Amazon is hosting record low discounts on two AirPods models, including the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C and the AirPods 3 with Lightning Charging Case. You can also find a solid discount on the AirPods 2 in these deals.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
The AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C are available for $189.99, down from $249.00. This is a match of the record low price on these AirPods, which feature a new USB-C port as well as improved dust resistance and 20-bit 48kHz lossless audio when paired with the Apple Vision Pro.
The AirPods 3 are on sale for $139.99, down from $169.00. This is another match of an all-time low price, and for the AirPods 3 this is only the second time in 2024 that we're tracking a best-ever price on the model.
Finally, Amazon has the AirPods 2 for $89.99, down from $129.00. Although we've tracked this model lower in the past, particularly during the holidays, this is the lowest price we've seen in weeks and overall the best deal so far in 2024.
Apple today highlighted spatial gaming experiences on the Vision Pro headset, claiming that it is "the beginning of a new era in gaming."
While over 250 games are available on the Vision Pro via Apple Arcade, the company drew particular attention to 12 "unique spatial games" offered exclusively via the gaming subscription service.
Spatial games built specifically for Arcade on Apple Vision Pro unlock amazing new gameplay opportunities by blending digital content with the physical world. visionOS delivers powerful spatial experiences with a brand-new three-dimensional user interface and input system controlled entirely by a user's eyes, hands, and voice. Players are able to slice apples with their hands as their living room transforms into their very own dojo in Super Fruit Ninja, tee up the perfect shot as they move freely around a quirky golf course right in their home in WHAT THE GOLF?, escape into a mesmerizing audiovisual experience in Synth Riders, and so much more.
The featured spatial games on Apple Arcade include:
Game Room
WHAT THE GOLF?
Cut the Rope 3
Jetpack Joyride 2
Patterned
Illustrated
Wylde Flowers
stitch.
Synth Riders
LEGO Builder's Journey
Bloons TD 6+
Super Fruit Ninja
Apple added that "even more magical spatial gaming experiences" are coming soon to Apple Arcade, listing three upcoming titles:
Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees
Spire Blast
Apple Arcade launched in 2019 and is available for $6.99 per month, providing access to hundreds of ad-free games across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. The service is also included as part of the Apple One subscription bundle, which starts at $19.95 per month.
TikTok today announced that it has released an app for Apple's Vision Pro headset. The app is optimized for visionOS's spatial design style, with TikTok promising a more "immersive" viewing experience for its short-form videos.
"Experience your For You feed in an entirely new way through this immersive content view," said TikTok, in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The app has a familiar layout on the Vision Pro, with a main "For You" video feed, along with profiles, comments, search, and more. TikTok is available now on the Vision Pro's App Store, and additional images of the app can be found below.
There are still a handful of major social media, streaming video, and streaming music apps that are entirely unavailable on the Vision Pro, including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, and WhatsApp. In the meantime, developer Christian Selig created an app called Juno for watching YouTube videos on the Vision Pro.
Samsung is preparing to join Apple's OLED display supply chain for future MacBook models, Korea's The Elec reports.
Apple's plans to switch the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air from mini-LED and LCD display technology to OLED have been widely rumored for several years. The latest report explains that Samsung is currently assembling an eighth-generation OLED panel production line focused on supplying Apple with OLED displays for future MacBook models. Panels from the production line will not reach new MacBook models until 2027, The Elec adds.
Late last year, ETNews said that Apple plans to bring OLED display technology to nine new devices by 2027, starting with two new iPad Pro models in March. The company is then expected to shift focus to an OLED 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2025, before launching new 14-inch MacBook Pro, 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air, 10.9-inch iPad Air, and 8.7-inch iPad mini models with OLED displays the following year. As a result, the The Elec's report seems to suggest that panels from the new production line will not be used in the first wave of OLED MacBooks in 2025. In 2027, Apple is expected to bring OLED to the rumored 12.9-inch iPad Air model.
Benefits of OLED displays include increased brightness, higher contrast ratio, greater color accuracy, and lower power consumption compared to existing models with LCDs. OLED panels are also thinner and lighter than LCDs. Apple already uses OLED displays for all iPhone and Apple Watch models, with the exception of the iPhone SE.
Juno, developer Christian Selig's YouTube app for Apple Vision Pro, has received its first update since launching earlier this month, introducing several user-requested features like the ability to select video quality.
Juno automatically selects the quality of videos based on its "best guess," says Selig, but previously provided no manual control. As of Juno 1.1, however, the UI includes a playback quality option, allowing users to select the resolution of the videos they watch.
