MacRumors

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with designer Philip Lee of Classicbot to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an iBoy, which is a cute little desktop toy that's been designed as an homage to Apple's 2001 iPod Classic.

Philip Lee makes a whole range of eye-catching Apple-themed toys and products that are perfect for Apple fans and Apple merchandise collectors. The iBoy is Lee's newest creation, released in November 2020, and it's his most detailed and ambitious to date.

The iBoy is a cross between a little robot and a classic iPod, featuring a functional rotating click wheel complete with clickable buttons, an iPod-style mirror-like finish on the back, EarPod antennas, magnetic arms and legs, and simple but endearing facial expression.

There are no electronic parts inside the iBoy as this is an iPod replica figurine that's meant for display, but it does look like a functional MP3 player. The working click wheel with its satisfyingly clickable buttons turns the iBoy into a desk toy that's perfect for fidgeting with during a stressful day.

The magnetic arms and legs can be detached and there's an included headphone wire that can be added to morph the iBoy from robot mode to an MP3 player mode that even more closely resembles the iPod.

iBoy is made from an iPod-like glossy white ABS plastic with silk-screened details and full ports and iPod details that make it unmistakable as a toy robot inspired by the iPod's design. For those who prefer a darker aesthetic, Lee has also created a U2 version of the iBoy that's colored black and red like the special edition U2 iPod that Apple released.

We have 15 iBoys to give away to MacRumors readers as part of our giveaway, and each winner can choose the traditional white color or the red and black U2 color. 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 (January 29) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on February 5. The winners will be chosen randomly on February 5 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

Apple is working on in-screen fingerprint technology for the iPhone 13, a feature that would be available right alongside Face ID as a secondary biometric option, according to The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern. Stern shared the tidbit in a piece looking at Samsung Galaxy S21 features that could be incorporated into the next-generation iPhones.

We've heard several other rumors about in-display Touch ID functionality from reliable sources like Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, both of whom have said that this is a feature Apple is considering adding to the new iPhones. A secondary ‌Touch ID‌ option would be useful for situations where ‌Face ID‌ is not optimal, such as when wearing a face mask.

According to Stern, she heard from a former employee who said the company was working with optical sensors for in-screen fingerprint reading, which "can be more reliable" than an ultrasonic solution.

Optical in-display fingerprint sensors work using light, and in Android phones that have adopted this technology, the screen lights up with a fingerprint icon where you're meant to place a finger to provide light, and a camera creates an image of your finger. Optical sensors can be easy to fool because they're using a 2D image.

Ultrasonic fingerprint sensors are a newer technology and use small sound waves to make a 3D map of a fingerprint, a more secure solution that's not easily fooled, and one that works better when fingers are wet. Ultrasonic fingerprint sensing technology is much more expensive, however.

The ‌Touch ID‌ home buttons that Apple has used in the iPhone, iPad, and Macs, are capacitive. Capacitive sensors use a series of tiny capacitors to create a fingerprint data map that's hard to trick as it's not using a straight fingerprint image.

It's worth noting that optical-capacitive hybrid sensors exist, so if Apple does go with an optical solution, the ‌Touch ID‌ functionality won't necessarily be as insecure as some optical sensors that are used by Android manufacturers. In fact, it's very unlikely Apple would use a standard optical sensor, but an optical-capacitive hybrid would combine the fast scanning benefits of the optical sensor with the security of a capacitive sensor, and this system wouldn't be able to be easily fooled.

Stern says that according to her source, whichever solution Apple decides to adopt will need to meet the security standards of its current ‌Touch ID‌ Home button, so there will be no downgrade in functionality.

Though Stern's source says that Apple is working on optical technology, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple is going to use ultrasonic technology. He has said that GIS will provide "large-area sensing ultrasonic" technology to Apple, with Qualcomm providing an ultrasonic module and lamination. For what it's worth, Apple has also patented "acoustic" Touch ID functionality, which would work in-display.

Regardless of implementation, the return of ‌Touch ID‌ to the iPhone would be welcome as it would provide more authentication options for unlocking the iPhone in different situations, as well as an extra layer of security. So far, we don't have confirmed rumors that this is a technology that's definitely coming to the next-generation iPhones, nor is it clear that all 2021 iPhones would get the technology, especially if a more expensive ultrasonic solution is employed.

