Top Stories: Universal Control Enabled in New Betas, Core i9 vs. M1 Max, and More

It was certainly an exciting week in the Apple software department, with new iOS 15.4, macOS 12.3, and associated betas delivering a host of new features including the much-anticipated Universal Control functionality.

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The new round of betas follows the public release of iOS 15.3 and associated releases, which were mainly focused on bug fixes and security improvements. This week also saw some rumors about Apple's product release roadmap, early benchmarks of Intel's latest high-end mobile processors compared to Apple's chips, and more, so read on for all of the details!

Universal Control Enabled in iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3 Betas

Apple this week seeded the first betas of iOS 15.4, iPadOS 15.4, and macOS Monterey 12.3 to developers for testing, and after several months of waiting, Universal Control has finally been enabled. The feature lets you control multiple Macs and iPads side by side with a single mouse or trackpad.

Universal Control Colored Feature
iOS 15.4 also introduces the ability to use Face ID while wearing a mask without needing an Apple Watch, adds dozens of new emoji, makes a new Apple Card home screen widget available, and more. Check out our list of everything new in iOS 15.4!

Apple also released iOS 15.3, iPadOS 15.3, macOS 12.2, watchOS 8.4, and tvOS 15.3 with important security and bug fixes.

Apple Preparing 'Widest Array of New Hardware Products in Its History' for Later This Year

We're now several weeks into 2022, and while the start of the year has been quiet, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently said Apple is "readying the widest array of new hardware products in its history" for this fall.

Upcoming Products 2022 Feature
Announcements expected later this year include the usual iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 refreshes, in addition to several other new products that we have outlined in our dedicated Upcoming Products Guide.

Benchmarks Confirm Intel's Latest Core i9 Chip Outperforms Apple's M1 Max With Several Caveats

Benchmark results have surfaced for MSI's new GE76 Raider, one of the first laptops to be powered by Intel's new 12th-generation Core i9 processor.

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Intel previously said that its new high-end Core i9 processor is faster than Apple's M1 Max chip in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, and early Geekbench 5 results do appear to confirm this claim, but there are several caveats to keep in mind as usual.

Apple's Most Questionable Design Decisions in Recent Memory

Apple is known for having well-designed products, but every once in a while the company makes some questionable design decisions.

Questionable Design Decisions
We've put together a list of six of the most controversial Apple product designs introduced in recent years, including the much-maligned butterfly keyboard on recent MacBook models, the original Siri Remote for the Apple TV, the Magic Mouse 2, and more.

Apple Reports Record 1Q 2022 Results: $34.6B Profit on $123.9B Revenue

Apple this week reported its financial results for the December quarter, with the company registering a host of all-time records including revenue and profit. All of Apple's product segments with the exception of iPad also recorded record revenue.

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The record-breaking performance came despite continued supply issues due to chip shortages. Apple says that those constraints should start to ease by the end of the current quarter.

Apple Launches Black Unity Braided Solo Loop Alongside New Watch Face

February is Black History Month and, ahead of time, Apple has released a new Black Unity Braided Solo Loop for the Apple Watch, along with a new Black Unity watch face designed using 2D ray tracing.

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Apple also announced that it is spotlighting Black voices and businesses in February with a variety of content across its services, such as the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Books, Apple News, and more.

Apple Still Struggling to Meet Demand for Redesigned 14-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro

Three months have passed since Apple released redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by its latest M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, and demand remains strong.

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The new MacBook Pro models are estimated to ship in several weeks, with some configurations not available for delivery until early March. Pandemic-related supply chain disruptions are certainly not helping the situation.

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!