The video player has also gained quick-access volume controls, allowing users to tweak Juno's playback volume without affecting the volume level of the whole system. Selig says that he's looking into ways to link the player's audio volume to the system volume, which hopefully comes as an option.
Another handy addition is the ability to open a video in Juno via Shortcuts or another app. To do so, users can simply replace "http://" in the URL with "juno://" (for example, juno://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7I0vHIWyO4). In addition, when Juno's video playback controls fade out, the system "grab bar" now also fades out to increase viewer immersion.
Elsewhere, the app's code has been improved to increase load time speed, an improved video scrubbing control has been added with a new custom view that expands on selection, and it's now easier to jump between playback speeds. Several bugs have also been squashed based on user feedback, and the player will no longer pause the video if the middle of the screen is tapped.
One of the reasons for Juno's popularity is that YouTube initially said it did not plan to offer a dedicated app on Apple's Vision Pro headset. While iPad apps are available on Vision Pro by default, developers can opt out of having their apps appear on the device, and YouTube opted out.
That was before Vision Pro launched. YouTube has since changed its tune and now claims that it is "excited" by the Vision Pro launch and that an app is on the company's roadmap, but it gave no hint of timing.
Juno for YouTube is priced at $4.99 and the app is available on the visionOS App Store.
Authy, the two-factor authentication (2FA) service, says its desktop apps for macOS, Windows, and Linux will reach end-of-life on March 19, 2024.
Twilio, the company that owns Authy, revealed the decision on Wednesday in a updated support article. It did not say whether Authy Desktop apps will stop working after this date or simply no longer receive updates, but the company confirmed that its mobile apps will continue to be maintained.
As one of only a few third-party desktop 2FA code generator apps on Mac, the loss of Authy Desktop is likely to disappoint users who got used to signing into 2FA-protected accounts from their computer rather than having to get out their phone, where most 2FA apps usually live.
For users in this position that own a Mac powered by Apple silicon, Authy suggests downloading the iOS version of the app to their computer. Otherwise, Authy recommends using the mobile version instead, or switching to a different authenticator app. The bad news is that anyone who wants to switch to another 2FA app entirely will have to disable 2FA on all of their stored accounts first, because Authy lacks an export feature.
At the beginning of the year, Authy said that it was shutting down its desktop app in August 2024, so it has brought forward its decision to sunset the app by several months. The company said its decision to kill its desktop versions was made to "streamline our focus and provide more value on existing product solutions for which we see increasing demand."
DuckDuckGo Browser users can now securely sync their favorites, bookmarks, and passwords across multiple devices, without having to set up an account or sign in to use it.
The privacy-first browser enables this through its new "Sync & Backup" feature, which generates a QR code on mobile devices or an alphanumeric code on a computer to establish syncing.
As per DuckDuckGo's privacy, DuckDuckGo doesn't track users, and cannot access users' synced data, including passwords in the browser's built-in password manager, which encrypts passwords locally. When private sync is used, all data stays securely encrypted throughout the syncing process, since the unique key needed to decrypt it is stored only on the devices.
Backup & Sync also enables users to migrate bookmarks and passwords to a new device, and sync their Email Protection account between devices. (DuckDuckGo Email Protection is a free email forwarding service that removes hidden email trackers and lets users create unique private email addresses on the fly.)
According to DuckDuckGo, the new feature works across most Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone devices, and can be found in the browser's Settings (Sync & Backup ➝ Sync With Another Device). Those only working with one device can choose Sync and Back Up This Device from the Single-Device Setup section.
After setup, the browser generates a Recovery PDF document that contains the user's unique, locally generated Recovery Code, which can be used to gain access to synced data if the associated devices are lost or damaged.
All of Apple's products have a 14-day return window, including the $3,500 Vision Pro. For those who purchased a Vision Pro online or in a retail store on the February 2 launch date, the two week return window will end on Friday, February 16.
With the Vision Pro positioned as Apple's first dedicated AR/VR device and the first new product category Apple has entered since 2015, many people may have purchased the headset to try it out without an intention to keep it. Multiple buyers on social media networks have also been reporting returns this week because of eye strain, the comfort of the device, the bulky size, a lack of apps and functionality, or an inability to find a day-to-day use case for it.
If you bought a Vision Pro and haven't found it to be worth the purchase price, Apple will take it back, and the same goes for accessories like the $200 Vision Pro Travel Case.