Apple earlier this week began selling standalone replacement ear cushions for the AirPods Max, and now customers who ordered the cushions have begun receiving them.

The AirPods Max ear cushions arrive packaged in a simple white box with a picture of the cushions in the appropriate color on the front. Each ear cushion is separated inside by a cardboard divider, and are designed to be easy to remove from the box.

Packaging is standard Apple packaging and is similar to the boxes and materials used for accessories like Apple Watch bands and Apple Pencils.

MacRumors reader Sven sent us photos of his AirPods Max ear cushions in black, which he is using with his silver AirPods Max.

AirPods Max ear cushions are available in silver, black, red, sky blue, and green to match all of the available AirPods Max colors, but it's possible Apple could offer unique colors in the future given that the design allows for mix and match colors.

We previously mocked up all of the AirPods Max color combinations, so if you want to know what a particular color ear cushion might look like with your AirPods Max, it's a good resource.

Standalone ear cushions are priced at $69 per pair, and right now, the silver and black ear cushions will ship out in a matter of days. Green, sky blue, and red cushions are not available right now and will deliver at the end of March at the earliest.

Those also happen to be the three colors of AirPods Max that are in short supply. Right now, all AirPods Max orders placed directly with Apple will arrive in early March, but third-party retailers have been listing stock on occasion and the silver and space gray colors are most commonly available.

Xiaomi has today revealed its "Mi Air Charge Technology," which is able to wirelessly charge devices from across a room with 5W of power.

Mi Air Charge Technology offers a "true wireless charging" solution, with no cables or stands. Devices charge remotely with 5W of power, using advanced spatial positioning and beamforming energy transmission.

Xiaomi has developed an isolated charging pile unit with five phase interference antennas, which can accurately detect the location of a smartphone. A phase control array with 144 antennas then transmits millimeter-wide waves directly to the phone through beamforming.

For smartphones, Xiaomi has developed a corresponding miniaturized antenna array with a "beacon antenna" and a "receiving antenna array." The beacon antenna broadcasts low-power positional information, while the receiving antenna array uses 14 antennas to convert the millimeter wave signal emitted by the charging pile directly into electric energy via a rectifier circuit.

The remote charging technology is capable of charging multiple devices within a radius of several meters, with each device able to receive 5W of power. Xiaomi also notes that physical objects placed in between the charging pile and the device do not reduce the charging efficiency.

Xiaomi says that it is looking to expand the technology to smartwatches, wristbands, and other wearables, as well as smart home speakers, desk lamps, and more in the future. It is unclear how close Xiaomi is to bringing its Mi Air Charge Technology and charging pile to the consumer market, but today's reveal may suggest that it is sooner rather than later.

The announcement indicates that progress on remote wireless charging technology within the industry is steadily developing. Several years ago, Apple was rumored to be partnering with Energous to deliver its own remote wireless charging solution. Apple is still believed to be researching new wireless charging technologies, and with the advent of MagSafe on iPhone 12 models, the company is clearly interested in new ways to power devices.

Last month, Apple introduced privacy labels on the App Store, providing users with a broad overview of the data types an app may collect, and whether the information is used to track them or is linked to their identity or device.

Apple has required developers to provide this privacy information when submitting new apps and app updates to the App Store since early December, but the labels function on an honor system, with fine print indicating that "this information has not been verified by Apple." As such, there is always the potential that some apps will be dishonest.

On that note, The Washington Post's Geoffrey A. Fowler recently did a spot check and discovered "more than a dozen" apps with "either misleading or flat-out inaccurate" privacy labels. One of these apps was a game called "Satisfying Slime Simulator," which Fowler said was sending his iPhone's advertising identifier and other device information to companies like Facebook, Google, and Unity, despite its privacy label indicating "No Data Collected."

Fowler listed several other apps with "No Data Collected" labels that he found to be covertly collecting user data, such as Rumble, Maps.me, and FunDo Pro. He also found the popular game Match 3D to be "sending an ID for my phone that could be used to track me to more than a dozen different companies," despite having a label that claimed it only took "data not linked to you." Match 3D has since updated its label to reflect "data used to track you."

