Top Stories: Epic Games vs. Apple, Hidden AirTag Mode, Apple Music Hi-Fi, Colorful MacBook Air?

While we wait for the newly introduced iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple TV models to launch later this month, this week saw the kickoff of the big Epic Games v. Apple trial, with lots of juicy tidbits coming out as the two sides make their arguments.

Top Stories 59 Feature

This week also saw some rumors about a Hi-Fi tier for Apple Music, more biometric sensing capabilities for Apple Watch, and timing for the next-generation iPad mini launch. We also saw people digging into Apple's new AirTags, including the discovery of a hidden "developer mode" in the Precision Finding feature. Read on for details on these stories and more!

Epic Games vs. Apple Trial Over App Store Policies Begins

The highly-anticipated Epic Games vs. Apple bench trial kicked off this week in California court, with lawyers for both companies presenting their cases before District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

fortnite apple featured
Epic Games has attempted to paint the App Store as anti-competitive and monopolistic, noting that developers are forced to use Apple's in-app purchase system, and thus pay Apple a 30% commission on sales. The company behind the popular battle royale game Fortnite believes Apple should allow both third-party app stores and direct payment systems in apps.

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

Apple has argued that a single, curated App Store is necessary to protect the security, privacy, reliability, and quality that customers have come to expect from the company. Apple also argued that Epic Games has benefitted from the App Store ecosystem for over a decade.

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

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

The trial is set to last three weeks and will include testimony from Apple executives like CEO Tim Cook.

Apple Rumored to Announce Third-Generation AirPods and Apple Music Hi-Fi in 'Coming Weeks'

While it has only been a few weeks since Apple hosted its Spring Loaded event, a new rumor from music industry website Hits Daily Double suggests that third-generation AirPods could be introduced alongside a new Apple Music Hi-Fi tier in the "coming weeks."

General Music and AirPod 3 Feature
Hi-Fi or high-fidelity audio would result in improved sound quality for songs/albums. The report claimed that the new Hi-Fi tier will be priced at the same $9.99 per month rate as Apple Music's individual plan, suggesting that high-fidelity content may be made available to existing subscribers at no additional charge.

Lending credence to this rumor, MacRumors contributor Steve Moser discovered references to Hi-Fi support in the iOS 14.6 beta.

As for the third-generation AirPods, they are expected to have a similar design language as the AirPods Pro, but without Active Noise Cancellation. The new AirPods could be announced in a press release soon, or held for the WWDC 2021 keynote on June 7.

AirTag Precision Finding Has a Hidden 'Developer Mode'

Apple's new AirTag item tracking accessory is equipped with a U1 chip for Ultra Wideband spatial awareness, enabling a handy Precision Finding feature on iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models.

airtag 1
Precision Finding provides users with the exact distance and direction to their AirTag with an on-screen arrow in the Find My app, with a combination of sound, haptics, and visual feedback helping them find the AirTag.

Interestingly, an AirTag user has inadvertently discovered the existence of a hidden "developer mode" in the Precision Finding interface. The overlay, which appears after tapping an item's name four times in the Precision Finding interface, displays real-time diagnostic and technical information about the feature's operation, including accelerometer and gyroscope coordinates, haptic feedback, screen resolution, tracking animations, and more.

Keep in mind that there does not appear to be an easy way to reset the settings that appear after you customize them.

Prosser: Next MacBook Air Could Come in Colors Similar to iMac

Leaker Jon Prosser was the first to claim that the iMac would come in an array of colors, and he now says we may see Apple make a similar move with the next MacBook Air.

macbook colors 3d black bezels
While his source was "very cryptic" in making reference to a blue MacBook, the source suggested that this would be for Apple's consumer notebook lineup, pointing to this being a MacBook Air rather than a MacBook Pro.

Apple Watch Likely to Gain Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose, and Blood Alcohol Monitoring

Apple Watch continues to involve into an all-in-one health tool on the wrist, with features like heart rate tracking, the ECG app, and blood oxygen monitoring — and this might just be the beginning.

apple watch ecg
The Telegraph this week reported that Apple is the largest customer of the British electronics startup Rockley Photonics, which has developed non-invasive optical sensors for detecting multiple blood-related health metrics, including blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood alcohol levels.

Rockley's sensors beam infrared light through a user's skin, much like the existing sensors on the back of the Apple Watch for detecting heart rate and blood oxygen levels, so it's possible that more blood-related health features could be coming to future Apple Watch models.

In a December 2020 interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the Apple Watch is still in the "early innings," noting that the company is testing "mind blowing" capabilities in its labs. "Think about the amount of sensors in your car," said Cook, adding "and arguably, your body is much more important than your car."

Samsung Expected to Supply 120Hz Displays for iPhone 13 Pro Models

Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max models are widely rumored to feature OLED displays with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in content and scrolling appearing smoother.

120 hz 13 joe blue
Korean website The Elec this week reported that Samsung will be the exclusive supplier of the 120Hz displays, with LG seemingly out of the running.

120Hz support will be made possible by Apple adopting low-power LTPO display technology, according to previous reports. LTPO technology would result in a more power-efficient backplane, allowing for a 120Hz refresh rate without a significant impact on battery life.

Similar to recent Apple Watch models, LTPO could also enable iPhone 13 Pro models to have an always-on display with the clock visible.

iPad Mini 6 Delayed Until Second Half of 2021

Apple is rumored to be working on a new iPad mini with slimmer bezels, allowing for a larger 8.4-inch display, but the device might launch later than expected.

ipad mini 6 screen increase feature
In a research note this week, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo briefly mentioned that the new iPad mini will launch in the second half of 2021. Earlier rumors had suggested the device might launch this spring.

The sixth-generation iPad mini is expected to have a similar design as the third-generation iPad Air, including a Touch ID home button and a Lightning connector, and the device will likely get a faster chip too. The current iPad mini launched in March 2019 and features a 7.9-inch display, A12 Bionic chip, and support for the original Apple Pencil.

Kuo also said Apple plans to launch an 8-inch foldable iPhone in 2023, competing with the likes of Samsung and Huawei.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

hot-gril Avatar
54 months ago

great
in 10 years from now we will see these iMac colors as we did 10 years ago in every iMac/computer recycling depot.
Makes it more fun when you're trying to collect 'em all. My cousin managed to obtain every iMac G3 color.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
54 months ago
Blood pressure monitor on the next Apple Watch is an instant buy for me.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
appleguy123 Avatar
54 months ago

how about a bunch of different colors for the next gen Mac mini too?
More than likely the next Mac mini will be so small the color won’t matter. You just hide it behind your monitor. I can’t see it being bigger than the Apple TV. The M1 Chip fits on the iPad logic board with no active cooling.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
schlitzz Avatar
54 months ago
We're omitting the Melinda got tired of Bill's floppy drive story?! Unreal.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jjd Avatar
54 months ago
Apple HiFi. Yes. Please.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JKAussieSkater Avatar
54 months ago

Epic Games has attempted to paint the App Store as anti-competitive and monopolistic.
"Paint" is a metaphor where the word "attempt" is already implicit in the meaning, so the extraneous word "attempt" adds confusion here. The current wording implies that "Epic has tried to paint the App Store… but failed to paint anything at all."

But they certainly did not fail to make such accusations. Instead, the phrasing should be as follows:


Epic Games has painted the App Store as anti-competitive and monopolistic.
This is accurate and not misleading. Also, the metaphor of "painting" doesn't imply the portrait is true, so it's not a biased phrasing.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)