the ‌Find My‌ app, but it won't rely on the Bluetooth signals from your own device. Instead, the ‌‌‌Find My‌‌‌ Network takes advantage of nearly a billion Apple devices out in the world to help you locate your ‌AirTag‌.

However, if an ‌AirTag‌ isn't nearby and there are no Apple devices in the area in which it's located, ‌‌Find My‌‌ will only be able to tell you where it was last seen on the map. In such cases, you can place the ‌AirTag‌ in Lost Mode. That way, if someone with an iPhone or Android device that has NFC comes across the item, they can help return it to you. Here's how it works.

How to Mark an AirTag as Lost

1. Launch the Find My app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Items.
3. Tap the ‌AirTag‌ you want to mark as lost.
4. Swipe down on the card and under "Lost Mode," tap Enable.
5. Tap Continue.
6. Enter your phone number in the input field, then tap Next.
7. Toggle the switch next to Notify When Found, and optionally customize the lost message that is shown when someone finds the item. Note that you can only customize the message and activate Notify When Found if the ‌AirTag‌ is out of range of your device.
8. Tap Activate.

Now that the ‌AirTag‌ is marked as lost, anyone who finds it can bring it close to an NFC-enabled iPhone or Android phone and they will see a notification linking them to a website URL that contains your lost message and phone number. You may also be able to see the location relayed through someone else's device thanks to the ‌Find My‌ network.

Apple's AirTags are small, button-shaped devices that are designed to be attached to items like keys and wallets to allow these accessories to be tracked using Bluetooth right alongside Apple devices in the Find My app.

If you've just set up a new AirTag, you'll want to know how to track it so that you can locate the attached item, should you misplace it. If your iPhone or iPad is running iOS 14.5/iPadOS 14.5 or later, you can use the ‌Find My‌ app to locate a missing AirTag that's linked to your Apple ID. Here's how.

How to View the Location of an AirTag Item

In the Find My app, tap Items, then tap the item that you want to locate.

• If the item can be located, it will appear on the map. You'll see the updated location and timestamp under the item's name.
• If the item can't be found, you'll see where and when it was last located. To receive a notification once it's located again, turn on Notify When Found under "Notifications."
  

How to Make an AirTag Play a Sound

If an ‌AirTag‌ is nearby, you can get it to play a sound so that you can locate it easier.

1. In the Find My app, tap Items.
2. Tap the ‌AirTag‌ that you want to play a sound.
3. Tap Play Sound.

To stop playing the sound before it automatically ends, tap Stop Sound.

You can also get map directions to an item's current or last known location, and if you have a supported iPhone and are near your ‌AirTag‌, you can find its precise location.

Prior to the launch of the new iPad Pro models, rumors suggested that the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ would be in short supply, and it appears those rumors were correct.

Shipping estimates for 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ models now range into July for orders placed today, though the highest-end 2TB model is still available for June delivery.

128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB models have delivery estimates of June 24 to July 8, while the 2TB model, which is priced at $2,200, will deliver between June 2 and June 9.

The ‌iPad Pro‌ became available to order at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time this morning, and right when it became available for purchase, shipping dates were at May 21 to May 27, so those who ordered earliest will be getting the new tablet in May.

The 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ model is still readily available for purchase and will deliver to customers by May 27.

Both ‌iPad Pro‌ models have M1 chips, Thunderbolt connectivity, and front-facing camera improvements, but the 12.9-inch model also has a mini-LED display, which is believed to be responsible for the supply shortages. Bloomberg earlier this month said that Apple suppliers are experiencing poor manufacturing yields of the mini-LED display.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Choetech to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger, which is compatible with Apple's iPhone 12 devices.

Priced at $46, the Magnetic Wireless Charger is has a magnetic charger designed for an iPhone 12, and base that houses another charger for the AirPods.

The Magnetic Wireless Charger is not MagSafe and cannot charge an iPhone at 15W, but it does charge at 7.5W like Qi-based chargers and is less expensive than ‌MagSafe‌ 2-in-1 charging options that cost upwards of $100. 7.5W is more than sufficient for overnight charging or charging throughout the day on a desk, so a non-MagSafe option can be ideal if you're looking to save some money.

Because this is a MagSafe-compatible charger the main charging surface is designed for an iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max and won't work with an earlier iPhone model. There is a secondary charging spot for the AirPods that technically works with an iPhone, but it's 2.5W charging so best suited to Apple's earbuds.

You can position an iPhone 12 in either landscape or portrait mode, so the charger is also ideal for watching videos, FaceTiming, and other similar activities. An LED light confirms the charging status of the iPhone and AirPods at the same time.

The Magnetic Wireless Charger comes with a 30W Power Adapter so you don't need to worry about supplying your own like you do with Apple's charging options, and it has an included 3.3-foot USB-C cable.