In response to the report, Apple said it "conducts routine and ongoing audits of the information provided" and works with developers to correct any inaccuracies, adding that "apps that fail to disclose privacy information accurately may have future app updates rejected, or in some cases, be removed from the App Store entirely if they don't come into compliance."

This issue will be partially addressed by Apple's upcoming enforcement of a privacy measure it calls App Tracking Transparency. Starting with the next betas of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and tvOS 14, developers will be required to get a user's permission to track their activity across other apps and websites and access their device's random advertising identifier, known as the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), for targeted advertising and ad measurement purposes.

Apple said that, at the software level, App Tracking Transparency will prevent developers from accessing a user's IDFA unless they grant permission, preventing an app from silently tracking their activity in this manner. However, there are still other ways for apps to track users, so the accuracy of privacy labels will still not be guaranteed.

Encrypted messaging app Signal has been updated with several new features that reflect its increase in popularity, including chat wallpapers, an "About" section in user profiles, and more.

In a change that should appeal to former WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger users, Signal now lets you set chat wallpapers for individual chats, or set a single default background for all chat threads.

Similarly, the app now offers support for animated stickers, while Signal users can create their own APNG animated sticker packs in Signal Desktop.

Elsewhere, expanded chat list previews display the sender's name in group chats, so it's easier to decide which threads to look at first.

In addition, the update includes a new setting to lower data usage for calls, and users can automatically pause attachment downloads while a call is in progress. The developers have also improved image compression and quality.

The update comes at just the right time for Signal. The privacy-focused chat app recently enjoyed a surge in account sign-ups after a bungled privacy policy update by rival service WhatsApp caused a user exodus from the Facebook-owned platform.

The app also got the thumbs up from prominent Signal users like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Edward Snowden, which only added to mainstream interest in the app.

The last major update came in December, when the app rolled out support for encrypted group video calls. Signal Private Messenger is a free download [Direct Link] for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store.

Rumors that Apple is in negotiations with Hyundai about developing an Apple Car have been in the air over the last few weeks, and a new Reuters report today provides further details on the state of play between the two companies.

According to the report, the outlook for a deal has dimmed because Hyundai executives are divided over the prospect of working with Apple. Hyundai's main concern is that it could become a contract manufacturer for another brand.

"We are agonizing over how to do it, whether it is good to do it or not," said a Hyundai executive aware of the internal discussions on the tie-up with Apple. "We are not a company which manufactures cars for others. It is not like working with Apple would always produce great results."

According to the report, Apple and Hyundai first started talks over a car partnership in 2018, when Apple's car project was headed by Alexander Hitzinger, who now works for Volkswagen. However, progress in the talks has been hampered by Hyundai's historical reluctance to work with other companies.

"It is really difficult (for Hyundai) to open up," this person said, adding that the South Korean company would likely to have to replace some executives to avoid a culture clash under any partnership with Apple.

"Apple is the boss. They do their marketing, they do their products, they do their brand. Hyundai is also the boss. That does not really work," the person said.

Despite its reluctance, Hyundai is said to have excess capacity, therefore contract manufacturing would help it secure production volume.

Apple reportedly wants to source major components of its own design – frames, bodies, drive trains, and other parts – from a variety of places and rely on Hyundai or Kia, a Hyundai Motor Group affiliate, for a final assembly site. Previous reports also suggested that Kia's Georgia plant in the U.S. could become the production base, which would suit Apple better.

Rumors that Apple is in negotiations with Hyundai first surfaced earlier this month‌, suggesting that Apple is planning to work with the automaker to produce electric vehicles and develop batteries due to the high costs of the technology and the necessary production facilities.

Hyundai initially confirmed its electric vehicle discussions with Apple in a statement to CNBC, but the statement was revised hours later with no mention of Apple. Apple has not commented on reports of the negotiations.

Reuters last month reported that ‌‌Apple Car‌‌ production may begin around 2024. However, a report from Bloomberg last week said that the ‌‌Apple Car‌‌ is "nowhere near production stage" and could be ready in around five to seven years.

Apple and Hyundai reportedly want to reach a partnership agreement for the upcoming Apple Car by March, although today's report seems to cast doubt on any deal being signed off anytime soon.

