MacRumors

Earlier this year, several states launched an investigation into Apple's iPhone "throttling" practices, aiming to determine whether Apple's slowing of older iPhones through power management "violated deceptive trade practice laws."

The investigation has now concluded, and Apple has opted to pay $113 million to settle the matter, reports The Washington Post. Apple has also agreed to be more transparent about similar changes to iOS devices in the future, providing more detail about battery health and power management.

In a statement, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said that he's committed to preventing tech companies from manipulating consumers.

"Big Tech must stop manipulating consumers and tell them the whole truth about their practices and products. I'm committed to holding these goliath technology companies to account if they conceal the truth from their users."

The investigation involved 34 states and the District of Columbia, and it concerned the 2017 controversy that Apple was embroiled in after quietly adding a power management feature to iPhones in iOS 10.2.1.

Apple's feature was meant to eliminate unexpected shutdowns that older iPhones were experiencing due to exhausted batteries, but it did so through throttling the maximum performance of devices with chemically aged batteries.

Apple did not disclose the throttling when releasing the updates, and customers were outraged when it was discovered that iPhone performance was being downgraded. While Apple said that it implemented the feature to make sure iPhones lasted as long as possible even as the battery began to fail, customers and regulators saw it as evidence of planned obsolescence.

After the throttling was discovered, Apple apologized and launched a battery replacement program that saw the company offering batteries for older devices for $29. Replacing a failing battery successfully fixes the problem that leads to shutdowns.

Apple offered lower-cost batteries for a year, and also added new battery management features to iOS that encourage customers to replace their battery when needed and allow throttling to be shut off. Apple has also already shelled out $500 million to settle a class action lawsuit over the issue.

Apple todays seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Big Sur 11.1 update to public beta testers, with the beta coming a day after the developer release and two weeks after the launch of macOS Big Sur 11.0.1, the release version of the software.

Beta testers who signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the macOS Big Sur beta through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile.

Mac users who want to be a part of Apple's beta testing program can sign up to participate on the beta website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS betas.

There's no word yet on what's included in macOS Big Sur 11.1, but it likely includes performance improvements, security updates, and fixes for bugs that weren't able to be addressed in the release version of macOS Big Sur. No significant new feature changes were discovered in the first developer beta.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.2 beta to developers for testing purposes, one week after the release of the first beta and two weeks after the launch of watchOS 7.1.

To install the ‌watchOS 7.2‌ beta, developers need to download the proper configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 7.2 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated ‌Apple Watch‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update. To update to the new software, the ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌.

watchOS 7.2 introduces a new Cardio Fitness feature for the Apple Watch, and Apple says that the cardio fitness metric are a "strong indicator of overall health." The feature measures VO2 max, or the maximum amount of oxygen that your body is able to consume during exercise. Measurements are done over time, and the Apple Watch and iPhone are able to send notifications to let you know about fluctuations in your VO2 max.

Cardio Fitness can be accessed through a new trend that’s been added to the Activity app, and it can be set up in the Health app on iPhone. Cardio fitness levels are available for users age 20 and above, and are estimated by age.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 14.3 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming one week after Apple released the first beta.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 14.3 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ via a profile that's installed using Xcode.

Other than new releases, tvOS updates are often minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. There's no word yet on what's included in tvOS 14.3 update, but we'll update this article should anything new be found. Nothing new was discovered in the first beta.

Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.

Apple's tvOS 14 update brought expanded Picture in Picture support, new HomeKit integration with HomeKit Secure Video cameras, support for multiple Apple Arcade profiles, and more, with details available in our tvOS 14 roundup.

As more customers get their hands on the first Apple Silicon Macs, we continue to see some interesting performance and battery life tests surface based on real-world usage situations, with the latest including Zoom video calling.

