MacRumors

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Big Sur 11.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming two weeks after the release of the first macOS Big Sur 11.4 beta.

Developers can download the ‌‌‌macOS Big Sur‌‌‌ 11.4 beta using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile from the Apple Developer Center.

According to Apple's developer release notes, the macOS Big Sur 11.4 update adds Intel Mac support for AMD's 6000-Series Navi GPUs. It is not yet clear if there are also other outward-facing features included.

Just after Apple announced its AirTags, Tile CEO CJ Prober relayed his concerns about competing with Apple in the tracking space, and said that Tile would ask Congress to investigate Apple's business practices specific to Find My and item trackers.

Prober this week did an interview with Bloomberg, where he further expanded on Tile's complaints about Apple and why he feels that Tile is disadvantaged on Apple's platform. Prober said that while Tile "welcomes competition," he doesn't feel that Apple is being fair.

Tile welcomes competition. We've been competing for 8 years with small companies to Fortune 50 companies, so we welcome competition from Apple, but we think it needs to be fair.

Prober claims that when Apple "launched" ‌Find My‌ in 2019, there were changes to iOS that made it harder for Tile to operate. Apple did release a unified ‌Find My‌ app in 2019, but has long had ‌Find My‌ iPhone and ‌Find My‌ Mac apps for devices.

If you look at the history between Tile and Apple, we had a very symbiotic relationship. They sold Tile in their stores, we were highlighted at WWDC 2019, and then they launched Find My in 2019, and right when they launched their Find My app, which is effectively a competitor of Tile, they made a number of changes to their OS that made it very difficult for our customers to enable Tile. And then once they got it enabled, they started showing notifications that basically made it seem like Tile was broken.

Prober is talking about changes that Apple made to location services permissions. For privacy purposes, Apple stopped making it easy for apps to get permanent access to a user's location. Apps in iOS 13 were not initially allowed to present an "Always Allow" option when requesting location access, and the feature had to be enabled in the Settings app. Apple also started sending regular reminders to customers letting them know their location was being used.

Tile was not happy with these privacy changes and that privacy tweak set Tile against Apple, with Tile in 2019 calling on Congress to "level the playing field."

Prober said that Apple has now launched a Tile competitor that has access to platform capabilities that Tile cannot access, referencing seamless activation and Ultra Wideband technology.

The main points of differentiation of AirTags vis a vis Tile are enabled by platform capabilities that we don't have access to.

Apple has, in fact, launched the ‌Find My‌ network that gives third-party accessories some of the same access that AirTags have, and ‌Find My‌ network accessories will be able to access the U1 chip in the iPhone 11 and 12 models much like the AirTags, but Tile won't be able to use the ‌Find My‌ network unless it abandons its own app and infrastructure, which it is likely unwilling to do.

Prober said that Tile has been "seeking to access" the U1 chip since its introduction in the iPhone, and has been denied.

It's too early to tell whether Tile's sales will be impacted by AirTag, but Prober says that Tile is "well-positioned" with a "super differentiated product" that's available across platform and in many form factors. He suggested Tile has several benefits over AirTags.

We have many form factors. You don't need an accessory to attach it to your things. We're louder, we've got better range. So we have a lot going for us. We feel good about our competitive position, but we don't feel like we should be competing in the way we are with Apple. This is much broader than Tile, this is about long term consumer choice, innovation thriving, and lower prices. That's why we're being so vocal about this.

According to Prober, Apple could take the advantages that it has on its platform and make them available to everyone for a more level competitive playing field. He called for legislation to allow for innovation and competition. "We should be competing fairly and no excessive taxes on developers," he said.

Prober's full interview can be watched over at Bloomberg.

Last month, Apple filed a lawsuit against Simon Lancaster, a former employee who allegedly used his senior position within the company to steal "sensitive trade secret information" that he then provided to a reporter.