Apple today shared a new video in its ongoing "Shot on iPhone" series, this time highlighting a short film about a Chinese New Year legend reimagined as a contemporary coming-of-age story.

Directed by American filmmaker Lulu Wang, "Nian" tells the story of a little girl who grows curious about a mythical creature that lives in the forest and – so her parents say – likes to eat children.

But when her rice cakes are mysteriously eaten in the woods one day by an unseen presence, the little girl begins to wonder if the legend is really true, and fearlessly decides to seek out the creature, who turns out not to be quite as monstrous as her parents' stories suggest.

The heartwarming 12-minute short film was created by the team behind the Golden Globe nominated film "The Farewell" and was shot with an iPhone 12 Pro Max. Apple also included a behind the scenes look at how the film was shot.

Apple has shared several prior videos and photographs in the "Shot on ‌iPhone‌" series. Click the relevant tag at the bottom of this article to see all of our previous coverage.

iOS 14 added a new "BlastDoor" sandbox security system to iPhones and iPads to prevent attacks carried out with the Messages app. Apple didn't share information on the new security addition, but it was explained today by Samuel Groß, a security researcher with Google's Project Zero, and highlighted by ZDNet.

Groß describes BlastDoor as a tightly sandboxed service that's responsible for parsing all of the untrusted data in iMessages. A sandbox is a security service that executes code separately from the OS, and this one operates within the Messages app.

BlastDoor takes a look at all incoming messages and inspects their content in a secure environment, which prevents any malicious code inside of a message from interacting with iOS or accessing user data.

As can be seen, the majority of the processing of complex, untrusted data has been moved into the new BlastDoor service. Furthermore, this design with its 7+ involved services allows fine-grained sandboxing rules to be applied, for example, only the IMTransferAgent and apsd processes are required to perform network operations. As such, all services in this pipeline are now properly sandboxed (with the BlastDoor service arguably being sandboxed the strongest).

The feature has been designed to thwart specific attack types, such as those where hackers used shared cache or brute force attacks. As ZDNet points out, security researchers have been finding iMessage remote code execution bugs over the past few years that could allow an iPhone to be infiltrated with just a text, which BlastDoor should address.

Groß found the new iOS 14 feature after investigating a Messages hacking campaign that targeted Al Jazeera journalists. The attack wasn't working in iOS 14, and investigating why led to his discovery of BlastDoor.

According to Groß, Apple's BlastDoor changes are "close to the best that could've been done given the need for backwards compatibility," and will make the iMessage platform significantly more secure.

This blog post discussed three improvements in iOS 14 affecting iMessage security: the BlastDoor service, resliding of the shared cache, and exponential throttling. Overall, these changes are probably very close to the best that could've been done given the need for backwards compatibility, and they should have a significant impact on the security of iMessage and the platform as a whole.

It's great to see Apple putting aside the resources for these kinds of large refactorings to improve end users' security. Furthermore, these changes also highlight the value of offensive security work: not just single bugs were fixed, but instead structural improvements were made based on insights gained from exploit development work.

Those interested in the full rundown on how BlastDoor works can visit the Project Zero blog post on the subject.

Apple CEO Tim Cook this morning spoke at the virtual Computers, Privacy, and Data Protection conference where he discussed Facebook's business model and Apple's upcoming enforcement of App Tracking Transparency, and afterwards, he elaborated on some of his speech in an interview with Fast Company.

Cook said that privacy is "one of the top issues of the century" and that it's important to put "deep thinking" into that to figure out how to "leave something for the next-generation that is a lot better than the current situation." Cook said privacy "should be weighted" like climate change, another huge issue the world is facing.

On the topic of why people should care about their privacy, even when there's nothing to hide, Cook said that he tries to get people to think about living in a world of constant surveillance, something that Apple did this morning with the release of a document called "A Day in the Life of Your Data" that details how third-party companies track user data across websites and apps.

"What changes do you then make in your own behavior? What do you do less of? What do you not do anymore? What are you not as curious about anymore if you know that each time you're on the web, looking at different things, exploring different things, you're going to wind up constricting yourself more and more and more and more? That kind of world is not a world that any of us should aspire to.

"And so I think most people, when they think of it like that ... start thinking quickly about, 'Well, what am I searching for? I look for this and that. I don't really want people to know I'm looking at this and that, because I'm just curious about what it is' or whatever. So it's this change of behavior that happens that is one of the things that I deeply worry about, and I think that everyone should worry about it.

