GIS, a subsidiary of Foxconn, is apparently included in the device's supply chain to provide lens lamination. GIS already laminates iPad displays for Apple and boasts a high yield rate. Until now, Foxconn was thought to have been excluded from the headset's supply chain, with China's Luxshare serving as the sole assembler.
GIS is believed to be operating a dedicated production line for the headset's lens lamination at a plant in Chengdu, China. In line with other reports, the supplier's production line mobilization schedule indicates that Apple's mixed-reality headset will be unveiled at WWDC in June as expected, before launching sometime in the following months. GIS has publicly said that it will begin shipping metaverse-adjacent devices to customers in the second quarter of 2023, which runs from April to June.
GIS's involvement apparently lays the groundwork for Foxconn to participate more widely in the second-generation Apple headset's supply chain. In February, it was reported that Foxconn is hoping to supply the cheaper model in Apple's second-generation headset lineup.
Smart lighting company WiZ has rolled out Matter support to its smart bulbs, lamps, and plugs, making them compatible with Apple Home for the first time (via HomeKitNews).
The new app, WiZ v2, brings support to accessories that were manufactured in early 2021 or later, and lets users migrate products to the new smart home standard, after which they can be added to any Matter-compatible platform, including Apple Home.
Existing WiZ product owners need to make sure they have the latest version of the WiZ app from the App Store and that their product firmware is up to date. In the app, go to Settings -> Integrations -> Matter, and then follow the steps to get new Matter codes for individual devices.
WiZ products that are updated to support Matter will also work with Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings over a Wi-Fi network, rather than relying on a cloud connection, as was previously the case.
Up until now, the only way to get WiZ lights to work with HomeKit devices was by using Siri Shortcuts or non-officially using a workaround like HomeBridge. WiZ is owned by Signify, which also owns Philips Hue, but the latter, more expensive brand has had its Matter compatibility update delayed.
Matter is an internet of things standard that is designed to improve interoperability of smart devices between brands, so HomeKit devices can work with other smart home devices from Google, Amazon, and others. Matter works over Wi-Fi and Thread, with Wi-Fi allowing smart home devices to communicate with the cloud and Thread offering an energy efficient and reliable mesh network in the home.
Update: HomeKitNews says the update appears to only be for North American users so far, but we've yet to see confirmation whether this is the case.
For the last several years, Apple has debuted a new pride Apple Watch face and band during WWDC, and while the company has not yet announced a new design for this year, we already know what it's going to look like.
As shown in the above image, Apple's 2023 Pride watch face and band will stick with a rainbow of colors, but dispersed in confetti-like pill shapes that are vaguely reminiscent of the iPhone 14 Pro's Dynamic Island. As with previous Pride styles, it's likely the watch face will animate when interacted with.
The images were discovered on Apple's servers by @aaronp613 and @nicolas09F9, before being swiftly pulled, suggesting Apple unintentionally made them accessible on its back end.
Apple participates in the San Francisco Pride Parade every year in support of the LGBTQ community. Apple employees march in the parade, Apple creates dedicated t-shirts, and also hosts other celebrations throughout the month of June.
Apple announced its last Pride band designs in May 2022, with new Pride Edition Sport Loop and Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop options available.
Apple intends to bring iPhone-style Lock Screen customizations to iPads with the launch of iPadOS 17, claims a leaker who has shared accurate details in the past.
According to the Twitter account holder @analyst941, Apple will not only bring over to iPad models the custom Lock Screen options it introduced to iPhones in iOS 16, but it also plans to include additional updates being added in iOS 17.
Currently, iPad users running iPadOS 16 lack access to any of the Lock Screen customization tools iPhone users enjoy, leaving much of the screen unused. But if the latest rumor is accurate, iPadOS 17 will feature the following options for iPads:
Lock Screen widgets
Wallpaper types such as Photo Shuffle, Emoji, and Weather
Photo tints and styles
Wallpaper depth effect
Clock style customization
Lock Screens linked to Focus Modes
Wallpapers gallery
On Tuesday, a separate rumor claimed that iOS 17 will bring new Lock Screen font size options to iPhones, as well as a button to share custom Lock Screen designs with other iPhone users. Leaker @analyst941 claims iPadOS 17 will also share "tuned up" Lock Screen customizations new to iOS 17, which could be a reference to the same tweaks.
