MacRumors

Last September, Apple launched a web-based Apple Music experience, offering users a similar experience to the Mac version of the Music app with "For You," "Browse," and "Radio" sections, along with playlists, recommendations and more.

As of today, Apple Music on the web has exited beta and is now available at music.apple.com. The previous beta.music.apple.com address automatically forwards to the newly launched version.

Once you're signed into the web version of ‌Apple Music‌ with your Apple ID that has an associated ‌Apple Music‌ subscription, you'll have access to all of your library and playlist content, as well as the same personal mixes and recommendations you'll see in the Music apps for iOS, Mac, and Android.

‌Apple Music‌ content plays right in the web browser, providing access for an array of devices and platforms that don't have native Music app support, include Windows 10, Linux, and Chrome OS.

‌Apple Music‌ on the web is also where you can access your Apple Music Replay mixes with personalized playlists for each year reflecting your most-played songs. Once you activate your ‌Apple Music‌ Replay experience through the web, you can add the playlists to the rest of your devices.

(Thanks, Jesse!)

Apple in the second macOS Catalina 10.15.5 beta added a new Battery Health Management feature for Macs, which is designed to prolong the battery life and battery health of modern Mac notebooks (aka those with Thunderbolt 3 ports) by reducing the rate of chemical aging.

Battery Health Management is an intelligent feature that analyzes the battery status of a Mac notebook and its charging pattern, and based on this information, it may preserve battery health by not charging a MacBook to full capacity.

Charging a MacBook to 100 percent and then letting it sit plugged in without draining the battery through use can lead to reduced battery life, which is what Apple is aiming to avoid. Macs that are often used plugged in and with the battery full may have the Battery Management feature kick in to stop charging short of a full charge.

Battery Health Management is entirely opt-in and can be disabled for those who do not want to use the feature. Protecting battery health will be useful for most Mac users, but there may be some situations where Battery Health Management is not ideal, such as if you're about to leave the house and need maximum battery life, so it's worth knowing how to turn it off and on.

All Battery Health Management controls can be found in the Energy Saver section of System Preferences, as outlined below.

1. Open the System Preferences app.
2. Choose the Energy Saver section, which is denoted by a light bulb.
3. Select the Battery Health section.
4. Click the box next to Battery Health Management to deselect it.
5. Click Turn Off to confirm.

When upgrading to macOS Catalina 10.15.5, Battery Health Management will be enabled by default and will need to be manually turned off by those who don't want to use it.

macOS Catalina 10.15.5 is limited to developers at the current time, but will see a public release in the not too distant feature, bringing Battery Health Management to all users with a 2016 or later MacBook Pro and 2018 or later MacBook Air.

Apple CEO Tim Cook today addressed Apple employees at a virtual company-wide meeting held to address questions about work-from-home arrangements and when people can expect to return to their jobs in retail stores and corporate offices.

Bloomberg shared details on the meeting, with ‌Tim Cook‌ calling the current health crisis an "uncertain and stressful moment" that Apple will recover from. Apple, said Cook, began the year with a strong balance sheet and will continue investing "in a really significant way" in research and development and future products.

If we stay focused on doing what we do best, if we keep investing, if we manage the business wisely and make decisions collaboratively, if we take care of our teams, if our teams take care of their work, I don't see any reason to be anything but optimistic.

Cook was asked about job cuts, but said that Apple is in a strong financial position and has been paying retail employees unable to work. Cook said that his focus is on running Apple for the long-term rather than the short-term. Cook cited the launch of the MacBook Air, iPad Pro, and iPhone SE as evidence that Apple's product launches are not being disrupted.

There's no word yet on when Apple employees will be able to return to their workplaces, but he said that Apple will likely implement measures like temperature checks and social distancing when employees do go back to work.

Apple's retail staff has started online training and virtual meetings have ramped up ahead of store re-openings, with Apple planning to re-open its first store in South Korea this weekend. U.S. stores are not likely to reopen until May, and even then, will open on a staggered basis with Apple taking into account local conditions and guidelines.

According to Cook, Apple has now sourced and donated more than 30 million N95 masks to healthcare workers around the world and has shipped more than two million of the face shields that it has been working on.

Apple's Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams also spoke, and he said that the health crisis has made Apple's work on health products more important, including the Apple Watch. Apple's development work in health isn't "limited to the wrist," but more governments are now working with Apple to bring the ECG feature to additional countries.

With macOS Catalina 10.15.5, Apple is bringing Battery Health Management features to the Mac for the first time, introducing the functionality on Macs that have Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Apple has shared details on Battery Health Management with sites like Six Colors, TechCrunch, and The Verge, giving us a look at what to expect when macOS Catalina 10.15.5 launches to the public.

