MacRumors

Apple researchers have released a new open-source AI model that is capable of editing images based on a user's natural language instructions (via VentureBeat).

Called "MGIE," which stands for MLLM-Guided Image Editing, it uses multimodal large language models (MLLMs) to interpret user requests and perform pixel-level manipulations.

The model is capable of editing various aspects of images. Global photo enhancements can include brightness, contrast, or sharpness, or the application of artistic effects like sketching. Local editing can modify the shape, size, color, or texture of specific regions or objects in an image, while Photoshop-style modifications can include cropping, resizing, rotating, and adding filters, or even changing backgrounds and blending images.

A user input for a photo of a pizza could be to "make it look more healthy." Using common sense reasoning, the model can add vegetable toppings, such as tomatoes and herbs. A global optimization input request might take the form of "add contrast to simulate more light," while a Photoshop-style modification could be made by asking the model to remove people from the background of a photo, shifting the focus of the image to the subject's facial expression.

Apple collaborated with University of California researchers to create MGIE, which was presented in a paper at the International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR) 2024. The model is available on GitHub, and includes the code, data, and pre-trained models.

This is Apple's second breakthrough in AI research in as many months. In late December, Apple revealed that it had made strides in deploying large language models (LLMs) on iPhones and other Apple devices with limited memory by inventing an innovative flash memory utilization technique.

For the last several months, Apple has been testing an "Apple GPT" rival that could compete with ChatGPT. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, work on AI is a priority for Apple, with the company designing an "Ajax" framework for large language models.

Both The Information and analyst Jeff Pu claim that Apple will have some kind of generative AI feature available on the ‌iPhone‌ and iPad around late 2024, which is when iOS 18 will be coming out. iOS 18 is said to include an enhanced version of Siri with ChatGPT-like generative AI functionality, and has the potential to be the "biggest" software update in the iPhone's history, according to Gurman.

Bluesky, the decentralized social media platform conceptualized by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has now opened registration for everyone.

On Tuesday, the emerging X and Threads competitor said it was ending its invite-only system, which has managed to gain it over three million users since it debuted a year ago. The public benefit company, which has just under 40 full-time staff, has been busy building out its moderation features and achieving better stability during is closed beta period.

Users who install the Bluesky Social app or visit bsky.app will be able to sign up and join the conversation platform, which should look familiar to users of the old Twitter – a feed to which people can post messages up to 300 characters long as well as photos and video.

The difference with Bluesky is that its servers use a decentralized Authenticated Transport (AT) Protocol that will allow users to opt-in to a microblogging experience that isn't run by the company, allowing them to create an account under a given domain name and then use their profile in rival apps that use the same network.

Another advantage of the AT protocol is that it can operate based more on a user's preferences than algorithmically driven content, with user-curated feeds that people can use to find other users or topics, with customizable moderation tools also available to them.

AT will rival ActivityPub, the decentralized protocol powering Mastodon, and soon, Meta's Threads enabling interoperability between the two platforms. Later this month, Bluesky will also begin allowing outside developers to host their own servers on the AT Protocol and create their own rules.

In an interview with The Verge, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber said Bluesky's profit stream will eventually include charging users for additional features in its app, as well as taking a commission on purchases like custom feeds that developers will be able to sell as digital products.

The Bluesky Social app is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store [Direct Link].

Apple today released the first developer beta of visionOS 1.1 for the Vision Pro, and the update improves the look of Personas.

After installing visionOS 1.1, Vision Pro users are immediately prompted to recapture their Personas to get the "latest appearance updates" included in the update. Some users shared screenshots of their updated Personas in social media posts today, and the new versions generally appear to be more detailed and lifelike.

Apple still labels Personas as a "beta" feature on visionOS 1.1, and hopefully it will continue to improve the way they look over time.

As a refresher, Apple says a Persona is an "authentic spatial representation" of a person that shows their facial expressions and hand movements in real time. Personas fill in for you during video calls on the Vision Pro, since the headset covers your actual face. When you set up a Persona, your eyes are also captured for the EyeSight feature, which allows others to see a render of your eyes on the Vision Pro's outward display.

In a support document last week, Apple provided tips for capturing an ideal Persona.