In addition, @analyst941 earlier this month claimed several other new features could be coming to the iPhone with iOS 17, including improvements to Search, the Dynamic Island, Control Center, and more. However, they do not have a long-term track record with rumors yet, so there is no guarantee the latest information they shared will prove to be accurate.
Apple is expected to preview iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 during the WWDC 2023 keynote on June 5. For more on what to expect in the new software, click the iOS 17 tag below.
Apple's rumored Beats Studio Buds+ appear to have been listed on Amazon today, providing a closer look at new features and changes before they are officially announced. The earbuds are listed with a May 18 release date and a $169.95 price.
Notably, the listing reveals that the Studio Buds+ will be available in a new transparent design option that looks fairly similar to the Nothing Ear (2) earbuds. The earbuds will also be available in Black and Ivory, according to the listing. The overall design of the Studio Buds+ looks largely the same as the original Studio Buds released in 2021.
Beats Studio Buds+ remain a sportier alternative to the AirPods Pro, and have a more compact design without "stems" that drop below the ears.
With 3x larger microphones and air vent changes, the Studio Buds+ will feature up to 1.6× as much active noise cancellation and up to 2× improved Transparency mode as the original Studio Buds, according to the listing. They also provide longer battery life, with the Studio Buds+ advertised as offering up to 36 hours of listening time with the included USB-C charging case, compared to 24 hours for the original Studio Buds.
Studio Buds+ have IPX4-rated water resistance and will be available with XS, S, M, and L ear tip size options to fit a wider range of ears. The earbuds are compatible with both Apple and Android devices and offer features such as one-touch pairing, automatic switching between devices, Hey Siri support, and Find My support.
Beats Studio Buds+ were first discovered in iOS 16.4 code last month, and the earbuds also surfaced in FCC filings last week. It's unclear when Apple plans to announce the earbuds, but it appears they will launch next month.
There have long been complaints from developers and App Store users about apps that offer limited functionality and charge high prices in an effort to scam people out of their money, and the latest trend is a glut of ChatGPT apps that have invaded the App Store.
Privacy 1st researcher Alex Kleber over the weekend did a deep dive into the Mac App Store after noticing an alarming number of ChatGPT apps from the same handful of developers, and he shared his findings on Medium. As Kleber explains, dozens of copycat OpenAI/ChatGPT apps have popped up on the Mac App Store, with "shady" developers "flooding" the Mac App Store with apps that are nearly identical to confuse consumers and shut out other developers.
Searching for OpenAI or ChatGPT on the Mac App Store brings up a long list of apps that are offer much of the same functionality, and as Kleber discovered, there are some developers who are gaming the Mac App Store with keywords, misleading marketing tactics, fake reviews, stolen OpenAI logos, and multiples of the same app.
It's not uncommon to come across several apps with identical or similar names and logos copies of OpenAI icons and colors, claiming to offer advanced AI-powered chatbots or language models. However, most of these apps are nothing but cheap imitations or outright scams that fail to deliver on their promises. These scams not only deceive users but also tarnish the reputation of legitimate developers and hinder the growth of the app ecosystem on the MacOS platform.
Two of the app developers, Pixelsbay and ParallelWorld, for example, share the same parent company in Pakistan and the apps have 99 percent of the same code. They have the same interface and the same paywall, and there is no way to exit out of the paywall popup, something that can be confusing for app users not accustomed to exiting out of an app and restarting it.
All of these ChatGPT apps are charging comparatively high prices by taking advantage of the popularity of chatbots, garnering the developers of the apps a good amount of money.
On the web, ChatGPT is free to use. OpenAI offers a "Plus" program with faster response speeds and priority access to new features for $20 a month. Microsoft's Bing chatbot, based on OpenAI, is free to use, and Google Bard, Google's version of a chatbot, is also free. Most if not all of the sketchily-named and relatively new "ChatGPT" apps in the iOS and macOS App Stores are scammy apps that you should not pay for, and many of them don't even offer the functionality that they promise. Most of these apps have weekly subscription fees, which is a red flag.
There are some exceptions because legitimate apps have integrated ChatGPT features, but most apps built around ChatGPT are taking advantage of App Store users that don't know better.
Kleber is calling on Apple to take a stricter stance against scam apps like these to prevent users from losing money to unscrupulous developers. His full Medium post has a more in-depth look at which apps to look out for and the lengths the developers are going to in order to trick Mac App Store users.
