Apple today announced it has enhanced the search functionality of its Podcasts app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV by adding nine additional subcategories to the Search tab. This makes it easier to discover new shows across various genres and topics.
The new subcategories:
Mental Health
Relationships
Self-Improvement
Personal Journals
Entrepreneurship
Documentary
Parenting
Books
Language Learning
The new subcategories are available now, with no software update required.
"Each subcategory has its own charts, which display the Top Shows and Top Episodes available in a listener's market," says Apple. "For example, a listener in the U.S. can browse the charts for Mental Health, which display the top 200 shows and top 200 episodes available in the U.S. based on a mix of listening, follows, and completion rate."
Apple has also added a new "Podcasts by Language" section to the app in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia that allows users to more easily find podcasts in their native language. This feature includes support for over 20 languages to begin with, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.
Spotify is planning to introduce a more expensive premium tier that includes high-fidelity audio, Bloomberg reports.
The subscription tier, dubbed "Supremium" internally, will become Spotify's most costly plan and include HiFi audio. Spotify first announced its intention to offer HiFi audio in 2021 but subsequently delayed the launch of the feature for unknown reasons.
Spotify's existing "Premium" tier costs $9.99 for individuals or $15.99 for families. To maintain the appeal of this subscription plan following the launch of "Supremium," Spotify will give Premium subscribers expanded access to audiobooks via a specific number of free listening hours or titles.
Apple Music gained support for Lossless audio in 2021 and users do not need to pay more to get access to it. There are no Apple Music subscription tiers, so Lossless audio is included in all plans with the exception of the Apple Music Voice Plan. An Apple Music subscription costs $10.99 per month for individuals or $16.99 for families. Apple Music is also included in all of the Apple One subscription bundles, which range from $16.95 per month to $32.95 per month.
With Spotify Premium costing just $1 less than Apple Music, it seems highly likely that the streamer's Supremium Tier will come in at a higher price point than Apple's rival service. Spotify's new top-tier plan will apparently launch this year starting in non-U.S. markets.
After having "multiple conversations" with companies within Apple's supply chain this week, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley believe that Apple is unlikely to release a fourth-generation iPhone SE in 2024.
In a research note shared with MacRumors, the analysts said Apple's decision not to launch a new iPhone SE next year could indicate that the company's rumored in-house 5G modem will not be ready any time soon, which would benefit Apple's existing iPhone modem supplier Qualcomm. Apple has reportedly been planning its own modem since at least 2018, and acquired the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business in 2019.
In April, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said mass production of Apple's modem would begin in 2025 at the earliest, suggesting that even iPhone 16 models launching later next year will continue to use Qualcomm modems.
Kuo had previously claimed that the next iPhone SE would have a similar design as the standard iPhone 14 model released last year, suggesting that the device would have been equipped with a 6.1-inch OLED display and Face ID. It's not entirely clear if Apple will move forward with launching this device with a Qualcomm modem at some point.
The current iPhone SE was released in March 2022 with a 4.7-inch LCD display, Touch ID, 5G, a 12-megapixel rear camera, and the A15 Bionic chip. Priced starting at $429 in the U.S., it is one of Apple's more affordable iPhone models. The first-generation and second-generation iPhone SE were released in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
We've been tracking an ongoing series of discounts across Apple's entire MacBook Air lineup in the wake of the 15-inch model announced at WWDC earlier this month. This week, B&H Photo has a new all-time low price on the 256GB 13.6-inch MacBook Air, priced at $949.00, down from $1,099.00.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
This beats the previous record low on this computer by about $50, and B&H Photo only has it in Midnight. The deal will also end tonight at 10:59 p.m. Central Time, so if you're interested be sure to place your order soon.
B&H Photo also has the 512GB model for $1,249.00, down from $1,399.00. This is a solid second-best price on the higher storage model. 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.
Apple today announced that its self-service repair program will be expanding to the iPhone 14 lineup, 13-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip, and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips starting June 21.
First launched in April 2022, Apple's program provides customers with access to parts, manuals, and tools to repair select devices. Apple says the program is designed for anyone with "experience repairing electronic devices," but says the "vast majority" of customers are better off visiting an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider.
