MacRumors

If you need replacement ear cushions for your AirPods Max either due to damage to the existing cushion or to have another color option, there's good news -- as of January, Apple is selling replacements.

How to Buy New Ear Cushions

Ear cushions can be purchased from Apple's online site for $69, and that price point includes both the left and right replacement cushions.

Apple sells ear cushions in all of the available AirPods Max colors so you can get the same color you had before or experiment with new color combinations.

How to Swap Out AirPods Max Ear Cushions

Ear cushions attach to the AirPods Max ear cups magnetically, so it's incredibly easy to swap them out once you have a set of replacement cushions available.

1. Take the AirPods Max out of the case.
2. Unbox the new ear cushions from Apple.
3. Grasp the right ear cushion in your hand and pull upwards with a firm but gentle motion to remove the existing cushion.
4. Repeat for the left side.
5. Take the right replacement cushion and position it over the right ear cup, which is denoted with an "R" on the side of the cup.
6. Gently set the ear cushion in place, where it will snap down thanks to the magnets.
7. Repeat for the left side.

That's all there is to it. Removing the AirPods Max ear cushions and replacing them couldn't be simpler. Prior to the AirPods Max launch, there were rumors that Apple was aiming for the headphones to be customizable, so in the future, we could see additional ear cup color options made available for personalization purposes.

Starting with iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and tvOS 14.5, all of which are currently in beta testing, Apple will be requiring developers to receive a user's consent to track their activity across other apps and websites and/or access their device's random advertising identifier. Users will be presented with a prompt with options to "Allow Tracking" or "Ask App not to Track" when opening apps that wish to track their activity.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Nico Grant, Google is exploring a similar measure for Android, but in a "less stringent" way. The report claims that the proposed solution could end up being similar to Google's planned Chrome web browser changes:

To keep advertisers happy while improving privacy, the discussions around Google’s Android solution indicate that it could be similar to its planned Chrome web browser changes, the people said. The company said in 2020 that it intended to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome within two years. Google reaffirmed that plan earlier this year. Cookies are a way for websites to track users around the web to serve them more personalized ads.

"We're always looking for ways to work with developers to raise the bar on privacy while enabling a healthy, ad-supported app ecosystem," a Google spokesman said in a statement issued in response to the report.

Google has a web-based solution known as the Privacy Sandbox that allows advertisers to target groups of people with similar interests, rather than individuals, and the report claims that Google will likely to take a similar approach with Android.

February is American Heart Month, and Apple marked the occasion today with a Newsroom feature highlighting how the Apple Watch potentially saved the life of 59-year-old Bob March. In short, the Apple Watch alerted March to irregular heart rate readings that ultimately led to doctors discovering that he had arrhythmia.

Bob was gifted the Apple Watch by his wife Lori for their anniversary. "We truly believe that it saved his life," she said. "It doesn't get any bigger than that."

The story:

Bob, a former college-level athlete who also ran half marathons as an adult, immediately started exploring his new Apple Watch. He discovered the Heart Rate app and though he was relaxed, his first reading showed 127 beats per minute. That was high for Bob, but he brushed it off as a fluke.

"I thought, 'this is nuts,'" Bob says. "If I was easing into a run, or cooling down, I'd definitely be hitting numbers like that."

Later that day, Bob and Lori noticed more erratic heart rate readings. "I started running and it started going down but then it would come back up. So that's when I realized something may not be right here."

The couple saw similar patterns over the next few days, prompting Lori to schedule an appointment for a routine physical.

"I figured the doctor would tell me to practice breathing, try yoga, cut back on sodium or something of that sort," says Bob. "Instead, 10 minutes after meeting with me, he had me in an ambulance headed to the ER."

Doctors found an arrhythmia, which caused Bob's heart to work in overdrive. They said it was like he had been running a constant marathon for the past few weeks and if left unchecked, the results could have been devastating.

March ultimately underwent successful heart surgery, and after a few months, he is now thankful to be back to running alongside his dog. It's yet another example of how the Apple Watch's health features potentially saved a life.

