Top Stories: Apple Debuts MagSafe Battery Pack, iOS 15 Beta 3, and More

Apple this week surprised us with the debut of a new $99 MagSafe Battery Pack for the iPhone 12 lineup, taking the place of the full battery cases Apple has traditionally launched for its iPhones.

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Other news and rumors this week included the release of the third betas of iOS 15 and Apple's other upcoming operating systems, our best look yet at the iPhone 13 in the form of some dummy units we were able to get our hands on, and a rumored webcam upgrade for the upcoming redesigned MacBook Pro models. Read on for details on these stories and more!

Apple Launches $99 MagSafe Battery Pack

This week saw Apple release a new MagSafe Battery Pack that magnetically attaches to the back of the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, providing additional hours of battery life on the go. Here's everything you need to know about the MagSafe Battery Pack, including a reverse wireless charging feature.

magsafe battery pack feature
Apple has also made the AirTag Leather Loop and AirTag Leather Key Ring available in additional colors.

Here's What the iPhone 13 Lineup Will Look Like

We're likely about two months away from Apple unveiling its rumored iPhone 13 lineup with several new features, including a smaller notch, a smoother 120Hz display on Pro models, camera upgrades, and potentially even a new Matte Black color option.

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MacRumors obtained iPhone 13 dummy models and shared them in a hands-on video this week, providing a closer look at their expected design and features.

New 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro Rumored to Feature Upgraded 1080p Webcam

It's been a long time coming, but rumor has it that upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will feature an improved 1080p webcam.

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The new MacBook Pro models would be following in the footsteps of the latest iMac models, which are also equipped with a 1080p webcam for crisper video quality in this Zoom and FaceTime era. MacBook Pro models are currently equipped with a 720p webcam.

Everything New in iOS 15 Beta 3

The third betas of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are now available for developers, and there are several changes, including a relocated Safari address bar and other design tweaks to the mobile web browser.

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The third beta of macOS Monterey is also out and it likewise features a redesigned Safari tab interface following complaints.

The latest watchOS 8 beta lets users install software updates with less than 500MB of available storage, a change that is likely aimed at the Apple Watch Series 3, as the GPS-only version has only 8GB of internal storage.

You'll Soon Be Able to Stream Windows on a Mac or iPad

Microsoft this week announced Windows 365, a new cloud service that will allow Windows to be streamed to virtually any device, including a Mac or iPad, complete with apps, data, and settings.

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While the browser-based service will be limited to businesses when it launches in early August, it is conceivable that the feature will become available for consumers at some point in the future.

'Apple Pay Later' Feature in the Works

Apple is reportedly working on a new service that will let users make purchases with Apple Pay and pay in monthly installments over time, similar to "buy now, pay later" options offered by the likes of PayPal and Affirm. The feature is supposedly dubbed "Apple Pay Later" internally at Apple.

Apple Pay Feature
The feature could be similar to Apple Card Monthly Installments, except with no Apple Card required, making monthly installments available to a much wider group of iPhone users.

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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!

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Top Rated Comments

Touman Avatar
52 months ago

The saddest piece of news this week: The iPhone 13 lineup won’t come with Touch ID

I cannot wait until 2022 iPhones because I want the mini (and there won’t be an iPhone mini in 2022). And having to enter the passcode on public, closed places, because of the facemask, is a pain. And I don’t want to buy an Apple Watch, I’m happy with my $30 Xiaomi Smartband.
This is why I'm still using the iPhone SE 2. It has Touch ID, excellent performance for the lower price, and long battery life due to the smaller screen. The Touch ID is probably one of Apple's most useful and underrated feature. It was first introduced in 2013 with the iPhone 5S, and it's even more relevant today. I'm not interested in Face ID, and never will be. If Apple staff is reading this, I have no interest in iPhones or other devices with the screen-ruining notch and Face ID. Instead, Touch ID could be improved every time so it becomes even more secure, and used as an optional alternative to Face ID.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Populus Avatar
52 months ago
The saddest piece of news this week: The iPhone 13 lineup won’t come with Touch ID

I cannot wait until 2022 iPhones because I want the mini (and there won’t be an iPhone mini in 2022). And having to enter the passcode on public, closed places, because of the facemask, is a pain. And I don’t want to buy an Apple Watch, I’m happy with my $30 Xiaomi Smartband.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dave559 Avatar
52 months ago

This is why I'm still using the iPhone SE 2. It has Touch ID, excellent performance for the lower price, and long battery life due to the smaller screen. The Touch ID is probably one of Apple's most useful and underrated feature. It was first introduced in 2013 with the iPhone 5S, and it's even more relevant today. I'm not interested in Face ID, and never will be. If Apple staff is reading this, I have no interest in iPhones or other devices with the screen-ruining notch and Face ID. Instead, Touch ID could be improved every time so it becomes even more secure, and used as an optional alternative to Face ID.
The iPhone SE 2 is a great phone, and having Touch ID is definitely one of its plus points, but it's being a bit optimistic to describe it as having "long battery life". In reality, it's barely adequate, it struggles to last a full day of moderately heavy use, and that's with a battery that is still relatively new; it'll be much worse after a couple more years of use. One thing that Apple really should do is make all of their phones a few mm thicker when designing them, so that there is more space for a longer lasting battery. These ugly external battery packs are effectively an admission of how their pointless obsession with thinness results in a less functional design.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PrecisionGem Avatar
52 months ago

The saddest piece of news this week: The iPhone 13 lineup won’t come with Touch ID

I cannot wait until 2022 iPhones because I want the mini (and there won’t be an iPhone mini in 2022). And having to enter the passcode on public, closed places, because of the facemask, is a pain. And I don’t want to buy an Apple Watch, I’m happy with my $30 Xiaomi Smartband.
For me, Face ID has been much better than Touch ID. My wife could never get her phone to open with Touch ID. If your finger is at all wet it doesn’t work, doesnt work with gloves on either.
If you are worried about someone watching you unlock your phone, I’m sure that if I were to mug you and rob your phone you would tell me your pass code so I don’t cut your finger off. Not that I would want your phone anyway with out Face ID.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Touman Avatar
52 months ago

I do like Face ID, tho, but in the current circumstances it is necessary to have a different, optional, authentication method besides Face ID.

By the way, now that you mention the iPhone SE, maybe it’s worth waiting until the next SE if this retains Touch ID
Yes. Always having Touch ID as an optional user authentication on future Apple devices would be great. Yes, I'm guessing the iPhone SE 3 will look like the iPhone 12 without the notch and Face ID, and with Touch ID behind the screen or maybe on the side of the phone.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
randyhudson Avatar
52 months ago
Magnetic charging is very inefficient. You’ll only take advantage of half of that pack’s capacity.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)