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Top Rated Comments

Bandaman Avatar
45 months ago

hmmm, seeing Apple does so much better than other companies, shouldn't we be encouraging better behavior instead of lumping all companies into a single bucket? And the "slave labor" you reference was an unsubstantiated claim about china hiding some slave labor in its manufacturing base. for the most part, Apple has standards and inspections for labor environment, etc, far stricter than other companies. and for the record, it would be almost imposiible for a private company to weed out that kind of behavior which was being condoned by a government. But, I for one, feel much more comfortable going with apple than most companies. Perfect, of course not, but keep it moving in the right direction!
I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Very wrong. And dangerously naively wrong. There is nothing unsubstantiated about Apple using slave labor to make their hardware. They say one thing, and do something else entirely. You are delusional if you believe any of what you just typed out on your screen. Not only do they use slave labor, they have actively fought against legislation that would reduce their ability to profit from slave labor. Whatever you read about privacy, human rights, or anything else from Apple is a complete farce, because their actions speak much louder than their words. They are actively involved in the oppression of the Chinese population. At the request of the CCP, they removed an app that the people of China were using to protest the oppression in China, an app that allowed protesters to avoid police so they wouldn't be brutally beaten down and arrested. They made a secret deal in China in 2016 worth 300 billion dollars so they could flourish more heavily there because China wouldn't allow them to do anything there without this massive deal. They moved all of their iCloud servers for the Chinese population to China so that the CCP could more heavily monitor what the citizens are doing with this new increased flourishing of iPhone in China, which Apple now has 20% of the Chinese market and continuing to grow exponentially as Apple and China push to make iPhones the most used devices there because the CCP is enjoying Apple's full, unadulterated cooperation in the oppression of its people. The Chinese have absolutely ZERO of the "privacy" features Apple offers to everyone else. And now, at the request of the CCP, they are moving all of their manufacturing out of Taiwan (whom China does not believe is a real country) and making 100% of their products in China as part of their massive deal with the CCP. All they care about is profits, and they hide under the veil of human rights and privacy while doing the exact opposite, things like on-device scanning of your photos looking for "bad stuff" when this technology can be used to scan for literally anything else without your permission. If you want to delude yourself into believing Apple is a more comfortable corporation to support, that is on you, but your ignorance doesn't change reality. I'm not trying to turn this conversation political, but it is absolutely terrifying how people can be this blind. Apple is actually one of the more terrible offenders of human rights lately.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cosmosent Avatar
45 months ago

I don’t root for or understand rooting for 3 trillion dollar companies to make more money on the backs of slave labor. These corporations are all evil and unfortunately at this point it’s a pick-your-poison type situation about which evil corporation to buy products from. These products are a necessary evil to get us through our day to day lives and workflows, but let’s please not champion the filthy rich corporations getting more filthy rich. It’s just strange.
Sorry, should have been more clear.

Tim Cook's top skill is that he is a Manufacturing Operations Efficiency Specialist, & that was demonstrated in the 1Q22 Reported iPhone Revenue results, that's all.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bandaman Avatar
45 months ago

Wow, sounds like you really believe that
I'm not stating opinions. These are facts of things that have happened and are documented. Please just stop. There's even articles literally here on MacRumors about some of these topics.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheMacDaddy1 Avatar
45 months ago

I'm not stating opinions. These are facts of things that have happened and are documented. Please just stop. There's even articles literally here on MacRumors about some of these topics.
Yep....

https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/07/apple-ceo-tim-cook-secret-deal-with-china/

No worries, Apple will toss out some more emojis in the next updates and these people will ignore all of this.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
45 months ago

I guess the "new Mac Pro" the small one in the picture. That would be hilarious.

Perhaps a new Mac mini small like Apple TV. ?

iPad Pro could be larger with better cameras, front and back. 15" iPad Pro

A rugged Watch, larger screen and thinner

If iPhone 14 Pro Max gets titanium it would likely be a higher-cost option
I hope Ceramics makes a comeback on an Apple Watch.

Also, I can’t wait for the Titanium frame. I’m ready for a change. Believe it or not, on an iPhone the stainless steel frame is prone to scratches easily. Titanium will be more durable.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
45 months ago

Did you have a previous Watch with the ceramic option? I never had a ceramic watch. Ceramic is light and it was the most expensive option. I don't know if it is lighter than aluminium.

Every time I see titanium it is the natural grey colour. A titanium iPhone 14 might have only one colour option, grey.
Unfortunately No, but my friend had it and it was really nice. I was waiting for the ceramic version but Apple decided to drop it. I ended up getting a titanium Watch. Those are also nice. The material itself is durable and elegant. It feels nice around the wrist.

I think Apple will apply the special coating for the iPhone Titanium frame. I don't see Apple only introducing one or two color options.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)