Apple is rumored to be working on a virtual reality headset for launch as early as next year, and The Information today reported on some potential features to expect, based on information shared by a source with direct knowledge of the device.

The report claims that the headset will be equipped with more than a dozen cameras for tracking hand movements, along with two ultra-high-resolution 8K displays and advanced eye-tracking technology. The cameras would be able to pass video of the real world through the visor and display it to the user, creating a "mixed-reality effect."

The Information said it viewed internal Apple images of a "late-stage prototype" of the headset from last year, which show a "sleek, curved visor attached to the face by a mesh material and swappable headbands."

The report claims one headband would feature spatial audio technology like the AirPods Pro for a surround sound-like experience, while another optional headband would provide additional battery life on the go. Similar to AirPods Max replacement ear cushions, it is possible that the headbands will be offered in a variety of colors as well.

Apple is said to be developing multiple ways to control the headset, including a "thimble-like device to be worn on a person's finger." The headset would also be able to respond to the wearer's eye movements and hand gestures, the report claims, while one prototype of the headset also had a physical dial on the visor's side.

Apple has internally discussed pricing the headset around $3,000, according to the report, which would place it within the ballpark of Microsoft's mixed reality HoloLens 2 headset, which retails for $3,500. This price would certainly make Apple's headset a high-end, niche product, with the company apparently setting an internal goal of shipping only 250,000 units of the headset in the first year of its release.

Some of these details have been previously reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, CNET, and other sources, and The Information agrees that the headset will likely be released in 2022 at the earliest. Apple is also rumored to be working on a pair of sleeker, more affordable augmented reality glasses, but those are not expected until 2023 or later.

The iPhone 13 is now more likely to feature an upgraded Ultra Wide camera with significantly improved low-light performance, thanks to lens verification improvements and intensified competition in Apple's camera supply chain, according to noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In his latest TFI Securities investor note, seen by MacRumors, Kuo says that Chinese supplier Sunny Optical's iPad 5P lens verification has gone smoothly and it has learned a lot from the process, meaning that the probability of it shipping a 7P Wide Angle lens for the iPhone 13 in the second half of 2021 has increased significantly.

Kuo expects Sunny to begin mass shipments of its ‌iPad‌ 5P lens in the middle of the first quarter of 2021, supplying Apple with around 15% of those parts due to limited initial production capacity. It is not specified in the report which ‌iPad‌ model the 5P lens is destined for, but shipment proportion for both 5P and 7P lenses is expected to further increase to between 15-20% and 25-30% in 2022.

According to Kuo, Sunny Optical's greater competition will also put pressure on Largan, which is currently fueling a price war due to its significant technological advantages over other iPhone lens suppliers.

Back in November, Kuo predicted that the Ultra Wide cameras on the two high-end iPhone 13 models will be significantly upgraded to f/1.8, 6P (six-element lens) with autofocus. All the current ‌iPhone 12‌ models are equipped with f/2.4, 5P (five-element lens) Ultra Wide cameras with fixed focus.

However, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Thomas O'Malley have since suggested all four iPhone 13 models will feature an upgraded Ultra Wide camera lens with a wider ƒ/1.8 aperture, so there is conflicting information as to exactly how many models will get the lens upgrade. Kuo expects the upgraded Ultra Wide lens to expand to the rest of the flagship iPhone lineup in the second half of 2022.

Serif today announced across-the-board updates for its popular suite of Affinity creative apps, including Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and the Apple award-winning Affinity Publisher for Mac, all of which were among the first professional creative suites to be optimized for Apple's new M1 chip.

"After another year which saw record numbers of people switching to Affinity, it's exciting to start 2021 with yet another major free update," said Ashley Hewson, Managing Director of Affinity developer Serif. "We're introducing more tools and functions which will enable artists, designers, photographers and editors with even the most complex workflows to take advantage of the speed and power of Affinity."

Affinity Designer, the graphic design app, has gained a new contour tool to add contours and line offsets to any shape or path. Also added is the ability to place linked images and resources, which works to reduce file size and simplify collaborative working.