Apple supplier TSMC is "straining" to produce enough of its newest 3-nanometer chips to meet demand for Apple's upcoming devices, according to a report from EE Times. Analysts believe TSMC is having issues with tools and yield, impacting the ramp up to volume production of the new chip technology.
TSMC is manufacturing the 3nm A17 chips that are expected to be used in the iPhone 15 Pro models, plus it is working on Mac-series "M3" chips that are also expected to be built on the 3nm process. Arete Research analyst Brett Simpson told EE Times that he estimates TSMC's yields for A17 and M3 processors are at approximately 55 percent, which is appropriate for the stage of development TSMC is at. "TSMC looks on schedule to boost yields by around 5+ points each quarter," he said.
Last week, TSMC CEO C.C. Wei said that while the company has reached "high-volume production with good yield," demand from customers exceeds its ability to supply. During the second half of the year, TSMC will ramp up production of A17 and M3 chips for Apple, while also working on chips for Intel, AMD, and Nvidia.
TSMC's 3-nanometer chip technology is cutting edge, and it is the only company aside from Samsung that is able to manufacture chips on a 3nm process. Compared to the current 4nm process used for Apple's iPhone 14 Pro chips, the 3nm process brings both speed and efficiency improvements.
Once 3nm production is well established, TSMC will move on to 2nm. TSMC is expected to start production on the 2nm node in 2025.
When MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera shares his apps and desktops during videos, he often gets questions about what he's using. Recently, he had an app that adds widgets to the Mac desktop that viewers were curious about, so he thought he'd do a dedicated video on what it is, how it works, and how to use it.
To get widgets on his Mac, Dan is using an app called WidgetWall, which is priced at $9.99 per year (or through Setapp if you use that). WidgetWall works as soon as you download it, putting popular widgets on your desktop, but you can customize what's available, the color, the size, the location, and more.
Available widgets include clock, weather, calendar, calculator, and music, along with a widget for bringing up ChatGPT. You can even add a row of apps that you access often, show off your photos, see your Mac's performance at a glance, and use a sticky note widget.
Make sure to watch the video to see the widget in action, and let us know what you think in the comments below.
The iOS 17 update that Apple plans to show off in June will include several new health-related features, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. There will be a feature for tracking mood, plus Apple plans to bring the Health app to the iPad for the first time.
Apple has long had a Health app, but it has been exclusively available on the iPhone, something that could change with the launch of iOS 17. The Health app on iPad would give users more screen real estate for viewing health metrics, electrocardiogram results, prescriptions, lab tests from doctors, and more. Apple's aim is to improve the popularity of the Health app in healthcare settings, where tablets are widely used.
In addition to bringing the Health app to the iPad, Apple plans to introduce a new emotion tracker, which will let users keep track of their mood, answer questions about their day, and view the results over time. In the future, algorithms could be used to determine a user's mood through their speech patterns, what they've typed, and other data, but Apple will start with mood tracking.
The mood tracking function that Apple has in mind for the Health app in iOS 17 will be separate from the journaling app that was rumored last week. According to Gurman, the journaling app will not be a health feature, but will instead serve as an extension of the Find My service and other location features, as Apple wants to expand the social networking capabilities of Find My.
The Health app is also set to gain new features for managing vision conditions like nearsightedness. As previously rumored, the AR/VR headset Apple has in the works will include health-centric features, such as a meditation app that will walk users through calming meditations.
Next year, Apple will expand its health offerings with a new health coaching service. Codenamed Quartz, the AI-based service will help encourage users to exercise, improve their eating habits, and take steps to improve their sleep. The service will use data from the Apple Watch to make personalized suggestions and create tailored coaching programs, with Apple planning to charge a monthly fee. While the service is planned for 2024, Gurman cautions that it could be "canceled or postponed."
Other major future health plans include blood pressure monitoring for the Apple Watch and noninvasive glucose monitoring, both functions that Apple has been working on for many years.
Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after the launch of the second betas.
Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option and toggling on the iOS 16/iPadOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.
iOS 16.5 adds a Sports tab in the Apple News app, making it easier to access sports-focused content. You can choose to follow your favorite teams to get updates on a regular basis. The update also includes a new Siri option for starting a screen recording with a voice command, and multi-viewing options for sports content.
Apple today seeded the third beta of macOS Ventura 13.4 to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming two weeks after the launch of the second beta.