Apple also announced that customers can now complete the post-repair System Configuration process by placing the device into Diagnostics Mode and following the on-screen prompts. Users no longer need to contact the program's support team to complete this step, which verifies that the parts are genuine and working properly.
"Running System Configuration after a repair authenticates genuine Apple parts, updates firmware, and calibrates parts to ensure maximum performance and quality," says Apple. "Additionally, for repairs involving biometric authentication, such as Touch ID or Face ID, System Configuration links the biometric sensors to the Secure Enclave on the logic board to ensure device security and customer privacy."
Last, Apple said it is expanding the program to Mac desktops with M1 series chips in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K., and making parts available for the TrueDepth camera and top speaker on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models.
Lighting company Signify has announced a new feature coming to the Philips Hue app that aims to give users better control over brightness in their home, as well as a Hue bridge automation update that brings more nuance to motion sensor triggers.
Philips Hue lights will soon include a brightness balancer that lets users customize the relative brightness of individual lights in an Entertainment area, instead of controlling the lights as a group.
Signify says the new feature was developed following requests from Philips Hue's users who wanted to more control over their lights while watching a movie, listening to music or gaming.
Using the brightness balancer, users can "make lights that have higher lumens dim lower than lights with lower lumens," according to Signify, allowing users to choose what is in the spotlight when syncing lights to movies, games, or music.
In addition, a forthcoming update to the Philips Hue bridge will allow users to have more control over lighting automation triggered by motion sensors.
Currently, Philips Hue motion sensors support two time slots for automating lighting conditions – daytime and night – so users can for example set up a bright light to come on in the daytime and a low-level light at night.
With the upcoming Hue bridge update, users will be able to customize lighting conditions using a total of 10 time slots, allowing for various settings throughout the day. The Natural light scene can also be selected as part one of these time slots, to mimic the sun throughout the day.
Signify says both the brightness balancer feature for the Hue app and the Hue bridge automation enhancements are scheduled to launch later this summer.
Opera One, the new version of Opera browser, got its official public release today, boasting native artificial intelligence integration as the standout feature among its rivals.
Opera One introduces Aria, "the first truly native browser AI," according to the developers. Aria can be invoked via a command line, as well as from the browser sidebar, and leverages OpenAI's GPT technology to optimize web search. From the press release:
Aria is both a web and browser expert that allows users to collaborate with AI while looking for information on the web, generating text or code, or getting their product queries answered. When it comes to customer support, Aria is knowledgeable about Opera's entire database of support documentation and uses the company's current product knowledge to answer users' questions.
Opera One users on Mac can use a Command-/ keyboard shortcut to display an overlay and interact with Aria. Whenever a question comes to mind, they can use the command line to ask Aria a question and either interact with the browser AI's response immediately in the sidebar or go back to browsing. Opera One also includes access to ChatGPT in the browser sidebar.
Elsewhere, in what would be the 100th version of Opera, a new Tab Islands feature aims to change how users relate to browser tabs. Tab Islands keep associated tabs together based on context, and users can move tabs around, collapse islands to make them small and come back to them later, or save them into bookmarks or pinboards.
In addition, Opera One also features a new modular design that the developers say is "ready for a generative AI-based future," allowing the browser to dynamically adapt to users' needs by bringing only the key features to the foreground. There's also a new multithreaded compositor under the hood that aims to deliver a faster and smoother user interface layer.
Opera One is available today for free from the company's website, which includes download links for macOS, Windows, and Linux versions.
A ransomware group that hacked into Reddit's servers back in February is threatening to release stolen data if Reddit does not walk back its planned API changes, reports Bleeping Computer (via The Verge).
At the time of the hack, no one took credit, but ransomware group BlackCat yesterday said that it was responsible. 80GB of compressed data was stolen through a phishing attack, and BlackCat says that the data will be made public unless Reddit pays $4.5 million and withdraws the API pricing changes that will go into effect on July 1.
The group claims to have "interesting confidential data" that includes information on how Reddit tracks users and censors people. BlackCat does not anticipate Reddit cooperating, and says that it expects to leak the data.