In Affinity Publisher, IDML import is said to be noticeably faster, while a new Package feature allows users to bundle all the image and font resources from a project into a folder, which can then be transferred easily to another system to aid collaboration or for print production.

In addition, placed PDFs can now be set to "passthrough," which ensures 100% fidelity on export, and users can easily integrate text and image links into a document from an external data source with the new data merge feature.

Over in Affinity Photo, users can now add liquify adjustments as live, maskable layers as part of their non-destructive workflow. There are also "substantial" improvements to its RAW engine, new linked layer functionality, path text, and a new mode to control the stacking of astrography images.

The 1.9 update is available across all Affinity apps on macOS, Windows and iPad from today and is free to existing users. All Affinity apps are currently available on the Affinity website with a 50% discount as an initiative to support the creative community during the global health crisis.

If you opened Twitter in your desktop browser today and something seemed different in the website's appearance, you're not wrong. In a change to its usual dark blue tint, Twitter is switching its desktop dark theme to a pure black.

Twitter has told The Verge that the change is part of an update that's rolling out to make the Twitter website respond to the light and dark mode settings of your operating system (although this didn't work when we tested it).

If your Twitter experience switched from dark mode to light overnight, however, that's down to a bug, according to the company. This may have happened to you if you had Twitter set to Dim or Lights Out mode but your OS was set to light mode.

If you miss the old dark blue, you can bring it back using Twitter's Dim display setting. You can find Twitter's desktop display options by clicking More in the left-hand menu and selecting Display. You'll see radio buttons for Default, Dim, and Lights Out modes, as well as options to change the accent color from the default blue. Twitter should remember your color and background settings after you've selected them.

Pad & Quill today announced new leather case options that are designed for the AirPods Max and the AirPods Pro. The AirPods Pro Max Leather Case, priced at $129.95, is made from full grain American leather with a thick foam layer covered with ballistic nylon. The AirPods Max slip inside and there's a divider in the middle along with an interior pocket for holding a charging brick and cable.

There are two magnets built into the case that are designed to put the AirPods Max into low power mode to preserve battery life. A zipper at the top keeps the AirPods Max protected in a bag or backpack, and there's an access port for charging while the AirPods Max are in the case. The case is also able to double as a stand, and it comes in two leather colors.

The Little Brief for AirPods Pro is a small briefcase that's designed to house the AirPods Pro. It has a tiny handle and a fold-over design that makes it easy to slip the AirPods Pro in and out.

Wireless charging is supported, and the case, like most Pad & Quill products, is made from hand stitched leather. The Little Brief Case for AirPods Pro is priced at $50.

Both the AirPods Max and AirPods Pro cases can be pre-ordered from the Pad & Quill website.

Ahead of the release of the M1 Macs, Apple provided developers with a Developer Transition Kit that included a Mac mini equipped with an A12Z Bionic chip first used in the iPad Pro, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and an HDMI 2.0 port.

These DTKs were offered up on a temporary basis to developers who paid $500 for access, and were aimed at giving developers a way to create Universal apps to prepare for the transition from Intel processors to Apple silicon chips.

Apple is now asking developers to return their Developer Transition Kits in exchange for a one-time use code that will provide a $200 discount on an ‌M1‌ Mac.

Thank you for participating in the Universal App Quick Start Program and your continued commitment to building great apps for Mac. Response to the new Macs has been incredible, and we love the fantastic experiences developers like you have already created for Mac users.

Now that the new MacBook Air, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro powered by M1 are available, it'll soon be time to return the Developer Transition Kit (DTK) that was sent to you as part of the program. Please locate the original packaging for use in returning the DTK. We'll email you in a few weeks with instructions for returning the DTK.

In appreciation of your participation in the program and to help with your continued development of Universal apps, you'll receive a one-time use code for 200 USD to use toward the purchase of a Mac with M1, upon confirmed return of the DTK. Until your program membership expires one year after your membership start date, you'll have continued access to other program benefits such as Technical Support incidents and private discussion forums.