What a bummer of a day. Can’t believe it, but I’ve returned the Vision Pro. Just too uncomfortable to wear and it’s a strain on my eyes. It’s clearly the future. It works like magic. But the physical tradeoffs are just not worth it for me right now. I’ll be back for the next one,… pic.twitter.com/LCXiPYCOvv
— Parker Ortolani (@ParkerOrtolani) February 12, 2024
Based on reports from those who have returned the device, it is a seamless process at an Apple retail location. In some cases, Apple employees will ask a number of questions about the reason for the return, but Apple does not deny returns within the 14-day window.
Returned products must be in their original condition with the original parts, accessories, and packaging. Returns can be done at an Apple Store or can be initiated online through Apple's support channels.
Getting closer to that return side of things as I try to use the Apple Vision Pro to improve productivity. I’m sure it works for some jobs, but I need to see serious ROI for a $4000+ investment. Smartphones provide this, but the AVP may be a few years away https://t.co/0o73zXSIKT
— Matthew Miller (@palmsolo) February 8, 2024
Custom ZEISS lens inserts purchased alongside the Apple Vision Procan't be returned to an Apple Store. Apple will accept returns for them on behalf of ZEISS, but that return must be initiated through the Order Listing page. Readers that are not a specific prescription can be returned at a retail location.
Apple has pulled the Apple Music SharePlay feature that it was testing for the HomePod and Apple TV in the iOS 17.4 and tvOS 17.4 betas, which suggests the option may not be available when the updates are released in March.
The first betas of tvOS 17.4 and iOS 17.4 enabled SharePlay music controls on both the HomePod and the Apple TV, but as of the second beta, the functionality has been removed.
SharePlay is a feature that allows users to watch television, listen to music, use apps, and play games together over FaceTime, but Apple has been expanding the feature. In iOS 17, SharePlay was added to CarPlay, allowing everyone in the car to contribute songs to a shared playlist.
On the HomePod and the Apple TV, the SharePlay feature allowed users to generate a QR code (on the iPhone for HomePod) that could be scanned to give friends and family members the option to play songs on the device. The HomePod or Apple TV owner was required to have an Apple Music subscription, but those contributing content simply needed the Music app without a subscription.
It is not clear if Apple will return the SharePlay feature to the HomePod or Apple TV ahead of the launch of the iOS 17.4 and tvOS 17.4 updates, but so far, SharePlay has been missing from the past two beta releases.
iOS 17.4 and tvOS 17.4 are set to come out in March.
Apple's next-generation A18 and M4 chips for future iPhone and Mac models will feature an upgraded Neural Engine with "significantly" more cores, according to a report today from the Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News.
An upgraded Neural Engine would improve performance for AI/machine learning tasks. iOS 18 is rumored to have new generative AI features for Siri, Shortcuts, Messages, Apple Music, and more. On an earnings call this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company was working on generative AI and would share details "later this year." iOS 18 should be announced at Apple's annual developers conference WWDC in June.
A18 series chips are expected to debut in iPhone 16 models in September. It was previously rumored that some generative AI features could be exclusive to iPhone 16 models, and the upgraded Neural Engine could be a reason why.
Neural Engine history for iPhones:
2-core Neural Engine in the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X
8-core Neural Engine in the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR
8-core Neural Engine in the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max
16-core Neural Engine in all iPhone 12 models
16-core Neural Engine in all iPhone 13 models
16-core Neural Engine in all iPhone 14 models
16-core Neural Engine in all iPhone 15 models
Apple has still improved the Neural Engine's performance over the years, even when core counts have not changed. For example, Apple says the iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Pro chip has up to a 2x faster Neural Engine compared to the one in the iPhone 14 Pro.
As for the Mac, most models with Apple silicon chips are equipped with a 16-core Neural Engine. The only exceptions are the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro, which feature a 32-core Neural Engine when configured with an M1 Ultra or M2 Ultra chip.
The first Macs with an M4 chip would likely be released in late 2024 or early 2025.
Generative AI surged in popularity in 2022 after OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that can respond to questions and other prompts. Google, Microsoft, and other companies have also released similar chatbots and tools, including ones that can automatically generate images, respond to voice queries, and more.
Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 updates to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test the software ahead of its release. The third public iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 betas come a week after Apple released the second betas.
Public beta testers can get the beta by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Public Beta. Signing up on Apple's beta testing website is required.
The iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 betas introduce a whole slew of changes for users in the European Union, allowing for alternative app stores and alternative payment methods.
There are new options for choosing a default browser, NFC has been opened up to banks and other financial institutions, and browsers aren't mandated to use WebKit.