At the time of the hack, Reddit said that no user passwords, accounts, or credit card details were impacted, but internal documentation, code, and internal dashboards and business systems were obtained.
BlackCat's demand for an API rollback comes as Reddit prepares to begin charging developers for access to its API. Reddit's fees are putting popular third-party Reddit clients like Apollo out of business, and the API changes have resulted in protests in the form of subreddit blackouts.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has said that Reddit has no plan to change its new API business model in light of the negative feedback, and it is unlikely that the company will change its API pricing due to the data leak threat.
We've partnered with Satechi this week to offer 25 percent off sitewide at the retailer, allowing our readers to save on Satechi's best hubs, chargers, desktop accessories, and more. To get this deal, enter the code MR25 at the checkout screen before June 25, when the code will expire.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Satechi. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
This code works sitewide on Satechi, with the sole exception of Thunderbolt products. Otherwise, you can shop Satechi's wide selection of wireless chargers, USB-C hubs, iPad Pro accessories, mice and keyboards, and more Apple-compatible products.
Remember that our promo code MR25 works sitewide and will end on June 25, so be sure to shop on Satechi's website sometime this week before the sale closes. Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.
A common request from Apple Watch users over the years has been the ability to use third-party watch faces, but watchOS 10 still does not support this. In an interview with Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger published today, Apple's VP of Technology Kevin Lynch and product marketing employee Deidre Caldbeck explained why.
The interview was spotted earlier by 9to5Mac's Benjamin Mayo, and the quotes below are machine translated from German.
Lynch said Apple puts a "huge amount of effort" into every watch face to ensure they work "uniformly and simply," and said Apple needs to plan ahead to make sure watch faces continue to work "if we want to change something or add new possibilities."
Caldbeck added that developers are able to create complications for their watchOS apps, which adds a layer of customization to watch faces by allowing for glanceable information to be displayed, such as a CARROT Weather forecast. Starting with watchOS 10, the new Smart Stack widgets feature offers space for up to three complications.
That's everything Apple had to say about the lack of third-party watch faces in the interview, which touches on several other watchOS 10 details.
watchOS 10 will be released later this year for the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer, and is currently available in beta for users with a free Apple developer account. A public beta is coming in July for users who do not wish to use the developer beta.
Apple this week shared a new action-packed video called "The Great Escape" on its YouTube channel in Turkey. The video, set in Istanbul's historic Grand Bazaar, was shot entirely on the iPhone 14 Pro with the use of additional accessories and software.
"The Great Escape" has received over three million views on YouTube since being uploaded on Sunday, showing the continued popularity of Apple's long-running "Shot on iPhone" marketing campaign. The video highlights several camera features available on the iPhone 14 Pro, such as Macro mode, Cinematic mode, and Action mode.
At this point, customers interested in purchasing an iPhone 14 Pro should consider waiting for the iPhone 15 Pro, which is expected to launch in September. Various camera improvements are expected for the next iPhones, including an improved sensor from Sony and a periscope lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max that will enable up to 5-6x optical zoom.
Amazon has a few models of the Apple Watch Ultra for $729.99 today, down from the original price of $799.00. All of these sales require you to add the Apple Watch Ultra to your cart on Amazon and head to the checkout screen in order to see the final deal price.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
This $729.99 price tag remains the best price we've ever tracked for a majority of Apple Watch Ultra models, although there has been one exception. We saw the Yellow Ocean Band go down to $701.99 earlier in the year, but that rare sale has not returned recently nor has it expanded to other Ultra band styles.
There are also quite a few models of the Apple Watch Ultra at $749.99 right now on Amazon. Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.
When Apple releases iOS 17 in the fall, anyone who tends to use their iPhone's camera to scan QR codes can expect to find the process a little easier, thanks to a small but significant change coming in Apple's latest mobile operating system.
Apple first introduced iPhone Camera app support for QR code scanning in iOS 11. Back then, the URL link that the QR code generated would appear as though it was a push notification at the top of the screen.
Perhaps because this implementation was inelegant or confusing for some users, Apple in iOS 13 decided to redesign QR code scanning so that the link appeared as a yellow button within the camera viewfinder itself. However, in doing so, it created a new problem: The button would rove around in the viewfinder if the camera lens was also in motion, which made tapping it even more tricky than before.