Apple first sent out Developer Transition Kits at the end of June, so developers have had them on hand for the last seven months. Developers were meant to have a year with the DTK for app development purposes, but other benefits that include a private discussion forum and technical support will continue to be available for the full 12 month period.

Some developers are unhappy with Apple's compensation given the initial $500 price of the DTK program and the bugs that were experienced that made using the DTK difficult. The last time Apple had a similar program for the transition from PowerPC to Intel chips, Apple provided developers with the first Intel-based Mac for free.

The $200 credit can be used for any Mac, and the $699 ‌Mac mini‌ would be the cheapest option available to developers who want to pick up a new ‌M1‌ Mac for continued development. The credit must be used by the end of May.

The first Apple Car that's released will not be designed to operate with a driver, according to a report from CNBC that cites multiple unnamed sources with knowledge of Apple's plans. "These will be autonomous, electric vehicles designed to operate without a driver and focused on the last mile," said one of the people.

CNBC speculates that the initial Apple Cars could be designed for food delivery operations and firms that incorporate robotaxis. Self-driving robotaxis are available in China, and in the United States, companies like Waymo have tested public robotaxi programs. Many vehicle manufacturers working on autonomous technology are also planning for robotaxi services.

The tidbit about Apple's aim to produce a driverless car comes in a wider report that suggests Apple is close to finalizing an Apple Car deal with Hyundai affiliate Kia, which echoes several other reports suggesting a deal is brewing between Hyundai and Apple.

CNBC suggests that the Apple Car will be manufactured at the Kia assembly plant in West Point, Georgia under the terms of the agreement. No deal has yet been reached, however, and Apple could decide to work with another automaker entirely or choose a secondary partner to work with alongside Hyundai.

According to CNBC's sources, Apple has decided to pursue a partnership with Hyundai-Kia because the deal gives Apple access to an established automaker with the capability to produce vehicles in North America. Hyundai-Kia is also willing to give Apple control over both the Apple Car software and the hardware, with Apple planning for a full Apple-branded vehicle and not a Kia model that includes Apple software.

Hyundai-Kia executives believe that working with Apple will allow them to accelerate their own autonomous and electric vehicle plans.

Apple is said to be aiming to have the Apple Car in production in 2024, though it's possible that timeline will be delayed as work on the Apple Car is still in the early stages. Bloomberg recently said it would be five to seven years before an Apple Car is ready to launch, while Apple analyst Ming-Chu Kuo said this week that he expects to see the Apple Car in 2025 at the earliest.

YouTube is planning to stop supporting its YouTube app on the third-generation Apple TV models, where YouTube has long been available as a channel option.

A 9to5Mac reader received a message about the upcoming app discontinuation, which is set to take place in March.

Starting early March, the YouTube app will no longer be available on Apple TV (3rd generation). You can still watch YouTube on Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, iPhone, or iPad. With AirPlay, you can also stream YouTube from your iOS device directly to any Apple TV (3rd generation or later).

Third-generation ‌Apple TV‌ owners will no longer be able to watch YouTube directly on the ‌Apple TV‌ after the app goes defunct, but YouTube content can be AirPlayed to the ‌Apple TV‌ from an iPhone or iPad, a method that is less convenient.

This discontinuation is applicable only to the third-generation Apple TVs, as YouTube stopped supporting the second-generation ‌Apple TV‌ models back in 2015. The fourth and fifth-generation ‌Apple TV‌ models are not impacted as these models have access to the tvOS App Store, which is not available on the third-generation ‌Apple TV‌.

Some macOS Big Sur users who are running the 11.1 and recently released 11.2 update have been experiencing ongoing issues with external displays, based on multiple reports on the MacRumors forum, Apple Support Communities, Twitter, and Reddit.

There are at least two separate issues at play, but both are related to external display connections. The problems appear to have started with the macOS Big Sur 11.1 update, and the 11.2 update has not provided a fix and in some cases, has worsened the issue.