MacRumors forum member "acidfast7_redux," who resides in the UK, spent most of their work day today on Zoom video calls using their new MacBook Air with the M1 chip and 8GB of memory. After a 2.5 hour video call, they say their battery life dropped by 17%, and after a second 36 minute video call, their battery life dropped by 7%, meaning that Zoom ultimately consumed roughly 10-13% of battery life per hour.

finishing the day at the office now:

09.11 to 17.25 (8h14m)
battery went from 100% down to 28%

time breakdown for the office part of the day was:

4h33m Zoom meetings (just closed Zoom for the first time since opening it this morning at 10.00)
3h01m web browsing / MS Office / emails
45m sleep (just closed lid and left the office)

These numbers are impressive given that Zoom has yet to introduce native support for Apple Silicon Macs, so the app is currently running through Apple's translation layer Rosetta 2 on Macs with the M1 chip. Zoom is known to be quite the battery hog on Intel-based Macs, so Apple Silicon's power efficiency gains will be much welcomed.

Over the last week, benchmarks and reviews have proven that the M1 chip lives up to Apple's hype, ranging from the new MacBook Air outperforming the high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro in multi-core Geekbench 5 results to the new Mac mini and 13-inch MacBook Pro compiling WebKit code as fast as a 2019 Mac Pro.

Apple revealed its plans to begin using its own chips in Macs at WWDC 2020 in June, promising industry-leading performance per watt. Apple expects the transition away from Intel processors to take about two years to be completed.

Apple's newly released HomePod mini features a USB-C power cord that plugs into a separate power adapter, and there was speculation that the cord could perhaps be removed, but that's not the case.

In a home teardown, MacRumors forum member ouimetnick found that the power cord is not meant to come out and it is not replaceable if it is removed.

The standard HomePod also comes with a cord that's not meant to be removed, but it can technically be pulled out with enough force and then reattached. That does not appear to be the case with the ‌HomePod mini‌, and attempting to remove the cable can lead to damage to the speaker.

The quick home teardown also walks through disassembling the ‌HomePod mini‌ and shows off the built in S5 chip that powers the device. Most people won't need to open up the ‌HomePod mini‌, but it's a useful look inside in lieu of iFixit's traditional teardown.

Apple's battery health management feature cannot be disabled on Apple Silicon Macs, as there is no toggle switch for this in System Preferences on these machines.

Introduced in macOS Catalina version 10.15.5, the battery health management system is designed to improve the lifespan of a Mac notebook's battery by reducing the rate at which it chemically ages. The feature achieves this by monitoring the battery's temperature history and its charging patterns, and temporarily reducing the battery's maximum charging capacity as necessary, according to Apple.

The feature can still be disabled on Intel-based Macs, but Apple warns this may reduce the battery's lifespan. On macOS Big Sur, navigate to System Preferences > Battery > Battery > Battery Health… and uncheck "Manage battery longevity." On macOS Catalina, the checkbox is located in System Preferences > Energy Saver > Battery Health…

As further confirmation, Apple has shared a new support document about battery health management on Apple Silicon Macs, and unlike the version of the document for Intel-based Macs, there is no section on turning off the feature.

A number of industry players, including Spotify, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, and Basecamp CTO David Heinemeier Hansson, have today criticized Apple's move to launch a new App Store Small Business Program that will halve App Store fees for small business owners and independent developers (via The Verge).

After Apple announced the new program, Spotify released a statement saying that it proved the ‌App Store‌ policies are "arbitrary and capricious."

Apple's anti-competitive behavior threatens all developers on iOS, and this latest move further demonstrates that their App Store policies are arbitrary and capricious. While we find their fees to be excessive and discriminatory, Apple's tying of its own payment system to the App Store and the communications restrictions it uses to punish developers who choose not to use it, put apps like Spotify at a significant disadvantage to their own competing service. Ensuring that the market remains competitive is a critical task. We hope that regulators will ignore Apple's "window dressing" and act with urgency to protect consumer choice, ensure fair competition, and create a level playing field for all.

Spotify has repeatedly sparred with Apple in recent years, accusing the company of anti-competitive behavior. The accusations peaked with Spotify's formal complaint to the European regulators that Apple used the ‌App Store‌ to deliberately disadvantage other app developers, which lead to an EU Commission antitrust investigation.