Thankfully, in iOS 17, Apple has made another small, and this time welcome, change that improves the situation immeasurably. Now when you scan a QR code, the link button automatically appears at the bottom of the Camera interface. So instead of chasing the dancing link around the viewfinder, you can simply tap its fixed location above the shutter button.
In fact, there is a way you can get the QR code link to behave in a similar manner in iOS 16: As soon as you move the camera so that the QR code is no longer within the shot, it should drop to the bottom of the viewfinder and stay there. Still, when iOS 17 arrives later this year, you'll no longer need to perform this additional action to successfully tame an itinerant link.
Apple released the 24-inch iMac in April 2021 with the M1 chip and an ultra-thin design available in seven colors, including green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. This is currently the only iMac in Apple's lineup, as the Intel-based 27-inch iMac and iMac Pro models were both discontinued over the past few years.
In his Power On newsletter last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that Apple has no plans to release an iMac with the M2 chip and will instead wait to update the computer with the M3 chip, which the company has yet to announce. Gurman expects the M3 chip to have similar CPU and GPU core counts as the M2 chip, but it is expected to use TSMC's 3nm process for significant performance and power efficiency improvements. All existing Apple silicon chips for Macs are manufactured based on TSMC's 5nm process.
Gurman expects the next iMac to launch by early 2024, and believes the computer will have a similar design as the current model, which starts at $1,299. This means the iMac will likely go around three years between hardware updates.
Other Macs expected to be updated with the M3 chip in the future include the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini.
Apple's upcoming iPhone 15 will feature an upgraded Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip to optimize integration with the company's Vision Pro headset, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In his latest Twitter post, Kuo said upgrading the UWB processor, which Apple currently calls the U1 chip, is part of a plan to "aggressively upgrade hardware specifications to build a more competitive ecosystem for Vision Pro." Kuo goes on:
The ecosystem is one of the key success factors for Vision Pro, including the integration with other Apple hardware products, and related main hardware specifications are Wi-Fi and UWB.
iPhone 15 will likely see an specification upgrade of UWB, with the production process moving from 16nm to more advanced 7nm, allowing for improved performance or reduced power consumption for nearby interactions.
First debuting in the iPhone 11, the U1 chip powers several of Apple's location-based features like Find My, Precision Finding, and AirDrop. The U1 chip is also included in Apple Watch Series 6, the HomePod mini, the second-generation HomePod, AirTag trackers, and the charging case for the second-generation AirPods Pro.
Looking further ahead, Kuo says the iPhone 16 will feature support for Wi-Fi 7, "which will be more conducive to Apple's integration of hardware products running on the same local network and provide a better ecosystem experience."
Positioned as the next major generational Wi-Fi technology evolution, Wi-Fi 7 is expected to provide speeds of "at least 30" gigabits per second and could even hit 40Gbps, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance.
Wi-Fi 7 is also able to use 320MHz channels and supports 4K quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) technology, ultimately providing up to 2.4x faster speeds than Wi-Fi 6 with the same number of antennas.
Apple previewed its Vision Pro headset earlier this month at WWDC, but did not reveal all the details of its hardware specifications. The headset is set to launch early next year, and Apple reportedly plans to launch a more affordable model by the end of 2025.
Starting with iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma, Safari automatically removes tracking parameters from URLs while in Private Browsing Mode, in order to prevent cross-website tracking. When a tracking parameter is detected while browsing or copying a link, Apple says Safari strips the identifying components of the URL, while leaving the rest intact. The links will still work as expected, but will no longer have unique identifiers.
Apple calls this new feature Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection, and it also works for links shared in the Messages and Mail apps. It can even be enabled for regular Safari browsing. On the iPhone, open the Settings app, tap Safari → Advanced → Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection, and select All Browsing. Users can also turn off the feature in this menu if they prefer not to use it at all.