Lancaster responded to the complaint this week in California court. In his formal answer, obtained by MacRumors, Lancaster denied that he abused his position and trust within the company, systematically disseminated Apple's trade secret information, or improperly used his seniority to gain access to internal meetings and documents.

Lancaster admitted that he did communicate with a tech reporter "regarding Apple products and workplace issues he considered to be of public concern," but he denied that he was a "source" for "unspecified" articles published by the reporter:

Lancaster admits that he communicated with a reporter covering technology issues regarding Apple products and workplace issues he considered to be of public concern – namely, alleged corruption within Apple's supply chain and among Apple's supply chain managers. Lancaster lacks sufficient knowledge or information to admit or deny the allegations contained in Paragraph 2 of the Complaint that he was a "source" for unspecified "articles" published by the reporter, and denies those allegations of Paragraph 2 on that basis.

In particular, Lancaster said that he exchanged direct messages with a reporter in November 2018, with communication continuing into 2019. Lancaster also revealed that he met "socially" with the reporter in person on or around September 3, 2019, including "for reasons that had nothing to do with Apple."

Lancaster confirmed that he attended a large company event at Apple's headquarters in October 2019, after receiving an email invitation from Apple to attend the meeting. During the event, Lancaster received a text message from a superior asking him to leave the event, at which point he immediately left, according to his answer. Apple alleged that this company event discussed "sensitive trade secret information," including "Project X."

Lancaster indicated that his final day of employment at Apple was November 1, 2019, and that late in the evening on that day, he logged on to Apple's system to "send farewell emails to his colleagues." Lancaster denied that he downloaded confidential information to assist his new employer, as alleged in Apple's complaint.

Lancaster admits that after he resigned his employment with Apple, he began working at a company that served as a vendor for Apple. Lancaster denies that any conduct by him has created any harm or damage to Apple, and specifically denies that he ever used any Apple information either for the benefit of his new employer or in connection with his subsequent employment.

Lancaster admitted that, in October 2019, he proposed writing a story to the reporter about his departure from Apple. He also revealed that he continued to communicate with the reporter regarding Apple products after he announced his resignation.

In his answer, Lancaster goes on to admit that he requested that the reporter publish stories favorable to a startup in which he had invested, but denied that such requests were in exchange for any information discussed with the reporter or had any relationship to Apple confidential information.

Lancaster ultimately denied many of Apple's allegations "on the ground that he lacks sufficient knowledge or information to admit or deny them and/or on the ground that they state legal conclusions to which no response is required."

We've embedded Lancaster's full answer below with more details. As with Apple's original complaint, it's a fascinating read that provides a closer look at Apple's culture of secrecy and the efforts that the company takes to protect its intellectual property.

Logitech's new Combo Touch keyboard case with a built-in trackpad is now available to pre-order for the new fifth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro. There doesn't appear to be a specific shipping date listed at this time.

Priced at $230, the Combo Touch keyboard is a more affordable alternative to Apple's Magic Keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which retails for $349. The keyboard features an integrated stand that can be adjusted for multiple viewing angles, backlit keys with adjustable brightness, a full row of iPadOS shortcut keys, and a cutout for storing the second-generation Apple Pencil, all while protecting the iPad Pro.

The keyboard connects to an ‌iPad Pro‌ using the Smart Connector, so there's no need for wireless pairing or charging a battery.

Logitech's Combo Touch was first released for the new 11-inch iPad Pro last month and is available in gray only. Apple recently introduced a new white color for its Magic Keyboard, alongside the original black version.

(Thanks, Steve G.!)

Apple's new AirTag item trackers have been making their way into the hands of customers since Friday, and while the company has tried to describe the ways that they can be used to find lost items, many users are still surprised and disappointed to learn that the location of an AirTag can't be shared with other family members.

On the face of it, sharing the location of an AirTag via Apple's Family Sharing feature should be a no-brainer, since individual members in a Family Sharing group can use the Find My app to see the location of other family members' Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, AirPods, and Apple Watches.