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and after the appropriate profile is installed, with the betas available through the Software Update mechanism in System Settings.
macOS 13.4 adds the simplified beta installation method that was first introduced in iOS 16.4. With the update, developers and public beta testers enrolled in Apple's respective programs can toggle on beta updates from System Settings on the Mac, without the need to install a profile.
An Apple ID associated with either a public beta account or a developer account is required to turn on beta updates, which means that it is no longer possible to use a developer profile not associated with a developer account to install the developer betas.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 9.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software update coming two weeks after the launch of the second watchOS 9.5 beta.
To install the watchOS 9.5 update, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center.
Once installed, watchOS 9.5 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update. To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it has to be placed on the charger, and it will need to be in range of the iPhone it is paired with.
watchOS 9.5 adds the simplified beta installation method that was first introduced in iOS 16.4. With the update, developers and public beta testers enrolled in Apple's respective programs can toggle on beta updates from the Software Update section of the Watch app on iPhone.
An Apple ID associated with either a public beta account or a developer account is required to turn on beta updates.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 16.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming two weeks after the launch of the second tvOS 16.5 beta.
Registered developers are able to download the tvOS 16.5 update by downloading a profile on the Apple TV using Xcode.
tvOS updates are usually minor, focusing on internal bug fixes and improvements rather than notable outward-facing changes. There is no word as of yet what's included in the tvOS 16.5 update, but we'll update this article if we find anything new.
Apple shares some information on tvOS releases in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each tvOS launch.
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.
iOS 17 will include new features and changes across the Lock Screen, Apple Music, App Library, and Control Center, according to a Weibo post this week from the same account that revealed Apple would be launching the iPhone 14 in Yellow.
The post lists several potential iOS 17 features:
Lock Screen font size options
A button to share custom Lock Screen designs with other iPhone users
Apple Music lyrics can be viewed on the Lock Screen
Apple Music design changes with simplified interface
App Library folders can be manually renamed
Control Center design changes
Flashlight brightness slider can be freely adjusted, like the volume slider
It was already rumored that iOS 17 would revamp Control Center, but the rest of the information shared by the account is new. None of the changes would be groundbreaking, but they would still be meaningful improvements. Overall, rumors have suggested iOS 17 will be a modest update focused on stability and performance enhancements.
While the source of this rumor accurately leaked the iPhone 14 would launch in Yellow a few months in advance, they do not have a long-term track record with Apple rumors, so there is no guarantee that this information will prove to be correct.
On last week's episode of The MacRumors Show podcast, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman revealed what he expects from iOS 17, including improvements to the Find My and Wallet apps. The well-known Apple reporter said the update is unlikely to include "major new features," like the customizable Lock Screen introduced with iOS 16.
Apple is expected to announce iOS 17 during its WWDC keynote on June 5. The first beta version of the update should be made available to developers moments after the keynote, while a public beta will likely be available in July. As usual, the update should be widely released in September, around the time that new iPhones launch.
Apple's M1 iMac (8-Core GPU, 256GB) has hit an all-time low price of $999.99 today on Amazon, down from $1,499.00. This sale has been coming and going since the weekend, so act fast if you're interested.
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You can only get this sale in Pink as of writing, and delivery has been delayed into the middle of May. Still, you can lock in this massive $499 discount today ahead of those delayed delivery dates to be sure you get this all-time low price.
With this discount, the 8-Core/256GB model is now cheaper than the entry-level 7-Core/256GB model, which has only ever reached as low as $1,099.00 in previous sales. If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Update: This sale has expired, but there is a chance that it returns sometime soon. We'll be sure to update this article if it does come back.
Apple has released updates for its Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Devices apps for PC users running Windows 11, bringing what appear to be notable improvements and bug fixes to the preview apps.
Last year, Microsoft said that Apple Music and Apple TV apps would be coming to the Microsoft Store in 2023 for installation on Windows devices, offering a better experience of Apple Music and Apple TV+ than going via the web or using Apple's outdated iTunes for Windows app.
In January, preview versions of the two apps, as well as an Apple Devices app for managing devices such as iPhones, iPads, and iPods from Windows machines appeared in the Microsoft Store. However, Apple warned that, as preview versions of these apps, "not all features may work as expected."
Apple has provided no release notes for the latest updates, so we don't have a comprehensive list of changes and fixes. However, users on Reddit have discovered that the Apple Music Preview app now appears to include support for Windows 11 media controls and keyboard shortcuts, support for lyrics, and provides smoother continuous playback of consecutive lossless tracks.