In a WWDC 2023 video for developers, Apple shared an example of a URL before and after the tracking parameters are removed. The original URL has a unique "click_id" parameter that advertisers can use to track a user's activity across websites. Safari automatically removes this parameter to protect the user's privacy.
iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma will be released later this year, and are currently available in beta for users with an Apple developer account.
With WWDC now in the rear-view mirror, we've finally had time to really dig into the new software updates and discover some of our favorite new features and changes.
New hardware was of course another big focus for WWDC, and while the Vision Pro isn't coming until next year, the updated MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro models began shipping out this week, so we're learning more about those as well. Read on below for all the details!
15-Inch MacBook Air Reviews: The Sweet Spot for Performance, Size, and Value
The new 15-inch MacBook Air launched in stores and began arriving to customers on Tuesday. One day earlier, the first reviews of the laptop were shared by select media outlets and YouTube channels, offering a closer look at the larger display and more.
The Mac Studio is now equipped with an HDMI 2.1 port that supports an 8K external display at 60Hz, or a 4K display at 240Hz. Like many other new Macs, the Mac Studio now has faster Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and support for high-impedance headphones.
We've put together a guide with a detailed overview of how the widgets work on watchOS 10. The software update will be released later this year for the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer, and is currently available in beta for anyone with a free Apple developer account.
VPN apps could allow for Apple TV users to watch geo-restricted content from any location, such as the U.S. version of Netflix in another country. tvOS 17 will be released later this year for all Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models.
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.
Since its introduction in iOS 7, AirDrop has become the favored means for iPhone users to instantly share photos, videos, documents, and more to nearby Apple devices with relative ease. Given its widespread popularity, the feature hasn't changed all that much over the years. But this year, Apple is stepping things up a gear by bringing several new capabilities to AirDrop that should make it more powerful than ever.
The following five features are coming with Apple's iOS 17 software update, which is expected to arrive in the fall. Are any of them likely to fundamentally change the way you use AirDrop? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of the article.
1. NameDrop
NameDrop was Apple's headline new AirDrop feature in its iOS 17 preview. Rather than type in the number of someone new to call or text them so that they have your number, NameDrop allows you to simply hold your iPhone near their iPhone to swap contact details.
When two iPhones are held close to each other, each person's Contact Poster appears (a picture of yourself that you can customize and edit, new to iOS 17). Users can then select which numbers and email addresses in their contact card that they want to share.
The feature also works between an iPhone and a nearby Apple Watch running an upcoming software update, which Apple says will be available "later this year."
2. New AirDrop Gesture to Share Content
The same iPhone-to-iPhone proximity gesture that works for NameDrop also allows users to share content like photos and files.
Simply bringing the two phones close together initiates the transfer over AirDrop, thereby removing the current requirement to manually select the person from the AirDrop device locator via the Share Sheet.
3. Continue AirDrop Over the Internet
The way AirDrop currently works, you have to stay within close proximity to the other person's device for any transfer to complete - if you leave AirDrop range, the transfer fails and the content isn't shared. This can be particularly frustrating when you're sending or receiving several large files like video content.
By contrast, if you leave AirDrop range in iOS 17, the content you are trying to share with someone continues to be sent securely, and in full quality, over the internet. The only requirement is that both you and your recipient are signed in to iCloud.
4. SharePlay Over AirDrop
Holding two iPhones close together can also be used to initiate a shared activity via SharePlay. This allows the two of you to listen to music or watch a movie together.
And thanks to a new SharePlay API, third-party developers can make their apps support the gesture, allowing you to drop into the same game together or watch the same stream while using your separate devices.
5. Explicit Image Blurring
iOS doesn't allow just anyone to share a photo or document to your device unless you actively choose to accept it. A longstanding issue with AirDrop however is that it displays a preview of the proposed shared content on your device's screen, whether or not you actually want to see it.
This had led people to be subjected to unsolicited nude and explicit images. To prevent this in iOS 17, Apple is introducing a new opt-in feature that is designed to automatically blur images sent over AirDrop that may have sensitive content like nudity. The content will be blocked, but can be viewed by tapping a "Show" button.
These Sensitive Content Warnings work like the Communication Safety functionality that Apple added for children, with all detection done on device so Apple does not see the content that's being shared.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Satechi. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