An antitrust lawsuit that AliveCor filed against Apple back in 2021 will not proceed, with the judge overseeing the case today filing a summary judgment in Apple's favor.

The full ruling is under seal as of now due to confidentiality requests from Apple and AliveCor, but the filing makes it clear that the case went in Apple's favor and the Cupertino company was not found to have engaged in anticompetitive behavior.

AliveCor claimed that its "SmartRhythm" app that worked with its ECG KardiaBand was targeted several times by Apple for App Store rule violations, and then rendered non-functional with a change to the Apple Watch heart rhythm algorithm in watchOS 5.

When watchOS 5 launched, Apple introduced its heart rate neural network (HRNN) that improved heart rate calculations during workouts. AliveCor claimed that Apple changed the algorithm to impact the KardiaBand, and demanded that Apple continue to support the older, less accurate technology that worked with the SmartRhythm app.

AliveCor argued that the watchOS 5 changes were aimed solely at preventing third-party apps from identifying irregular heart rhythms, and that the update "eliminated competition" and deprived consumers of "choice for heartrate analysis." AliveCor was seeking damages and an injunction that would require Apple to "cease its abusive conduct" and continue to support the old heart rate algorithm.

Apple argued that AliveCor did not have the right to dictate Apple's design decisions, and that the request to support the older heart rate technology would require the court to be a day-to-day enforcer of how Apple engineers its products. The court ultimately agreed with Apple.

Apple in a statement to MacRumors said AliveCor's lawsuit attempted to challenge Apple's ability to improve the Apple Watch, with the company thanking the court for its decision.

"At Apple, our teams are constantly innovating to create products and services that empower users with health, wellness, and life-saving features. AliveCor's lawsuit challenged Apple's ability to improve important capabilities of the Apple Watch that consumers and developers rely on, and today's outcome confirms that is not anticompetitive. We thank the Court for its careful consideration of this case, and will continue to protect the innovations we advance on behalf of our customers against meritless claims."

AliveCor in a statement to MacRumors said that it is disappointed with the court's decision and will appeal.

AliveCor is deeply disappointed and strongly disagrees with the court's decision to dismiss our anti-competition case and we plan to appeal. We will continue to vigorously protect our intellectual property to benefit our consumers and promote innovation. The dismissal decision does not impact AliveCor's ongoing business; we will continue to design and provide the best portable ECG products and services to our customers.

Separately, the ITC's findings that Apple has infringed AliveCor's patents still stand. Both the ITC and U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) appeals will be reviewed at the Federal Circuit in the Northern District of California in the coming months. In other recent developments, the PTAB recently ruled in AliveCor's favor by instituting Inter Partes Review (IPR) of Apple's patents and a stay of Apple's countersuit.

AliveCor has also filed several patent infringement lawsuits against Apple, claiming that Apple copied its cardiological detection and analysis technology. These lawsuits are separate from today's antitrust decision.

Over the course of the last few months, Apple has been experimenting with different camera bump designs for the standard iPhone 16 models. We outlined three of Apple's prototype designs back in December, but now Apple has shifted focus once again.

Apple's latest prototype features a vertical camera arrangement with a pill-shaped raised surface, and we've created a series of mockups based on internal designs to help readers visualize the change.

The pill-shaped camera bump features two separate camera rings for the Wide and Ultrawide cameras, adopting some of the stylistic cues from earlier prototype designs. A vertical camera arrangement has remained consistent throughout the prototyping process, and Apple has not changed the position of the flash or the camera lenses with this latest update.

Our findings align with schematics recently shared by Majin Bu on social media website X. Bu's leaked images also feature the same updated design.

The latest camera look that Apple is experimenting with draws inspiration from older iPhone models, such as the iPhone X. The iPhone X also had a pill-shaped camera with a slim bump design. While Apple used a vertical camera for the iPhone 12 as well, it had a wider square bump that also housed the flash and microphone.

With the vertical camera layout, we are expecting Apple to bring Spatial Video recording to the base model ‌iPhone 16‌ and ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus models. Right now, the iPhone 15 models have a diagonal camera arrangement and are not able to capture spatial video, a feature that is so far limited to the iPhone 15 Pro models and the Vision Pro headset itself.