Given those Family Sharing privileges, many users have understandably assumed that an AirTag attached to an item that's regularly used by more than one person in the household (a set of keys, for example) could be tracked by multiple family members within Find My.

Unfortunately, however, AirTags don't work like other Apple devices in Find My, and several users have taken to the MacRumors forums, Reddit, and Apple's community support site to share their displeasure after learning about the Family Sharing limitation:

Apple Communities user Amadeus4000:

I received my first two AirTags today. One for each of our dogs. I was disappointed to see I couldn't share them with my wife. That would have made a lot of sense.

Apple Communities user MikeyPD:

It is extremely disappointing that there is not currently an option to share AirTags with family members. This is a very convenient feature that Tile (as well as other trackers) offers. I suppose I should have looked into this before ordering them. I suppose it just seemed like such a no-brainer feature that I didn't even think to checking.

I hope this is functionality they add soon. If Tile could figure out how to do it I am sure Apple can. This is kind of a bummer.

MacRumors forum member Mr X:

Surprised that Apple didn't include a share option at least with official family share members. Tile used to allow me to share "items."

For example, me and the wife both have our own cars, but we swap at random. She's always losing hers in the house and now I won't be able to find them, only she can. Hope they add this feature.

MacRumors forum member Leebroath:

1. Husband opens brand new Air Tags and registers one to his phone
2. Places one in the Belkin holder, then connects to only set of car keys
3. 8am Wife picks up car keys in morning, drives to work, husband goes to bed as on nightshift
4. 4pm Wife finishes work but can't remember where car keys are, confused she looks into Find My…
5. *Fail*

If a husband and wife are on the same iCloud Family Sharing plan, then it should be possible for each person to see the AirTag regardless of whose phone it is.

As Apple has explained, the only AirTag privilege afforded to people in an iCloud Family Sharing group is that they can silence the "AirTag Detected" safety alert that appears when an AirTag is traveling with them that is registered to someone else. (Likewise, the owner of the AirTag can disable the safety alerts to prevent someone else's iPhone from detecting it as unwanted tracking.)

But that's as far as the Family Sharing functionality goes. AirTags are only meant to be owned by one person, and it's not currently possible to share an AirTag's location with another family member using another Apple ID. It's likely that Apple has omitted this feature due to privacy concerns, so whether or not it intends to introduce it in the future via some other form of implementation remains to be seen.

Apple's iPad shipments are expected remain stable in the second quarter of this year, despite the impact of global chip shortages, according to a new report.

The ongoing integrated chip shortage has been caused by supply chain issues that arose during the global health crisis and weather-related events like the freeze in Texas that shut down Austin chip plants.

As chip factories struggled to keep up with standard outputs during the pandemic, demand surged as people purchased devices for an at-home lifestyle, leading to higher prices. As a result, electronics companies bought up all available supply, leading chip makers to run at capacity.

So far, the shortage has only had minor impacts on the tablet market, which continues to follow its seasonal pattern. Global tablet shipments totaled 35.95 million units in the first quarter of 2021, down 22.7% sequentially, but 45.5% on year, according to DigiTimes.

However, the release of new iPad Pro models will help Apple buck declining trends in the global market, according to the report, with most non-Apple brands expected to witness sequential declines in second-quarter shipments.

The sequential shipment decline in the first quarter was due to slow-season effect and volumes in the second quarter are expected to continue suffering from seasonality, witnessing a sequential drop of 6.6%, Digitimes Research's figures show.

Unbranded or "white-box" tablet vendors are said to have been seriously hit by the shortages and have watched their market shares being taken over by inexpensive models by brand vendors. DigiTimes reports that white-box tablets could be at risk of disappearing from the market altogether in 2022.

Despite Apple's ability to remain unscathed by the chip shortage in Q2, Bloomberg reports that its 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ may be in short supply when it launches on May 21 due to production issues of the mini-LED display being used in the device.