Along with these changes, the update also brings new emoji characters, Podcast transcripts, tweaks to Safari, hints of what we can expect from the next-generation CarPlay, and more.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.4 update to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test the software ahead of its launch. The third public beta comes a week after Apple released the second public beta.
Beta testers can opt-in through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. Under Beta updates, simply toggle on the Sonoma Public Beta. Note that you must sign up to participate on Apple's beta testing website.
macOS Sonoma 14.4 introduces some of the features in the iOS 17.4 beta, such as new emoji characters. We don't know what Mac-specific features are included, but nothing new has been found in the developer betas so far.
Apple today announced the launch of two new personalized radio stations that are available to Apple Music subscribers. The "Love" and "Heartbreak" stations come just in time for Valentine's Day. The songs that are available through each station are tailored to each user's taste, featuring preferred artists and similar recommendations.
According to Apple, the Love Station includes songs about romantic love, falling in love, feeling amorous, and the feelings of these experiences. The Heartbreak Station includes songs about heartbreak, unrequited love, breaking up, and sad love.
Apple says that these new stations are "deeply personalized" and designed to offer up the best music for each listener. The stations are continually updated to provide an endless stream of music that fits within the theme.
The Love and Heartbreak stations can be accessed via the Stations for You section on the Listen Now page.
It has been more than three years since Apple released the AirPods Max, leading some to wonder when the over-ear headphones will be updated.
Below, we outline when to expect new AirPods Max, and rumored features.
Timing
In an October 2023 edition of his newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new AirPods Max in "late 2024," so the headphones are likely around 7-10 months away from being updated based on that timeframe.
Apple announced the current AirPods Max in a press release on December 8, 2020, and the headphones launched a week later.
New Features
Apple is only planning minor changes for the AirPods Max, including a USB-C port instead of Lightning for charging and wired audio playback, according to Gurman. He also said the headphones will be available in new color options. The current color options include Green, Pink, Silver, Sky Blue, and Space Gray.
Gurman said the updated headphones will still be considered first-generation AirPods Max, signifying how minor the changes may be.
The updated AirPods Max will likely support Bluetooth 5.3, up from Bluetooth 5.0, for more reliable and power-efficient wireless audio connectivity.
Amazon today has the first $99 discount on Apple's AirPods Max since Black Friday, available for $449.99 in select colors, down from $549.00. Most models can deliver as soon as February 16 with Prime delivery, but others have slipped into a late February delivery estimate.
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.
On Amazon, colors being discounted include Green, Pink, and Silver. You can find a matching sale at Best Buy right now, with similar shipping estimates in most colors. Best Buy's sale is depicted as lasting for one day only, but Amazon's should stay up a little longer.
There are plenty of other AirPods deals happening right now on Amazon. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C at $189.99 ($59 off), the AirPods 3 for $139.99 ($29 off), and the AirPods 2 for $89.99 ($39 off). In regards to the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 3, these are both all-time low prices on these models.
Apple is rumored to be updating the AirPods Max sometime in 2024, and the new models should be getting a USB-C port and new color options. Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.
Apple has still not fixed a bug in macOS that causes the audio balance to drift on Macs under certain conditions, despite having acknowledged the issue 12 years ago.
A developer named Fabian highlighted the problem today in a post on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that Apple "still has not fixed the audio left/right balance bug in macOS. I still have to use an app to fix it automatically. The app is from 2015, that means we are approaching the 10 year anniversary [of the bug]."
Balance Lock is the app in question, a free download available from Tunabelly Software. The bug's continuing existence was corroborated by other users who responded to the X post and commented on it over on Hacker News. However, it seems as though the issue has persisted for even longer than Fabian initially supposed.
Writing in 2013 on Stack Exchange, one user claimed to have experienced the same bug on multiple Macs going back to 2003. Whether or not that is the case, what we do know is that Apple acknowledged the bug on February 12, 2012 in a Mac OS X 10.2 support document, which is no longer on Apple's website but retrievable via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. In it Apple states:
In some cases the audio balance may unexpectedly drift towards the left or right channel. This can happen if you rapidly press the volume up or down keys while the computer's microprocessor is under heavy load.
To rectify the problem, Apple advises users to open the Sound panel in System Preferences (now System Settings) and "Drag the audio balance slider to the desired position."
The year is 2024 and @apple still has not fixed the audio left/right balance bug in MacOS. I still have to use an app to fix it automatically. The app is from 2015, that means we are approaching the 10 year anniversary 🎉 https://t.co/QegD5tEvaApic.twitter.com/saoiGubhXV
— Fabian (@ffaebi) February 14, 2024
Given Apple's advice at the time, it sounds like the company had not been able to come up with a proper fix when the support document was published, which begs the question as to whether it still has no solution to the bug, and that is why the company has let it remain in successive versions of Mac OS X and macOS up to this day.