Cook also pointed out that not all "Big Tech" companies are the the same, and he said that he worries about the "broad-brush categorization" of giving major companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple all one label. "I try to encourage people to think a level deeper than that and think about the companies themselves and their business models and how they conduct themselves, and so on and so forth--what their values are," he said.

Cook was asked about whether he thinks artificial intelligence is a threat and how it ranks compared to privacy, and he said that "both of those" can be used negatively and can be "amplified by technology." Cook said that ethical AI, and ethical data privacy and data collection are both important issues that "have to be worked on."

Fast Company's full interview with Cook also touches on technology and extremism, privacy legislature and regulation, and the future of privacy in tech, and it's well worth a read.

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.

Apple today seeded a third RC version of an upcoming macOS Big Sur 11.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new update coming a week after the second RC and more than two months after initial macOS Big Sur release.

Developers can download the updated ‌‌macOS Big Sur‌‌ 11.2 release candidate using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile from the Apple Developer Center.

macOS Big Sur 11.2 eliminates a feature that allowed Apple apps bypass third-party firewalls, security tools, and VPN apps. macOS Big Sur 11 included a ContentFilterExclusionList that let Apple's apps like the App Store, Maps, iCloud, and more to avoid firewall and VPN apps that users had installed. These apps were not able to filter or inspect traffic for some built-in Apple apps. That functionality has been removed in macOS Big Sur 11.2.

When macOS Big Sur 11.2 sees a release, Apple apps will be compatible with VPN apps and will no longer be able to bypass firewalls and other security tools.

According to Apple's release notes, the update also improves Bluetooth reliability and includes multiple bug fixes.

macOS Big Sur 11.2 improves Bluetooth reliability and fixes the following issues:
- External displays may show a black screen when connected to a Mac mini (M1, 2020) using an HDMI to DVI converter
- Edits to Apple ProRAW photos in the Photos app may not save
- iCloud Drive could turn off after disabling the iCloud Drive Desktop & Documents Folders option
- System Preferences may not unlock when entering your administrator password
- Globe key may not display the Emoji & Symbols pane when pressed

The update addresses a bug that could cause external displays to show a black screen when connected to an M1 Mac mini using an HDMI to DVI converter, and it fixes an issue that resulted in edits to Apple ProRaw photos in the Photos app not to save. It also includes fixes for iCloud Drive, System Preferences, and more.

Update: There was speculation that today's update may address a sudo vulnerability that could allow a local user to gain root privileges on macOS, but it does not appear that the vulnerability has been addressed.

Apple continues to hold a dominant position in the tablet market thanks to continued iPad sales growth throughout 2020, according to new data shared today by Canalys.

Apple shipped an estimated 19.2 million iPads during the fourth quarter of 2020 (which corresponds to Apple's first fiscal quarter of 2021), marking a 40 percent increase over the estimated 13.7 million tablets that it shipped in the fourth quarter of 2019.

When it comes to market share, Apple comes in at 36 percent, close to double the market share of its next closest competitor, Samsung. Samsung has a 19 percent market share and shipped an estimated 9.9 million tablets during the holiday quarter.

Amazon shipped an estimated 6.5 million tablets for 12 percent market share, while Lenovo shipped 5.6 million and Huawei shipped 3.5 million.

Apple furthered its dominance in the tablet market, with Q4 shipments growing 40% to 19.2 million, its best iPad performance since Q4 2014. Samsung maintained second place in the market with 9.9 million tablets shipped, up 41% from Q4 2019. Amazon climbed to third place on the back of strong holiday season demand, shipping 6.5 million tablets. Lenovo was the fastest growing vendor in Q4, increasing sell-in volume by 125% to reach 5.6 million units. Huawei was the only vendor in the top 5 to see shipments decline year-on-year.

For all of 2020, Apple shipped an estimated 58.8 million tablets, 24 percent more than it shipped across 2019. Samsung shipped an estimated 31 million, followed by Huawei at 16.3 million and Amazon at 15.9 million.