‌Epic Games‌ CEO Tim Sweeney also released a statement, arguing that Apple is "gerrymandering the community with a patchwork of special deals" by setting up the Small Business Program.

This would be something to celebrate were it not a calculated move by Apple to divide app creators and preserve their monopoly on stores and payments, again breaking the promise of treating all developers equally. By giving special 15 percent terms to select robber barons like Amazon, and now also to small indies, Apple is hoping to remove enough critics that they can get away with their blockade on competition and 30 percent tax on most in-app purchases. But consumers will still pay inflated prices marked up by the Apple tax.

Apple and Epic have been embroiled in a legal battle since August, when Apple removed Fortnite from the ‌‌App Store‌‌ after ‌‌Epic Games‌‌ introduced a direct payment option in the app, defying the ‌‌App Store‌‌ rules. ‌‌Epic Games‌‌ promptly filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of anti-competitive actions.

Basecamp CTO David Heinemeier Hansson, who is also responsible for the "Hey" email app which Apple threatened to remove from the App Store in June for breaching its rules, shared a large number of tweets criticising Apple's decision to launch the program, saying that "Machiavelli would be so proud of Apple. Trying to split the ‌App Store‌ opposition with conditional charity concessions, they – a $2T conglomerate – get to paint any developer making more than $1m as greedy, always wanting more. As clever as its sick."

Hansson also said that the "only good thing" about "this cynical, Machiavellian ploy to split developers" is that "it shows they're sweating. Even if just a little."

In September, Spotify, ‌Epic Games‌, and Basecamp joined forces to form the "Coalition for App Fairness," which aims to highlight developer issues with Apple. The organization set out a number of demands, including the assertions that "no developer should be required to use an app store exclusively," "every developer should always have access to app stores," and "no developer should be required to pay unfair, unreasonable or discriminatory fees or revenue shares."

While Spotify, ‌Epic Games‌, and Hey have each taken issue with Apple's ‌App Store‌ policies in the past, research by app analytics firm Sensor Tower does highlight an interesting observation about Apple's Small Business Program. The research, cited by The New York Times, states that the ‌App Store‌ fee change "will affect roughly 98 percent of the companies that pay Apple a commission... But those developers accounted for less than 5 percent of ‌App Store‌ revenues last year..." This means that Apple is retaining its 30 percent commission on the two percent of companies that generate 95 percent of its ‌App Store‌ revenue.

Apple says that it expects the ‌‌App Store‌‌ Small Business Program to generate more digital commerce, support new jobs, and provide more funds for small businesses to invest back into their apps as they work to create software for Apple's users.

A teardown of the new Mac mini has surfaced on the forum eGPU.io (via Reddit), providing us with a real-world look at Apple's new M1 chip, which is soldered onto a much smaller logic board than the one found in the 2018 model of the computer.

The M1 is the silver chip labeled with APL1102, housing the 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, I/O controllers, and more all in one. The unified system memory is also visible on the right side of the chip, and takes up far less space than the standalone RAM modules used in the previous Mac mini, contributing to the smaller logic board.

As expected, the switch to unified system memory also means that there is no user-upgradeable RAM, as there was with the previous Mac mini, so choose wisely between 8GB or 16GB of memory when configuring the Mac mini on Apple's online store. The SSD also remains soldered to the logic board, so there is no user-upgradeable storage either.

A video teardown of the new Mac mini has also surfaced, revealing that the overall disassembly process is similar to the 2018 model:

There's also a video teardown of the new MacBook Air, providing a peek inside the notebook, although many components are covered with shielding. We'll have to wait on iFixit for its more in-depth teardowns of the new Macs for a closer look.

In a new interview with Om Malik, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and chipmaking chief Johny Srouji discussed the motivations behind Apple Silicon, how Apple is able to differentiate itself from its competitors, and why chip specifications are becoming irrelevant.

Joswiak explained that ‌Apple Silicon‌ represents the completion of Steve Jobs' vision to make "the whole widget" for the Mac:

Steve used to say that we make the whole widget. We've been making the whole widget for all of our products, from the iPhone, to the iPads, to the watch. This was the final element to making the whole widget on the Mac.