The first issue causes USB-C ports to fail to recognize external monitors, rendering external displays unusable and unable to connect. This appears to be affecting both DisplayPort and HDMI displays connected directly and through hubs and adapters.

We saw this issue firsthand after upgrading a MacBook Pro to macOS Big Sur 11.2, with the update preventing an external monitor from connecting with USB-C, and there are several other complaints from affected users. From Reddit:

Upgrading to 11.2 broke my second external monitor connection.
Primary monitor LG Ultrafine 4k (Mac version) connected via Thunderbolt.
Secondary monitor (same model) connected via HDMI->DisplayPort adapter (BENFEI), then DisplayPort->USB-C cable no longer works after updating (worked fine on 11.1 before updating).
macOS appears to recognize the monitor and resolution, as it is shown in display settings, and Apple Support was able to remove into my computer and see both screens. It's almost as if the signal for the monitor to turn on is not being sent.

The second issue results in resolution issues with external displays unable to work at a full 4K 60Hz resolution, instead locked at 30Hz. In some cases, a 4K monitor is only recognized as a 1080p monitor.

It appears that many of those affected with display issues have a 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, but there are also reports of other Macs with the same connectivity problems. There does not appear to be a reliable, widespread and tested fix or workaround at this time.

Mac users did not experience these problems in the initial release of macOS Big Sur 11.0.1, and it appears that the macOS Big Sur 11.3 update released yesterday also does not address the problem, but there is still some time for Apple to work in a fix before the 11.3 software sees a public release.

Samsung in January debuted its latest flagship smartphone lineup, which includes the Galaxy S21 Ultra, a direct competitor to the iPhone 12 Pro Max that Apple introduced in October. In our latest YouTube video, we pitted the two smartphones against one another for a blind camera comparison.

In the video up above and the photos in this article, we've labeled images with an "A" or a "B," with each letter corresponding to a different smartphone. All of the images are straight from the camera with no editing.

The idea is to look at the images and decide which aesthetic you prefer before we unveil which camera is which, so for the full experience, it's worth watching our video, but we'll also share the results at the very bottom of this article.

We've compared several different camera modes like Portrait mode and Night mode, along with the different lens options ranging from ultra wide angle to telephoto. When considering the photos, check out elements like color temperature differences, highlights and whether there are blown out (overly bright) areas, sharpness of the subject in Portrait photos, and for video, stabilization and shakiness.

Both the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ and Galaxy S21 Ultra have fantastic camera hardware and are capable of capturing great images in most lighting conditions, so most of the time, choosing a winner just comes down to your personal preferences.

Since we're not doing a traditional comparison between these two smartphones, there are a few Galaxy S21 features that are worth highlighting. Samsung used to limit its stylus, the S-Pen, to Note models, but this year, the S-Pen is compatible with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and it's useful for taking notes, drawing, signing documents, and more.

There's also a reverse wireless charging feature for charging up headphones or another smartphone, and an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which is actually something that we might see Apple adopt in the future.

As for the camera, there are four lenses including ultra wide (12MP), wide (108MP w/ laser autofocus), and dual telephoto lenses (both 10MP). Camera functionality is similar to the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ for the most part, but Samsung does have Space Zoom, which is a 100x digital + optical zoom option. Space Zoom was available last year, but this year it's been improved. The ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ has no equivalent feature and can't zoom in as far.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra also has a shorter minimal focusing distance, allowing it to be used for close-up macro shots, something the iPhone 12 models aren't able to do.

Coming back to the photo comparison test, if you're wondering which photos are which, there's an answer below the break.

➜ Click here to read rest of article...

Apple today expanded its "Look Around" feature for Apple Maps to San Diego, California and Portland, Oregon, according to ‌Apple Maps‌ expert Justin O'Beirne.

First introduced in iOS 13, Look Around is designed to provide 3D street-level imagery in major cities, much like Google's Street View.

At launch, Look Around was limited to a handful of cities, but it is now available in more than 20 cities and regions worldwide, with Apple regularly expanding the feature to new areas.