Canalys also shared estimates for combined PC, tablet, and Chromebooks in the fourth quarter of 2020, and using this metric, Apple was the number two worldwide vendor with 26.4 million device shipments, up 42 percent from combined Mac and ‌iPad‌ shipments in 2019.

When factoring in tablets and PCs, Lenovo was the number one worldwide vendor with 28.8 million units shipped. HP came in third with 19.3 million, Dell was fourth with 15.9 million, and Samsung came in fifth with 11.5 million units shipped.

Across all of 2020, Apple shipped an estimated 81.4 million iPads and Macs, coming in second to Lenovo with 87 million units shipped.

Apple yesterday shared its earnings results for the holiday quarter, confirming continued strong Mac and iPad sales. Apple does not break down unit sales for its devices anymore, but Apple set a new all-time holiday quarter revenue record for the Mac category with revenue hitting $8.7 billion, up from $7.2 billion in the year-ago quarter.

Apple's ‌iPad‌ category earned $8.4 billion, up from $6 billion in the year-ago quarter, which marks growth of 41 percent year over year.

Going forward, Mac and ‌iPad‌ sales are likely to remain strong as people continue to work and learn from home. Apple has multiple Mac refreshes in the works, and this year, we're expecting to see overhauled iMacs and MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon chips.

There are also new iPad Pro, iPad mini, and ‌iPad‌ refreshes in the works that could further drive sales.

Samsung recently came out with Bluetooth-enabled item trackers called SmartTags, beating Apple's rumored AirTags to market. With AirTags still set to launch later this year, we thought we'd check out Samsung's SmartTags to see just what Apple will be competing with.

There are already multiple Bluetooth-enabled item tracking options on the market, the most popular of which is Tile, and Samsung's SmartTags are similar in both design and functionality to Tile's offerings. The SmartTags are square-shaped with a small cutout at the top where a keyring can be connected, allowing them to be attached to a range of items.

AirTags are likely going to be similar, but rumors suggest they'll have a round design and will use various holders instead of having a built-in attachment point.

SmartTags are only designed to work with Galaxy devices for tracking purposes, and connecting and setup is a simple enough process. When setup is complete, the SmartTags show up in the SmartThings app from Samsung for tracking purposes.

In the SmartThings app, there's a map where you can see the physical location of the tag (and the item it's attached to), plus you can have it play a chime if the item is located nearby. For items lost further away, Samsung has a "Galaxy Find Network" crowd tracking feature that allows other Galaxy devices to ping lost tags to offer up a better chance of finding a lost device.

Tile has a similar crowd tracking network feature, and Apple's AirTags will too. AirTags will be trackable through the Find My app alongside your Apple devices, and Apple in iOS 13 introduced a ‌Find My‌ feature that lets lost devices be tracked even without a cellular connection by leveraging devices owned by other people. This functionality will likely be available for the AirTags, and with so many Apple devices out there, it's going to make it easier to find something that's lost.

SmartTags are Bluetooth-based and need to connect to a device using Bluetooth for their location to be tracked. AirTags will also work over Bluetooth, but AirTags are expected to have an edge over the SmartTags because Apple is expected to take advantage of Ultra Wideband technology, which will utilize the U1 chip in recent iPhones to allow for more precise indoor positioning and tracking.

There's a little button on the SmartTag that can be tapped to play a sound on the phone, so if you lose your phone but have a SmartTag nearby, it'll help you find your lost device.

One neat SmartTag perk includes smart home control. The button on the SmartTag can be customized to control smart home devices through various long and short button presses. That's not something that's rumored for the AirTags, but it's possible that we could see Apple use the positioning functionality to interface with HomeKit devices through automations.

SmartTags are using a traditional CR2032 battery that's replaceable, and it's not yet clear what Apple's battery solution will be. There have been rumors that Apple will use rechargeable batteries and rumors of a replaceable battery, so we'll have to wait to see what Apple ends up implementing.

We've been waiting on the AirTags for a long time now, but multiple rumors have suggested that 2021 is the year we'll finally see a launch, so there's a possibility we may not have to wait too much longer to see Apple's solution.

Price wise, Samsung is charging $30 for the SmartTags, which is competitive with other offerings on the market. It's possible Apple will also aim for that general price point, but we don't really have word on what AirTags will cost.