When asked about how Apple views the technical specifications of its custom silicon, Srouji remarked, "It's not about the gigahertz and megahertz, but about what the customers are getting out of it." He went on to explain that specifications cannot represent how custom silicon can be "perfectly fit for the product and how the software will use it."

Federighi concurred, offering an example of how specifications cannot always indicate real-world performance:

The specs that are typically bandied about in the industry have stopped being a good predictor of actual task-level performance for a long time. Architecturally, how many streams of 4k or 8k video can you process simultaneously while performing certain effects? That is the question video professionals want an answer to. No spec on the chip is going to answer that question for them.

Srouji pointed out how Apple is in a unique position to engineer hardware and software symbiotically for a better overall result:

I believe the Apple model is unique and the best model. We're developing a custom silicon that is perfectly fit for the product and how the software will use it. When we design our chips, which are like three or four years ahead of time, Craig and I are sitting in the same room defining what we want to deliver, and then we work hand in hand. You cannot do this as an Intel or AMD or anyone else.

Federighi then elaborated on how close hardware and software integration can remedy some of the inherent physical limitations of hardware and resolve specific problems:

It is difficult to put more transistors on a piece of silicon. It starts to be more important to integrate more of those components closely together and to build purpose-built silicon to solve the specific problems for a system. Being in a position for us to define together the right chip to build the computer we want to build and then build that exact chip at scale is a profound thing.

As Srouji sees it, just as the clock speed of the chip inside an iPhone is unimportant, the same will be true for the Macs of the future. Instead, it will all be about "how many tasks you can finish on a single battery life," for example.

Federighi assured that for customers who do not yet have an Apple Silicon-powered Mac appropriate for their purposes, "their day will come. But for now, the systems we're building are, in every way I can consider, superior to the ones they've replaced."

See the full interview for more information.

Popular image editor app Pixelmator Pro has released version 2.0 ahead of schedule, bringing an all-new design for macOS Big Sur and native support for Macs powered by Apple's new M1 chip.

The new design features a simplified Effects Browser that makes it easier to find and apply effects, and new compact layouts for the sidebars and presets.

There's also a new Workspaces feature that lets users customize the look of Pixelmator, with presets optimized for photo editing, design, illustration, and painting.

With native support for Apple's new M1-powered Macs, Pixelmator Pro 2.0 takes advantage of the chip's 16-core Neural Engine for accelerated machine learning. This allows for features like Super Resolution, which intelligently increases the resolution of images while preserving details, to work up to 15x faster.

The editing engine is powered by Metal, which makes it easy for the app to take full advantage of the unified memory architecture in Apple's system-on-a-chip. There's also a new app icon that aligns with Apple's docked apps, and a new unified toolbar with switches and menus that look native to the macOS 11 Big Sur aesthetic.

Pixelmator 2.0 is a Universal app, so it runs natively on both ‌M1‌ and Intel-based Macs. The image editing app is a free upgrade for existing Pixelmator Pro users, otherwise it costs $39.99 and can be downloaded directly from the Mac App Store.

Mozilla has released Firefox 83 on Mac, bringing new features and improvements, including a new HTTPS-Only Mode, pinch to zoom, and more.

HTTPS-Only Mode is Mozilla's latest security feature that ensures users establish fully secure connections to every website they visit. If a website doesn't support the HTTPS encrypted protocol, Firefox asks for user permission before connecting.

Enabling HTTPS-Only Mode is done through the Preferences menu (the three lines icon in the top-right corner of the browser). Select Privacy & Security and scroll down to the section HTTPS-Only Mode. Then choose Enable HTTPS-Only Mode in all windows.

A new pinch zooming feature also comes to Firefox on Mac. Users can now pinch to zoom using a trackpad to zoom in and out of webpages.

Elsewhere, Picture-in-Picture now supports keyboard shortcuts for fast forwarding and rewinding videos. The arrow keys can now be used to move forward and back 15 seconds, along with volume controls. For a list of supported commands see Support Mozilla.