Apple maintains a list of areas where Look Around is supported on its website, with availability in cities like New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Tokyo, and more. Apple does not update the site on a regular basis, and a more complete look is available through Justin O'Beirne's tracking efforts.

Apple's last Look Around update was in December, with the feature expanding to Denver, Detroit, Miami, and Ft. Lauderdale.

Several of Apple's services are experiencing an outage at the current time, with Apple noting service interrupts for iCloud Backup, iCloud Drive, ‌iCloud‌ Notes, ‌iCloud‌ Storage Upgrades, and Photos on its System Status page.

The issue has been ongoing since approximately 10:13 a.m. Pacific Time. Apple says that users may be unable to use these services during the outage, so features like ‌iCloud‌ Backup and ‌iCloud‌ photo storage may not be working at this time.

There's no word on when these problems will be resolved, but we'll update this article when everything is back up and running. Earlier today, services like the App Store, Apple Music, and iTunes Store, also saw an outage that has since been addressed.

Update: The problem has also expanded to ‌iCloud‌ Storage, Calendar, Mail, Keychain, and Bookmarks.

Update 2: According to Apple's System Status page, all of the issues have now been fixed and Apple's service are back up and running.

Back in 2016 when the Apple Watch was still a relatively new device, Swiss watch maker H. Moser & Cie came out with a high-end mechanical Apple Watch clone called the Swiss Alp Watch, featuring a rectangular watch face with curved, round edges, a crown at the side, and Apple Watch style lugs.

H. Moser & Cie today debuted a followup to the original Swiss Alp Watch, introducing the $30,800 Swiss Alp Watch "Final Upgrade," which the company says is the "climax to the Swiss Alp Watch saga."

Featuring the same rectangular design as the Apple Watch and the original Swiss Alp Watch, the Final Upgrade was created after an H. Moser & Cie customer suggested the design. The DLC steel case features a Vantablack dial, and for those unfamiliar with Vantablack, it is considered one of the darkest known substances, absorbing up to 99.965 percent of visible light.

Instead of a traditional seconds hand, the Final Upgrade features an Apple Watch-style loading symbol, which is of course poking fun at the Apple Watch. H. Moser plays on the theme of simplicity and "less is more" in its marketing materials.

"No updates required, no lousy autonomy, no unnecessary features, no annoying notifications, just the only reminder you ever really need: To disconnect from all the noise and cherish each and every moment," reads a description of the watch.

The loading wheel, or "shaded disc made of of openings" is meant to "serve as a reminder that the here and now is all that matters."

The Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade is entirely mechanical with 100% Swiss Manufacture movement and a 96 hour power reserve. H. Moser & Cie has created just 50 of the Final Upgrade watches, with more information available on the company's website.

CalDigit today introduced a new "Element Hub" dock, equipped with four Thunderbolt 4 ports and four USB-A ports for connecting external displays, storage drives, and other peripherals to devices like a MacBook Pro or iPad Pro. For data transfer, the Thunderbolt 4 ports provide speeds up to 40Gb/s, while the USB-A ports can reach up to 10Gb/s.

Given that Thunderbolt 4 shares the same connector design as USB-C, and is backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 3, the dock can be used with many MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iPad Pro models released in recent years, as well as the fourth-generation iPad Air. The dock has pass-through charging, providing a fixed 30W for the MacBook Air, a fixed 60W for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and up to 45W for the iPad Pro.

Included in the box with the Element Hub is a 150W power supply, a 0.8-meter Thunderbolt 4 cable, and two rubber feet.

The dock is available to pre-order for a discounted price of $139.99 (regular price $179.99) on CalDigit's website, and will begin shipping later this month in the United States. The dock is also available to pre-order in the UK, and will begin shipping in March.

OWC also introduced a Thunderbolt 4 dock last month that may be worth checking out for customers who are considering purchasing one. Priced at $249, that dock is equipped with four Thunderbolt 4 ports, four USB-A ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, an SD card slot, and a combo 3.5mm audio in/out, with up to 90W pass-through charging.