As for the Apple Devices Preview, Apple has reportedly removed mentions of the software that will run on its rumored mixed reality headset. References to "xrOS" and "RealityOS" references are now gone. Apple internally called the headset software "Reality OS" or "rOS" when it was in development, then decided to update the public name to the less generic "xrOS" name, which stands for "extended reality." Apple is expected to unveil its headset at WWDC in June.
There is no information yet on what's new in the Apple TV Preview app, but we will update this article when we learn more.
Note that installing any of these apps will prevent iTunes for Windows from opening. As a result, other content types such as audiobooks and podcasts will be inaccessible until Apple releases a compatible version of iTunes or the user uninstalls the preview apps.
The U.K. government has introduced a new bill that would allow the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to impose multibillion-pound fines on major tech companies like Apple for breaching its rules.
The multifaceted bill is designed to promote competition and protect consumers by giving the CMA the authority to tackle the "excessive dominance" of tech firms, according to a government press release.
Tech companies that are considered to have "strategic market status" in key digital services will be required to comply with its rules or the agency's Digital Markets Unit (DMU) could slap them with significant fines.
The CMA has not named which firms with "strategic market status" it will be monitoring, but a threshold will apply meaning that only firms with a global turnover above £25 billion, or U.K. turnover above £1 billion, will be in scope, so Apple, Google, and Amazon are likely to come under this definition.
The government said such firms could be required by the DMU to be more transparent about how their app stores and review systems work, and the agency would have powers to open up a specific market depending on the situation. For example, Apple could be told to allow iPhone and iPad users to download apps from alternative app stores, or if it was a search engine like Google, they could be forced to open up their data to rivals.
The legislation will also take aim at "subscription traps," where businesses make it difficult for consumers to cancel a contract. Under the new rules, companies would be required to remind consumers when a free trial or low-cost introductory offer is coming to an end and ensure that a contract can be quit in a cost-effective, straightforward way.
If firms don't abide by the rules set for them, the DMU will have the power to fine them up to 10% of their global turnover and make senior managers personally responsible for ensuring their company complies with the DMU's requests. As a ballpark figure, Apple earned $283 billion in revenue for 2022, so any hypothetical fine could be worth up to $28.3 billion.
"From abuse of power by tech giants, to fake reviews, scams and rip-offs like being caught in a subscription trap - consumers deserve better," said business and trade minister Kevin Hollinrake. "The new laws we're delivering today will empower the CMA to directly enforce consumer law, strengthen competition in digital markets and ensure that people across the country keep hold of their hard-earned cash."
In the making since 2021, the bill will be heard in parliament on Tuesday and the new measures will come into effect following parliamentary approval, subject to secondary legislation and the publication of guidance.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple will continue to rely on Korean suppliers for device displays as it makes a big push to develop its own components for more control over product designs, claims a new report (via The Korea Herald).
According to Korea's Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion (IITP), Apple has emerged as a new player in the display market from a long-term perspective, even as it expands its use of in-house components and displays.
For example, Apple is reportedly planning to start transitioning its devices from OLED to microLED, beginning with Apple Watch Ultra in 2024 or 2025, and followed by iPhones, iPads, and eventually MacBooks, too.
However, the IITP believes that it may take some time for Apple to completely commercialize its self-made display technology. Given that microLED display production remains challenging, manufacturing costs are higher, so Apple will continue to source at least 60% of its components from Korean display manufacturers such as Samsung Display and LG Display for the next several years, according to the report.
"Apple is expected to outsource display production to Korean vendors in the coming years to save the costs necessary for mass production," the report said. "If domestic display makers can outsource Apple's microLED production, it could give them the advantage to catch up with their Chinese rivals."
A new Apple Watch Ultra with a microLED display has been rumored by several sources, including Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu. Gurman said the microLED transition could begin by the end of 2024, but noted the timeframe could slip into 2025. Young also gave a 2025 timeframe, so the technology could be at least two years away.
Meanwhile, Apple is still completing its lengthy transition from LCD to OLED display technology. The Apple Watch has used OLED since it launched in 2015, and iPhone models gradually switched to OLED starting in 2017. Rumors suggest the first iPad Pro and MacBook models with OLED displays will be released in 2024.
Apple headset concept render by Marcus Kane.
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