Battery Health Management is designed to extend the overall lifespan of a Mac notebook by reducing the rate of chemical aging. The feature will analyze the battery health of the laptop and its charging pattern, and in some cases, will preserve battery health by not charging a MacBook to full capacity as this can reduce battery life.

When a Mac is used plugged in and the battery is kept full for the most part, the Battery Health Management feature will kick in and it will stop short of a full charge.

Apple has been using Battery Health Management features in its iPhones for years now, and when the functionality was initially introduced, it caused an uproar as Apple was not clear about its implementation.

In iPhones, the battery management features reduce processor speed at times of peak usage to prevent an iPhone with reduced battery capacity from shutting down. The Mac feature works differently, and will instead limit charging to full in some cases.

Battery Health Management can be disabled by checking the new Battery Health Management option in the Energy Saver section of the System Preferences app once macOS Catalina 10.15.5 has been installed.

The Battery Health Management feature is new in the second macOS Catalina 10.15.5 beta and is limited to developers at the current time. It will be available to all users when macOS Catalina 10.15.5 is released.

Apple today seeded the first public betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.4.5 updates to its public beta testing group, a day after releasing the second betas of iOS and iPadOS 13.4.5 to developers.

Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will be able to download the iOS/iPadOS 13.4.5 updates over the air after installing the proper certificate on an iOS device.

iOS and iPadOS 13.4.5 appear to be updates that are minor in scale, focusing primarily on bug fixes, under-the-hood improvements, and other small tweaks and changes. The software may address an issue with Personal Hotspot that prevents it from working for some people and it could also fix a VPN-related vulnerability, both of which are issues that Apple said would be addressed in upcoming updates.

iOS 13.4.5 includes a new Apple Music feature that allows ‌Apple Music‌ songs to be shared on Instagram Stories. Tapping the Share button on a song in ‌Apple Music‌ creates a story with a song title, album name, and animated background, but at this time there is no way to get to ‌Apple Music‌ from the shared information.

iOS and iPadOS 13.4.5 are likely to be some of the final updates to the iOS and iPadOS operating systems as Apple transitions to working on iOS and iPadOS 14.

Apple is planning to begin reopening its retail stores beginning with its sole Apple Store in South Korea, located in Seoul's Gangnam district.

The store's page says that it will be opening at 12:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 18. It will operate on limited hours for the next several days, opening at noon and closing at 8:00 p.m. In a statement to Bloomberg, Apple said the store will focus on support rather than sales when it reopens.

Apple said in a statement that "South Korea has shown great progress during the spread of COVID-19," prompting the company to reopen its Seoul store on April 18. The location will operate on an adjusted schedule to begin with "to ensure customers and employees continue to stay healthy." Apple also said it will be focusing on support, rather than sales, to begin with.

"A focus for the store will be service and support at the Genius Bar," Apple said in a statement Thursday. "For customers who want to make a purchase, we have several options including ordering online for delivery or pick up in store."

Apple's retail locations outside of China have been closed since March 14, when Apple shut down all stores amid the global health crisis.

In a March note sent out to employees, Apple's retail chief Deirdre O'Brien said that Apple planned to begin opening stores in the first half of April. "We will reopen our stores on a staggered basis. At this time, we anticipate some stores may be able to open in the first half of April depending on the conditions in their community," she told employees.

Apple plans to begin reopening stores in the United States starting in early May, with the company likely planning to relaunch stores on a rolling basis over a period of weeks based on local conditions and guidelines.

Apple this week added a new selection of products to its online store, including the First Alert Onelink smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, a bike mount kit for the iPhone 11 Pro, and two Eve smart home accessories.

Available in battery powered or hardwired versions for $119.95, the Onelink is a HomeKit-compatible alarm that rings an 85 dB siren and pushes a notification to your iPhone or other device in the event smoke or carbon monoxide is detected in your home. You can also test the alarm or silence false alarms from your iPhone.

For cyclists, the Quad Lock Bike Mount Kit can be used to attach an iPhone 11 Pro to a bike's stem or handlebars. The kit is priced at $69.95.

Last, Apple is now carrying the HomeKit-enabled Eve Energy smart plug for $39.95 and the Eve Water Guard for $79.95. The latter can detect water leaks and alert you via push notification, a 100 dB siren, and a red flashing warning light.

Apple is also carrying new iPhone SE cases, replacement AirPods Pro ear tips, and a wheel kit, feet kit, and Radeon Pro W5700X graphics card for the new Mac Pro.