Mozilla has also improved functionality and design for a number of Firefox search features, and improved page load performance by up to 15%, page responsiveness by up to 12%, and reduced memory usage by up to 8%.

Part of the JavaScript engine that helps to compile and display websites has also been replaced, improving security and maintainability of the engine at the same time.

Firefox 83 is available to download from the Mozilla website and works on Apple Silicon CPUs via emulation under Apple's Rosetta 2 that ships with macOS Big Sur. Mozilla says it is working toward Firefox being natively-compiled for these CPUs in a future release.

Apple today announced the launch of a new App Store Small Business Program that will see the Cupertino company lowering its App Store fees for small business owners and independent developers. Starting on January 1, 2021, all developers who earn less than $1 million from the ‌App Store‌ will pay 15 percent in commission to Apple, down from the standard 30 percent.

The 15 percent commission rate applies to paid app purchases, in-app purchases, and subscription fees, with the lowered rate benefitting most developers on the ‌App Store‌.

"Small businesses are the backbone of our global economy and the beating heart of innovation and opportunity in communities around the world. We're launching this program to help small business owners write the next chapter of creativity and prosperity on the App Store, and to build the kind of quality apps our customers love," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "The App Store has been an engine of economic growth like none other, creating millions of new jobs and a pathway to entrepreneurship accessible to anyone with a great idea. Our new program carries that progress forward -- helping developers fund their small businesses, take risks on new ideas, expand their teams, and continue to make apps that enrich people's lives."

All developers who earned under $1 million in 2020 are able to qualify for the program and the reduced 15 percent commission rate. New developers who join the ‌App Store‌ and create apps in 2021 will also qualify. Going forward, developers who earn up to $1 million in the prior calendar year will be able to participate.

Developers who earn over $1 million will not be eligible, with the $1 million total calculated using post commission earnings that take into account total earnings after Apple's standard 30 percent cut. Developers earning more than the cutoff will continue to pay the standard 30 percent commission rate.

If a developer who participates exceeds $1 million in earnings, commissions will go back up to the 30 percent rate as well. For example, a developer who joins the program in 2021 and exceeds $1 million in earnings mid-year will need to pay out 30 percent commission going forward for the rest of the year. This will also apply in 2022, but if after that revenue falls below the $1 million threshold, the developer will be eligible for the program again in 2023.

As for subscriptions, developers who are eligible for the program will pay a 15 percent commission on subscriptions, even during the first year. Apple already has mixed ‌App Store‌ fees for subscriptions. During the first year a person subscribes, the standard commission rate is 30 percent, but it drops to 15 percent after that. That fee structure remains in place, but Small Business Program participants will pay 15 percent for all subscribers.

According to Apple, the reduced ‌App Store‌ fees are being implemented to help small business owners maintain their businesses and accelerate innovation during uncertain times. The fee drop is being implemented as developers try to work through economic challenges and more and more business are pivoting to digital as people continue to work and learn from home.

The fee changes will be a relief to many developers who have been unhappy with Apple's ‌App Store‌ fees. Apple has faced scrutiny from U.S. antitrust regulators in the United States, and investigations conducted by those regulators have surfaced complaints from developers who believe Apple's fees are too high.

Today's fee cut won't benefit some of the developers that have been the most vocal about Apple's commission rates, such as Epic Games, but it will relieve some of the pressure on the small business owners that need the most help.

There are more than 28 million developers from 227 regions who offer apps through the ‌App Store‌, and 1.8 million apps available worldwide. Apple says that the program will be available to the majority of developers, with those developers all receiving the same access to Apple's developer tools and programs. Apple expects the ‌App Store‌ Small Business Program to generate more digital commerce, support new jobs, and provide more funds for small businesses to invest back into their apps as they work to create innovative software for Apple users.

If you were thinking of buying two HomePod mini speakers to use as a stereo pair with your Mac, you might want to think again. As some users undoubtedly found with the original HomePod, it's not possible to AirPlay to multiple speakers from the menu bar on a Mac.