We have 15 of the Magnetic Wireless Chargers to give away to MacRumors readers. To enter to win, 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 (April 30) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on May 7. The winners will be chosen randomly on May 7 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

For those who don't win, Choetech is offering an exclusive MacRumors-only discount that drops the price of the charger to $37.99 on Amazon. Just enter the promo code MACRUCT1 when checking out to get the deal. If you're looking for something even more affordable, Choetech also offers the MagLeap flat wireless charger, which is just $17.99 after discounts on Amazon.

Apple today seeded the second betas of new iOS and iPadOS 14.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the first iOS and iPadOS 14.6 updates.

iOS and iPadOS 14.6 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

iOS and iPadOS 14.6 appear to be more minor changes focusing on under-the-hood bug performance improvements and bug fixes for issues that weren't able to be addressed in iOS 14.5. We didn't find any notable features in the first beta, but we'll update this article should anything new be found in the second beta.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming one week after the release of the first beta.

To install the ‌watchOS 7.5 beta, developers need to download the proper configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 7.5 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated ‌Apple Watch‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

To update to the new software, the ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌.

We don't yet know what's included in watchOS 7.5, but it could include bug fixes for issues that aren't included in the watchOS 7.4 update. There were no new features discovered in the first beta, but we'll update this article should we find anything new in the second beta.

ElevationLab today debuted the TagVault, which is the most protective AirTag holder that we've seen to date.

Priced at $12.95 for one or $29.95 for a pack of three, the TagVault is a two piece ‌AirTag‌ holder that screws together to offer total protection for an ‌AirTag‌. The two halves come apart, the ‌AirTag‌ is situated in the middle, and then four screws hold the TagVault together.

According to ElevationLab, the TagVault is waterproof, but it is worth noting that the AirTags themselves have an IP67 water resistance rating that allows them to hold up even when submersed in water.

In addition to waterproofing the ‌AirTag‌, the TagVault will protect from scratches that the ‌AirTag‌ might collect when attached to a set of keys or another item where wear and tear will be experienced.

ElevationLab says that the TagVault has a nondescript design that doesn't visually broadcast that an ‌AirTag‌ is inside the case, and it has been created to be compact so it doesn't add a lot of bulk to an ‌AirTag‌.

The TagVault can be preordered from the ElevationLab website starting today, and it will ship in June.

Starting with iOS 14, Apple Maps gained support for cycling directions, which take into account elevation, how busy a street is, and whether there are stairs along the route. The feature launched in a limited number of regions, but it has been gradually expanding, and as of this week is now available in Seattle and more areas of California.

iPhone users in Seattle and across California have been receiving push notifications letting them know about cycling direction availability this week, and these locations are now reflected on Apple's iOS feature availability page.

• iOS 14: How to Get Cycling Directions in Apple Maps

In addition to Seattle and California, Apple says cycling directions are available in mainland China, London, New York City, and Portland, Oregon.

(Thanks, Virginia!)

Unlike a Tile or some other item trackers, Apple's new AirTag does not have any holes or openings for attaching it directly to a keychain, forcing customers to purchase accessories like a leather key ring for this purpose.

Interestingly, though, MacRumors forum member smythey has proven that it is possible to drill a hole into the AirTag without breaking it, allowing for a string or a thin key ring to be fed through the opening. The result doesn't look very cosmetically appealing, but smythey said the AirTag seems to function normally after the do-it-yourself job.

A teardown of the AirTag shared on YouTube today provides a first look inside Apple's item tracker, revealing a circular circuit board with seemingly just enough room around the edges to drill a small hole in the plastic.

Keep in mind that drilling a hole into an AirTag will unsurprisingly void Apple's warranty and could damage the accessory if done incorrectly, but this still proves as a neat proof of concept for those looking to save a few dollars.

Is your AirTag order arriving today? Discuss with others in our AirTag forum.

AirTags, until their official announcement earlier this month, had remained one of the most rumored Apple products of the last few years. Initial reports about an Apple item tracker began to surface in 2019, and in the entirety of the two years that followed, AirTags' release seemed to be constantly imminent.

Last week, FCC filings revealed that Apple began seeking regulatory approval and certification for AirTags in 2019, with testing taking place in the second half of the year. Now, as AirTags have begun to arrive to customers worldwide, new evidence is reaffirming that AirTags have been ready to launch for a considerable amount of time.

Images of paperwork included inside the box for Apple's Keyring AirTag accessory shared on Twitter by Apple YouTuber ZONEofTECH show the year "2019" listed for regulatory and trademark purposes. However, on the AirTags box itself, the year 2020 is listed. Both writings clearly indicate that Apple could have announced and shipped AirTags as early as possibly 2019, but it was inclined not to do so until two years later.

While not for certain, Apple's decision to delay AirTags release could have been related to the scrutiny the company faced and continues to face on accusations of anti-competitive behavior from competing item-tracker maker Tile. AirTags became available for pre-order last week and cost $29 each or $99 for a pack of four.