The launch of a new high-end 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a Mini-LED display may be "delayed" until early 2021 due to the device's "complex panel design," analyst Jeff Pu said today in an investor note with Chinese research firm GF Securities.

Back in December, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was developing up to six Mini-LED products, including a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with an A14X chip for release in the third quarter of 2020. This was before the global health crisis began, however, so it would be understandable if the timeframe has been pushed back due to supply chain disruptions and Apple engineers being forced to work from home until at least early May.

Last month, leaker Jon Prosser said a new 5G-enabled iPad Pro with an A14X chip and no other hardware changes would be introduced in late 2020, barring any delays. If that proves accurate, it would seem really soon for Apple to update the iPad Pro yet again with a Mini-LED display in early 2021, so rumors are not entirely lining up right now.

Apple just refreshed the iPad Pro last month, but it was a relatively minor update, with new features including an A12Z Bionic chip that has since been found to be an A12X chip with an extra GPU core enabled, an Ultra Wide camera that enables 0.5x zoom, a LiDAR Scanner for enhanced augmented reality, and better sounding microphones. It was the first update to the iPad Pro since the device received a major redesign in October 2018.

Pu also reiterated that Apple is currently on track to release three new iPhone 12 models in September, including one 5.4-inch model and two 6.1-inch models, followed by the highest-end 6.7-inch model in October.

Apple's long-rumored over-ear wireless headphones are likely to be unveiled later this year, and a new report today from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman offers more details on what we can expect from the product.

According to the report, Apple is working on at least two versions of the headphones, including a "premium version with leather-like fabrics" and a "fitness-focused model that uses lighter, breathable materials with small perforations."

Prototypes of the headphones have a retro look with oval-shaped ear cups that swivel and a headband connected by thin, metal arms. The arms stem from the top of the ear cups rather than the sides, the people added. They asked not to be identified discussing products that haven’t been announced.

According to Gurman's sources, the over-ear headphones that Apple is currently developing have ear pads and headband padding that attach to the frame magnetically, allowing users to swap them in and out for customization and replacement. This design may even allow users to easily convert the headphones from comfort to fitness.

Apple is expected to use wireless-pairing and noise cancellation features in the headphones like those found in its AirPods Pro earbuds. Similarly, the new headphones will use Siri for voice control and have a limited set of integrated touch controls, according to the report.

Apple headphones have been rumored for a few years now. Since 2018, rumors have predicted launch dates for the headphones that continuously miss their mark, from launching in late 2018 to sometime in the second half of 2019. However, leaked icons for the headphones were found in a leaked iOS 14 beta last month, suggesting a release sooner rather than later.

The latest murmurs from Gurman's sources say Apple plans to unveil the headphones later this year, and Twitter leaker John Prosser has claimed Apple is targeting a June WWDC debut, with pricing set at around $350, putting them in the range of Beats Studio3 and Bose 700 headphones.

Apple is reportedly planning to target the high-end audio market with the device, which could explain the ongoing delays in the manufacturing process as the company tries to perfect the design.

The impact of the viral pandemic could also cause problems for Apple. Gurman says China's Goertek is one of the partners Apple has discussed for handling assembly of the headphones, but the manufacturer has yet to recover fully from the disruption.

Likely-accurate battery and RAM specifications for the new iPhone SE surfaced this morning in a Chinese Telecom spec sheet (via IndiaShopps).

Apple announced the new-generation iPhone SE yesterday, touting its 4.7-inch display, Touch ID Home button, A13 Bionic chip, wireless charging and $399 starting price.

However, in typical fashion, Apple didn't disclose the new phone's battery capacity or RAM. Teardowns of the device should reveal these details in the coming days, but until then we have to trust that carrier listings are accurate.

China Telecom's listing claims that the new iPhone SE features 3GB of RAM. For comparison, the iPhone 11 series feature 4GB of RAM, suggesting Apple has put less memory in the iPhone SE to match the lower requirements of its single lens camera and other hardware capabilities.

According to the listing, the new iPhone SE has the same 1,821 mAh battery capacity as the iPhone 8, which it has effectively replaced in Apple's lineup. Given that Apple says the iPhone SE lasts "about as long as the iPhone 8," that number also sounds about right.

Apple claims up to 13 hours video playback and up to 8 hours streaming video on a single charge of its new iPhone SE. By comparison, the iPhone 11 battery offers 17 hours video playback and up to 10 hours streaming.