Overall, Apple will seen an impact from the chip shortages and says it expects to see a sequential decline of approximately $3 to $4 billion revenue in the third-quarter of 2021 due to ‌‌iPad‌‌ and Mac supply constraints. Apple says a combination of the shortages and a very high level of demand for both ‌‌iPad‌‌ and Mac is expected to impact revenue in the second half of 2021.

More than a week following their international debut, Apple's AirTag item tracker is now facing child safety concerns about its replaceable battery.

AirTags feature a standard replaceable CR2032 coin-cell battery that Apple says can power an ‌AirTag‌ for an entire year. The battery in an ‌AirTag‌ can be removed by pushing down and twisting the ‌AirTag‌'s back-plate, a fairly straightforward and easy process.

However, the easy battery replacement process has prompted concerns that a child could access the battery and potentially pose a safety risk to themselves. As reported by Gizmodo, concerns are high enough to have caused major Australian retailer Officeworks to temporarily pull AirTags from its shelves.

The retailer hasn't confirmed the exact reason, although the report notes that multiple Reddit users have said that an Officeworks representative confirmed the retailer's concerns over child safety.

"Staff at the counter could see on their system that they had some in stock, and one staff member even remembered selling them on Friday, but they couldn’t find them today," the user wrote in a post.

They went onto say that an Officeworks representative told them that the AirTags were removed due to safety concerns, specifically regarding how easy it is for the button-cell battery to be removed by a child.

Furthermore, in a statement given to Gizmodo, Apple preemptively confirmed that the battery replacement process is at the center of the retail chain's decision to pull AirTags from its shelf temporarily.

"AirTag is designed to meet international child safety standards, including those in Australia, by requiring a two step push-and-turn mechanism to access the user-replaceable battery," an Apple representative said in an email to Gizmodo Australia.

"We are following the regulations closely and are working to ensure that our products will meet or exceed new standards, including those for package labelling, well ahead of the timeline required."

Officeworks says that AirTags will stay off its shelves until "further guidance is provided from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission," which happens to be the same authority currently investigating Apple over claims of anti-competitive market behavior.

Australian regulations require that any consumer good that features a battery compartment that's accessible to the consumer, whether or not the battery is intended to be replaced, must "be designed to ensure the compartment is resistant to being opened by young children." Regulations also state that the battery compartment must feature "screws or similar fasteners used to secure the door."

AirTags don't feature any screws visible to the consumer. However, to access the battery compartment, the user must first press down and twist the back plate. So, while there are definite concerns, it's unlikely AirTags violates any direct regulatory clause. Instead, it's likely that a lack of clarity regarding how Apple's AirTags fit with the existing regulations has caused the retailer to pull them.

The highly-anticipated Epic Games vs. Apple trial kicked off today in a federal court in Oakland, California, with lawyers for both companies delivering opening remarks before District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

Lawyers for Epic Games attempted to paint the App Store as anti-competitive and monopolistic, noting that developers are forced to use Apple's in-app purchase system, and thus pay Apple a 30% commission on sales. (The rate drops to 15% for subscriptions after the first year and for qualifying developers who sign up for Apple's new Small Business Program and earn less than $1 million per calendar year in net revenue.)

Epic Games described the App Store as a "walled garden" and presented emails from current and former Apple executives like Steve Jobs, Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue, and Scott Forstall in an attempt to prove this claim.

Epic Games wants Apple to be forced to allow third-party app stores on iOS and to let developers offer direct payment systems, but Apple argued that a single, highly-curated App Store is necessary to protect the security, privacy, reliability, and quality that customers have come to expect from the company.

"Epic wants us to be Android, but we don't want to be," said Apple lawyer Karen Dunn, referring to the ability to sideload apps outside of the Google Play store on Android devices. "Our consumers don't want that either," she added.

Epic Games is the creator of popular battle royale game Fortnite, which Apple removed from the App Store in August 2020, shortly after Epic Games slyly introduced a direct payment option in the app, in defiance of the App Store rules. Epic Games then filed an orchestrated lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of anti-competitive behavior.