SmartTags are useful for those who have Galaxy devices, but they don't have much of an edge over existing trackers from companies like Tile, so there's not much of a reason for an Apple user to pick up a SmartTag.

Apple CEO Tim Cook today spoke at the virtual Computers, Privacy, and Data Protection conference, condemning the business model of companies like Facebook and emphasizing Apple's commitment to advancing user privacy.

"At a moment of rampant disinformation and conspiracy theories juiced by algorithms, we can no longer turn a blind eye to a theory of technology that says all engagement is good engagement — the longer the better — and all with the goal of collecting as much data as possible," said Cook. "It is long past time to stop pretending that this approach doesn't come with a cost — of polarization, of lost trust and, yes, of violence," he added.

Cook highlighted two recent privacy measures that Apple has taken, including privacy labels in the App Store and App Tracking Transparency, which will require apps to request permission to track users starting with the next iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and tvOS 14 betas. Apple says the software updates will be released in the early spring.

On an earnings call yesterday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Apple's privacy claims are often misleading and self serving:

Apple has every incentive to use their dominant platform position to interfere with how our apps and other apps work, which they regularly do to preference their own. And this impacts the growth of millions of businesses around the world.

Including -- with the upcoming iOS 14 changes, many small businesses will no longer be able to reach their customers with targeted ads. Now, Apple may say that they're doing this to help people, but the moves clearly track their competitive interests.

Today is Data Privacy Day, and Apple has marked the occasion by sharing "A Day in the Life of Your Data," an easy-to-understand PDF report that explains how third-party companies track user data across websites and apps, highlights Apple's privacy principles, and provides more details about App Tracking Transparency.

Cook's remarks can be listened to in this YouTube video starting at the 3:50 mark:

A full transcript of Cook's prepared remarks is available below.

Good afternoon.

John, thank you for the generous introduction and for hosting us today.

It's a privilege to join you — and to learn from this knowledgeable panel — on this fitting occasion of Data Privacy Day.

A little more than two years ago, joined by my good friend, the much-missed Giovanni Buttarelli, and Data Protection regulators from around the world, I spoke in Brussels about the emergence of a data-industrial complex.

At that gathering we asked ourselves: “what kind of world do we want to live in?"

Two years later, we should now take a hard look at how we've answered that question.

The fact is that an interconnected ecosystem of companies and data brokers, of purveyors of fake news and peddlers of division, of trackers and hucksters just looking to make a quick buck, is more present in our lives than it has ever been.

And it has never been so clear how it degrades our fundamental right to privacy first, and our social fabric by consequence.

As I've said before, “if we accept as normal and unavoidable that everything in our lives can be aggregated and sold, then we lose so much more than data. We lose the freedom to be human."

And yet this is a hopeful new season. A time of thoughtfulness and reform. And the most concrete progress of all is thanks to many of you.

Proving cynics and doomsayers wrong, the GDPR has provided an important foundation for privacy rights around the world, and its implementation and enforcement must continue.

But we can't stop there. We must do more. And we're already seeing hopeful steps forward worldwide, including a successful ballot initiative strengthening consumer protections right here in California.

Together, we must send a universal, humanistic response to those who claim a right to users' private information about what should not and will not be tolerated.

As I said in Brussels two years ago, it is certainly time, not only for a comprehensive privacy law here in the United States, but also for worldwide laws and new international agreements that enshrine the principles of data minimization, user knowledge, user access and data security across the globe.

At Apple, spurred on by the leadership of many of you in the privacy community, these have been two years of unceasing action.

We have worked to not only deepen our own core privacy principles, but to create ripples of positive change across the industry as a whole.

We've spoken out, time and again, for strong encryption without backdoors, recognizing that security is the foundation of privacy.

We've set new industry standards for data minimization, user control and on-device processing for everything from location data to your contacts and photos.

At the same time that we've led the way in features that keep you healthy and well, we've made sure that technologies like a blood-oxygen sensor and an ECG come with peace of mind that your health data stays yours.

And, last but not least, we are deploying powerful, new requirements to advance user privacy throughout the App Store ecosystem.

The first is a simple but revolutionary idea that we call the privacy nutrition label.

Every app — including our own — must share their data collection and privacy practices, information that the App Store presents in a way every user can understand and act on.