The inability to select stereo-paired ‌HomePod‌ speakers as your Mac audio output device is a glaring omission in Apple's ‌AirPlay‌ rollout, and the situation unfortunately remains the same in macOS 11 Big Sur. You can only use them with certain Apple apps like Music and TV – all other Mac audio must be output to one speaker or the other, but not both at the same time.

While it's frustrating that Apple's own apps let users select stereo-paired HomePods as a single device, this does provide a workaround, although it's a kludge that has its drawbacks. The following steps show you how it's done.

1. Launch the Music app on your Mac and select your stereo-paired ‌HomePod‌ minis as the audio output.
   
   

2. Now, minimize the Music app (don't close it), then launch the Audio MIDI Setup app located in the Applications -> Utilities folder.
   
   

3. In the Audio MIDI Setup app, click the + button in the bottom-left corner of the interface and select Create Aggregate Device from the dropdown.
   
   

4. Select the Aggregate Device in the sidebar and check the Use box next to AirPlay.
   
   

5. Close the Audio MIDI Setup app, then select the Aggregate Device from the volume dropdown in the menu bar.
   
   

As for the caveats to this workaround, using it means you can only change the volume by tapping the physical ‌HomePod‌ controls themselves – you won't be able to adjust it from your Mac's menu bar. You also have to keep the Music app open at all times, otherwise you'll lose your audio and you'll have to repeat the steps.

Another thing to consider is that this is only ‌AirPlay‌ 1, so there's a delay in the sound output between playing/pausing, and audio will be slightly out of sync when watching videos, although checking the Drift Correction option (circled in green above) in the Audio MIDI Setup app can compensate for this.

As mentioned, the solution is far from ideal, but until Apple brings system-wide ‌AirPlay‌ 2 support to Macs, it's the only way to pipe your Mac's audio through stereo-paired HomePods, short of purchasing a third-party app like Airfoil.

Update: As MacRumors reader B4rbelith points out, if you play something in the Music app, you can then right-click AirPlay in the Audio MIDI Setup app's sidebar and select Use this device for sound output. This lets you control the volume from the menu bar, but the other caveats still apply.

Apple's upcoming MagSafe Duo Charger pairs a ‌MagSafe‌ iPhone charger with an Apple Watch charging puck, but as noted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple has recently updated the product description to note that the ‌MagSafe‌ portion of the charger won't charge at the full 15 watts supported by the standalone ‌MagSafe‌ charger.

Neither the basic ‌MagSafe‌ Charger nor the ‌MagSafe‌ Duo Charger ships with a power adapter, with Apple noting that a 20-watt or greater USB-C adapter is recommended for the basic ‌MagSafe‌ Charger in order to deliver the maximum 15 watts of power supported by ‌MagSafe‌. (The iPhone 12 mini can charge at a maximum of 12 watts over ‌MagSafe‌, while all other iPhone 12 models support 15 watts.)

Apple initially recommended that the ‌MagSafe‌ Duo Charger also be used with a 20-watt adapter, leading some potential customers to wonder whether it would be able to deliver the full 15 watts of power to an iPhone while simultaneously charging an Apple Watch.

As it turns out, it won't. According to the updated product description, the ‌MagSafe‌ Duo Charger can only deliver 11 watts of power when paired with a 20-watt USB-C adapter, and 14 watts when paired with a 27-watt or higher USB-C adapter.

Recommended:

-20W USB-C Power Adapter (sold separately) for faster wireless charging up to 11W
-27W or higher USB-C Power Adapter (sold separately) for faster wireless charging up to 14W

Apple's ‌MagSafe‌ system continually regulates the charge being delivered to a connected iPhone based on heat and other factors, so even a regular ‌MagSafe‌ Charger generally won't deliver a constant 15 watts, but still, the fact that the ‌MagSafe‌ Duo Charger delivers lower peak power than that may be concerning to some potential customers.

Apple still has not announced a launch date for the ‌MagSafe‌ Duo Charger, which is priced at $129 without a power adapter. The charger continues to be listed simply as "Coming soon."