At the time, Apple said Epic Games "took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users," adding that it would "make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store." Epic Games has refused to cooperate, however, and Fortnite remains unavailable on the App Store.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney testified at the trial today, saying that by introducing the direct payment option, he wanted consumers to see that Apple exercises "total control" over iOS and software available on the platform.

The trial is expected to continue for a total of three weeks, with Apple's CEO Tim Cook and other executives expected to testify.

Following today's release of iOS 14.5.1 and last week's release of iOS 14.5, Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.4.2, the previously available version of iOS 14 released on March 26. With iOS 14.4.2 no longer being signed, it is not possible to downgrade to iOS 14.4.2 from iOS 14.5 or iOS 14.5.1 if you've already updated your iPhone or iPad.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.

iOS 14.4.2 was a security update that addressed a vulnerability where processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to universal cross-site scripting. iOS 14.5 released last week addressed a number of security issues, and today's release of iOS 14.5.1 addresses another pair of WebKit issues that may have been actively exploited, so those who have not yet updated should do so.

Apple's Podcasts platform is experiencing an "outage" for some users, according to the company's system status page.

"Users are experiencing a problem with this service," wrote Apple. "We are investigating and will update the status as more information becomes available." Apple says the undisclosed problem began on April 29.

Only some users are affected by the outage, according to Apple. No further details were provided, and Apple has declined to comment at this time.

April 29 is the same day that MacRumors reported about a variety of complaints that users have made about the Podcasts app since it was redesigned in iOS 14.5, such as skipping during playback, inaccurate timestamps, unresponsive scrolling, episodes failing to sync across devices after being added to a library, and more.

Update: The outage has been marked as resolved on Apple's system status page.

(Thanks, Gustavo!)

Beginning on Monday, Twitter will enable anyone with at least 600 followers on its platform to host Spaces, its version of the audio room network Clubhouse.

Announced via a blog post, Twitter says that its decision to open up the functionality to users with at least 600 followers came following feedback from Twitter users and the community. Spaces originally launched last year, but so far only certain Twitter users have had access to the feature.

Today, we’re bringing the ability to host a Space to all accounts with 600 or more followers on Twitter. Based on what we’ve learned so far, these accounts are likely to have a good experience hosting live conversations because of their existing audience.

Twitter in March said that Spaces would be available to everyone by April, and with that timeframe now having passed, the company says it still wants to learn and hear more from users before it officially switches the feature on for all users.

Before bringing the ability to create a Space to everyone, we’re focused on learning more, making it easier to discover Spaces, and helping people enjoy them with a great audience.

Alongside the wider pool of users with access to Spaces, Twitter also revealed that it is working on the ability for users to pay for tickets to attend Spaces as a way to monetize the feature. Twitter says it will only take a "small amount" of commission from the ticket sales.

Alongside iOS 14.5.1 and watchOS 7.4.1, Apple today also released macOS Big Sur 11.3.1, which the company says "provides important security updates".

According to the full security notes for the release, it addresses a memory corruption issue and an integer overflow in WebKit that could both be exploited using maliciously crafted web content. Apple says it aware of a report that these issues may have been actively exploited, so users are advised to upgrade immediately.

Apple today released iOS and iPadOS 14.5.1, minor security updates that come just a week after the release of the iOS 14.5 update. There is also a companion watchOS 7.4.1 update for Apple Watch and an iOS 12.5.3 update for older iPhone and iPad devices that don't support Apple's latest operating system versions.

According to Apple's release notes, the update fixes a bug with App Tracking Transparency that may have prevented some users from receiving prompts from apps.

This update fixes an issue with App Tracking Transparency where some users who previously disabled Allow Apps to Request to Track in Settings may not receive prompts from apps after re-enabling it. This update also provides important security updates and is recommended for all users.

Security notes for the release indicate that it addresses a memory corruption issue and an integer overflow in WebKit that could both be exploited using maliciously crafted web content. Apple says it aware of a report that these issues may have been actively exploited, so users are advised to upgrade immediately.