The second is called App Tracking Transparency. At its foundation, ATT is about returning control to users — about giving them a say over how their data is handled.

Users have asked for this feature for a long time. We have worked closely with developers to give them the time and resources to implement it. And we're passionate about it because we think it has the great potential to make things better for everybody.

Because ATT responds to a very real issue.

Earlier today, we released a new paper called “A Day in the Life of Your Data." It tells the story of how apps that we use every day contain an average of six trackers. This code often exists to surveil and identify users across apps, watching and recording their behavior.

In this case, what the user sees is not always what they get.

Right now, users may not know whether the apps they use to pass the time, to check in with their friends, or to find a place to eat, may in fact be passing on information about the photos they've taken, the people in their contact list, or location data that reflects where they eat, sleep or pray.

As the paper shows, it seems that no piece of information is too private or personal to be surveilled, monetized, and aggregated into a 360-degree view of your life. The end result of all of this is that you are no longer the customer, you're the product.

When ATT is in full effect, users will have a say over this kind of tracking.

Some may well think that sharing this degree of information is worth it for more targeted ads. Many others, I suspect, will not, just as most appreciated it when we built a similar functionality into Safari limiting web trackers several years ago.

We see developing these kinds of privacy-centric features and innovations as a core responsibility of our work. We always have, we always will.

The fact is that the debate over ATT is a microcosm of a debate we have been having for a long time — one where our point of view is very clear.

Technology does not need vast troves of personal data, stitched together across dozens of websites and apps, in order to succeed. Advertising existed and thrived for decades without it. And we're here today because the path of least resistance is rarely the path of wisdom.

If a business is built on misleading users, on data exploitation, on choices that are no choices at all, then it does not deserve our praise. It deserves reform.

We should not look away from the bigger picture.

At a moment of rampant disinformation and conspiracy theories juiced by algorithms, we can no longer turn a blind eye to a theory of technology that says all engagement is good engagement — the longer the better — and all with the goal of collecting as much data as possible.

Too many are still asking the question, “how much can we get away with?," when they need to be asking, “what are the consequences?"

What are the consequences of prioritizing conspiracy theories and violent incitement simply because of their high rates of engagement?

What are the consequences of not just tolerating, but rewarding content that undermines public trust in life-saving vaccinations?

What are the consequences of seeing thousands of users join extremist groups, and then perpetuating an algorithm that recommends even more?

It is long past time to stop pretending that this approach doesn't come with a cost — of polarization, of lost trust and, yes, of violence.

A social dilemma cannot be allowed to become a social catastrophe.

I think the past year, and certainly recent events, have brought home the risk of this for all of us — as a society, and as individuals as much as anything else.

Long hours spent cooped up at home, the challenge of keeping kids learning when schools are closed, the worry and uncertainty about what the future would hold, all of these things threw into sharp relief how technology can help — and how it can be used to harm.

Will the future belong to the innovations that make our lives better, more fulfilled and more human?

Or will it belong to those tools that prize our attention to the exclusion of everything else, compounding our fears and aggregating extremism, to serve ever-more-invasively-targeted ads over all other ambitions?

At Apple, we made our choice a long time ago.

We believe that ethical technology is technology that works for you. It's technology that helps you sleep, not keeps you up. That tells you when you've had enough, that gives you space to create, or draw, or write or learn, not refresh just one more time. It's technology that can fade into the background when you're on a hike or going for a swim, but is there to warn you when your heart rate spikes or help you when you've had a nasty fall. And that all of this, always, puts privacy and security first, because no one needs to trade away the rights of their users to deliver a great product.

Call us naive. But we still believe that technology made by people, for people, and with people's well-being in mind, is too valuable a tool to abandon. We still believe that the best measure of technology is the lives it improves.

We are not perfect. We will make mistakes. That's what makes us human. But our commitment to you, now and always, is that we will keep faith with the values that have inspired our products from the very beginning. Because what we share with the world is nothing without the trust our users have in it.

To all of you who have joined us today, please keep pushing us all forward. Keep setting high standards that put privacy first. And take new and necessary steps to reform what is broken.

We've made progress together, and we must make more. Because the time is always right to be bold and brave in service of a world where, as Giovanni Buttarelli put it, technology serves people, and not the other way around.

Thank you very much.

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