Have you experienced the audio balance drifting on your Mac? Let us know in the comments.
Apple has made another addition to its growing AI repertoire with the creation of a tool that leverages large language models (LLMs) to animate static images based on a user's text prompts.
"While one-shot prompting interfaces are common in commercial text-to-image systems like Dall·E and Midjourney, we argue that animations require a more complex set of user considerations, such as timing and coordination, that are difficult to fully specify in a single prompt—thus, alternative approaches that enable users to iteratively construct and refine generated designs may be needed especially for animations.
"We combined emerging design principles for language-based prompting of design artifacts with code-generation capabilities of LLMs to build a new AI-powered animation tool called Keyframer. With Keyframer, users can create animated illustrations from static 2D images via natural language prompting. Using GPT-4 3, Keyframer generates CSS animation code to animate an input Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG)."
To create an animation, the user uploads an SVG image – of a space rocket, say – then types in a prompt like "generate three designs where the sky fades into different colors and the stars twinkle." Keyframer then generates CSS code for the animation, and the user can then refine it by editing the code directly or by entering additional text prompts.
"Keyframer enabled users to iteratively refine their designs through sequential prompting, rather than having to consider their entire design upfront," explain the authors. "Through this work, we hope to inspire future animation design tools that combine the powerful generative capabilities of LLMs to expedite design prototyping with dynamic editors that enable creators to maintain creative control."
According to the paper, the research was informed by interviews with professional animation designers and engineers. "I think this was much faster than a lot of things I've done," said one of the study participants quoted in the paper. "I think doing something like this before would have just taken hours to do."
The innovation is just the latest in a series of AI breakthroughs by Apple. Last week, Apple researchers released an AI model that harnesses the power of multimodal LLMs to perform pixel-level edits on images.
In late December, Apple also revealed that it had made strides in deploying LLMs on iPhones and other Apple devices with limited memory by inventing an innovative flash memory utilization technique.
Both The Information and analyst Jeff Pu have said that Apple will have some kind of generative AI feature available on the iPhone and iPadlater in the year, when iOS 18 is released. The next version of Apple's mobile software is said to include an enhanced version of Siri with ChatGPT-like generative AI functionality, and has the potential to be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today compared the Apple Vision Pro to the $500 Meta Quest 3 in an Instagram video, and provided several reasons why he thinks Meta's headset is better than Apple's.
According to Zuckerberg, the Quest 3 is better "for the vast majority of things that people use mixed reality for," and here are some of the things he said about the Meta Quest 3:
It's 7x less expensive than Vision Pro.
It does high-quality passthrough with big screens "just like Vision Pro."
Quest is a lot more comfortable - it's 120 grams less.
There are no wires that get in the way when you move around.
The field of view is wider and the screen is brighter.
Vision Pro has motion blur when you move around. Quest is a lot crisper.
Precision controllers are available, as is hand tracking, and Quest's hand tracking is more accurate.
Quest's immersive content library is a lot deeper.
You can watch YouTube or play Xbox.
Zuckerberg said that he was surprised at the "tradeoffs" that Apple had to make to provide a higher resolution screen than is offered by the Quest 3, sacrificing "comfort," "ergonomics," and more. He went on to explain that Apple is not always the leader in a new product category, and that he hopes Meta's devices will ultimately "win."
Now look, I know that some fanboys get upset whenever somebody dares to question if Apple is going to be the leader in a new category, but the reality is that every generation of computing has an open and a closed model. And yeah, in mobile, Apple's closed model won. It's not always that way. If you go back to the PC era, Microsoft's open model was the winner. In this next generation, Meta is going to be the open model, and I really want to make sure that the open model wins out again. The future is not yet written.
The Meta Quest 3 launched back in October. It has two 2K LCD panels compared to the Apple Vision Pro's 4K microLED displays. It weighs 515 grams while the Vision Pro weighs 600 to 650 grams, and it does not have a separate battery pack. It uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset, has 8GB RAM, and is equipped with Touch Plus controllers.
Meta has produced several headsets so far, including the Oculus Quest, the Oculus Quest 2, the Quest 3, and the Quest Pro. Apple plans to continue producing headsets, and rumors suggest that the next-generation version will be much more affordable. When explaining the price of the Vision Pro, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that it was "tomorrow's technology today."
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. 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.