The iPhone SE comes in black, white and (PRODUCT)RED, and pricing starts at $399 in the United States with 64GB of storage, with 128GB and 256GB options available for $449 and $549 respectively. It will be available for pre-order beginning at 5 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, April 17. The device will also be available for purchase at select Apple Authorized Resellers and carriers starting Friday, April 24 in the United States and more than 40 other countries and regions.

(Thanks, Mitul!)

Starting today, customers who purchase a Mac Pro can choose to add a Radeon Pro W5700X graphics card with 16GB of GDDR6 memory to their machines when using Apple's build-to-order feature, a new option that was just added.

When the Mac Pro was released, Apple said that the W5700X graphics card option would be coming in the near future, but it has taken a few months for it to show up.

Selecting the Radeon Pro W5700X adds an additional $600 to the price of the Mac Pro, with Apple also offering an option to add two Radeon Pro W5700X graphics cards for a total of $1,600. It's also available as a standalone purchase for $1,000.

These graphic card options are in addition to the default Radeon Pro 580X and Radeon Pro Vega II and Duo options that were already available.

The new iPhone SE, like the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, features support for Haptic Touch instead of 3D Touch, which means that ‌3D Touch‌ has officially been eliminated from Apple's iPhone lineup as the now-discontinued iPhone 8 was the last iPhone Apple sold that supported ‌3D Touch‌.

Apple first removed ‌3D Touch‌ from the iPhone XR in 2018, replacing it with Haptic Touch. The feature was then rolled out to the entire 2019 iPhone lineup, and now, added to the iPhone SE.

‌Haptic Touch‌ is similar to ‌3D Touch‌ and offers a lot of the same functionality, but it is not pressure sensitive so there are no longer multiple functions for each press, such as the "Peek and Pop" gestures that were possible with ‌3D Touch‌.

‌Haptic Touch‌ is more like a long press or a press and hold with haptic feedback, and like ‌3D Touch‌, it works throughout the iOS operating system. It can be used by pressing in a relevant location until a small haptic pop is felt under the finger and a secondary menu pops up, with content varying based on where the feature is used.

For those coming to an iPhone SE from an older phone with ‌3D Touch‌, the transition to ‌Haptic Touch‌ will feel unfamiliar at first because it's slower than the ‌3D Touch‌ gestures, but because it ultimately works in the same way, most users should become accustomed to it quickly.

Eliminating ‌3D Touch‌ in favor of ‌Haptic Touch‌ across the iPhone lineup allows Apple to provide a similar interface experience for all iPhone and iPad models. For more on how ‌Haptic Touch‌ works and where it can be used, make sure to check out our Haptic Touch guide.

Apple's new iPhone SE is essentially an iPhone 8 with some updated hardware that brings it in line with the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. Along with an A13 chip, the iPhone 8 has a few other notable hardware upgrades worth noting.

Like the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, the iPhone SE supports 802.11ax WiFi 6, according to the technical specifications page for the device. In fact, it has the same LTE, Bluetooth, and WiFi specifications as the iPhone 11:

• Gigabit-class LTE with 2x2 MIMO and LAA4
• 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 with 2x2 MIMO
• Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology
• NFC with reader mode
• Express Cards with power reserve

WiFi 6 is the latest WiFi protocol, and it allows for download speeds up to 38 percent faster than WiFi 5 (802.11ac). WiFi 6 has not been widely adopted as of yet, but addition of WiFi 6 will become increasingly important over the next few years as routers and modems begin implementing support.

The iPhone SE also supports NFC with reader mode as all modern iPhones do, plus Express Cards with power reserve. This feature, also included in the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, allows for authentication of Express Transit cards even when an iPhone's battery is exhausted. It will also be a useful feature for the "CarKey" function that Apple has in the works, which will let an iPhone serve as an alternative to a traditional car key in vehicles that support the feature.

Though the iPhone SE shares many connectivity features with Apple's flagship iPhones, it does not include the U1 chip that enables Ultra Wideband technology for improved spatial awareness.

The U1 chip, which is in the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, allows iPhones to precisely locate other U1-equipped Apple devices, making it easier to locate missing devices indoors. Ultra Wideband has been described by Apple as "GPS at the scale of the living room," and it is believed to be a key feature of the AirTags that Apple is developing.

AirTags are Bluetooth trackers much like Tile, and will attach to items like keys and wallets to allow them to be found in the Find My app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. AirTags will be locatable through standard Bluetooth, but it is believed they will have U1 support and tracking could be more accurate with devices equipped with a U1 chip.

At this time, the U1 chip is limited to Apple's flagship iPhones, and there have been two new devices released without it - the iPad Pro and now, the iPhone SE.