The iOS and iPadOS 14.5.1 updates can be downloaded for free and the software is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the new software, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

The first day of the bench trial between Fortnite creator Epic Games and Apple is officially underway, with the companies delivering opening remarks before District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in a Northern California courtroom.

The saga dates back to August 2020, when Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store after Epic Games introduced a direct payment option in the app for its in-game currency V-Bucks, in defiance of the App Store rules. In what appears to have been an orchestrated move, Epic Games promptly filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of anti-competitive actions and describing the App Store as a monopoly.

• Epic Games v. Apple: Timeline of Events

Shortly after removing Fortnite from the App Store, Apple issued a statement saying that the App Store guidelines are applied equally to every developer, adding that Epic Games has benefitted from the App Store ecosystem for over a decade:

Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users. As a result their Fortnite app has been removed from the store. Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services.

Epic has had apps on the App Store for a decade, and have benefited from the App Store ecosystem - including its tools, testing, and distribution that Apple provides to all developers. Epic agreed to the App Store terms and guidelines freely and we're glad they've built such a successful business on the App Store. The fact that their business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users. We will make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney was directing criticism at Apple for months before the lawsuit was filed. In June 2020, for example, he tweeted that "opening iOS and Android up as truly open platforms with a genuinely level playing field between first party and third party apps and stores is the only way to ensure a competitive, healthy, and fair app economy."

Sweeney has particularly taken issue with the 30% commission that Apple collects from sales of apps and select in-app purchases. Apple has since launched a Small Business Program that reduces the App Store's commission rate to 15% for developers earning up to $1 million per calendar year in net revenue from the sale of apps and in-app purchases. For developers exceeding this threshold, the 30% rate still applies.

We'll be updating this story as opening remarks from Epic Games and Apple and other notable details are shared during the trial. We'll also have continued coverage with highlights from the trial over the next few weeks.

Epic Games' Opening Remarks

Epic Games lawyers argued that the App Store and iOS as a whole are a "walled garden" and said that developers would not be interested in using Apple's in-app purchase system if it were optional. Epic Games lawyers then went through a series of emails from current and former Apple executives like Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, Eddy Cue, and Steve Jobs that they believe supports this "walled garden" argument.

Epic Games lawyers argued that Apple's standard 30% commission on App Store purchases is monopolistic.

Apple's Opening Remarks

Apple lawyers argued that the App Store is curated, safe, reliable, and family friendly, and that the App Store ecosystem has served as an economic driver for over a decade, creating millions of jobs for developers.

Apple supplier TSMT, a key vendor involved in the production of mini-LED displays in the newly announced 12.9-inch iPad Pro, has been able to address technical challenges for the production of mini-LED displays to be used in the upcoming 14 and 16-inch redesigned MacBook Pro models.

As reported by DigiTimes, TSMT had initially been facing production constraints with the circuit board and adhesive materials in the mini-LED displays for the upcoming MacBook Pro models. However, after adjusting its techniques, TSMT has increased its production yield rates to over 95%.

TSMT is the exclusive provider of SMT services for the recently launched 12.9-inch iPad Pro's miniLED backlights and is expected to do the same for the two upcoming miniLED-backlit MacBook models, the sources said.

Due to issues with PCBs and adhesive materials, TSMT's yield rates for surface mounting for miniLED backlighting was not high enough originally, the sources noted. After changing PCB and adhesive material suppliers, TSMT has hiked yield rates to over 95% currently, the sources indicated.

The redesigned 14 and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models are expected to feature next-generation Apple silicon chips, the removal of the Touch Bar, the return of the MagSafe magnetic power cable, and an overall new design with an HDMI port and SD card slot.

Excitement around these new ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, which will target high-end professional customers, has been heightened ever since the reveal of the M1 chip in November. The next chip, possibly featuring M1X or M2 branding, can be expected to feature significantly faster performance and greatly improved energy efficiency.