Apart from the updated camera bump design, more recent ‌iPhone 16‌ prototypes include slight modifications to the Action Button and Capture Button, as we reported previously. The latest prototype units feature a smaller Action Button, akin to the one used on iPhone 15 Pro, along with a pressure-sensitive Capture Button that sits flush with the frame of the device. While the camera bump design is largely a cosmetic update affecting the glass backplate, the change to the Action Button during the prototyping phase is more significant. Apple's updates suggest that it has scrapped its initial idea of bringing a capacitive Action Button to the ‌iPhone 16‌ range.

Note that what we've shared here is sourced from pre-production information, and it may not ultimately reflect the design of the final mass-production units that are released this fall. As we've seen with previous iPhone models, Apple creates multiple designs and hardware configurations as part of the development process, and the ‌iPhone 16‌ range is no exception. More tangible information will come to light as the devices move closer to the EVT (Engineering Validation Testing) phase of development.

For additional details on what to expect, check out our dedicated rumor roundup pages for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.

Eve Systems today announced that its Matter-enabled wall-in Eve Energy Outlet is available for purchase both from the Eve Store and from Amazon.

Announced back in December, the Eve Energy Outlet is able to replace any existing outlet in a single or multi-gang installation. It connects to a smart home setup using Thread, and has Matter integration.

There are two receptacles that can be controlled individually, and it offers advanced energy monitoring functionality so users can see how much energy devices are consuming. Energy monitoring is supported in the Eve app.

The Eve Energy Outlet is able to integrate with other HomeKit products thanks to Matter, so it can be used with automations and can be controlled through the Home app and through Siri.

The Eve Energy Outlet is priced at $50.

Cisco today announced the launch of a Webex video conferencing app designed for the Apple Vision Pro. The app is designed to provide an immersive meeting experience that fills the space around the user.

The Webex app supports Personas, allowing Vision Pro wearers to have a visual representation of themselves in video calls while wearing the headset, and it also works with spatial audio.

Webex for Apple Vision Pro takes full advantage of the powerful capabilities built natively into visionOS. After joining a Webex meeting, you can arrange individual participant videos and a separate shared content window that scale to life-size with intuitive pinch and drag gestures. You can use the infinite canvas of Apple Vision Pro to resize and re-arrange these windows, enabling you to collaborate without being bound by a fixed screen. Your persona is a dynamic, natural representation of your face and hand movements that allows others to see you in Webex while you're wearing Apple Vision Pro. With these flexible layouts, multitasking has never been better.

Webex features such as AI background noise removal, real-time translations, closed captions, and live polling are integrated into the app. Meetings can be transferred between the Vision Pro and the Mac or the iPhone by opening up the Webex app and tapping the join button.

Webex can be downloaded from the App Store on ‌Apple Vision Pro‌.

Apple last Friday launched the Vision Pro, its first new product category in nine years. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera spent the last several days wearing the Vision Pro and acclimatizing himself to the new operating system, gesture-based control, and feature set.

We asked MacRumors readers what they would most like to know about the Vision Pro, and Dan has a series of answers for those considering a purchase or those who simply want to know more about Apple's new device.

You'll want to watch Dan's video for his full range of answers, but he addresses topics like how much storage space is ideal, how it works when connecting the Vision Pro to a Mac and the Mac's peripherals, what the display quality is like using the headset as a Mac display, comfort and fit over time, the limitations of the passthrough AR view, spatial video, how guest mode works, speaker quality, and more.

Have other questions about the Vision Pro? Let us know in the comments below and we'll address them in a future video.

With today's visionOS 1.1 beta, there appears to be a new hardware-based option to reset the Vision Pro, allowing the device to be wiped and set up fresh should the user forget their passcode.

As of right now, there is no way to reset a Vision Pro outside of the Settings app, and the Settings app is inaccessible if you happen to forget your passcode. That means anyone that fails to remember their passcode will need to bring their Vision Pro in to Apple to have it wiped.

According to 9to5Mac, there is code in the visionOS 1.1 beta that allows the Vision Pro to be erased without the need to bring it to an Apple retail location.

There is a new system alert that lets the Vision Pro be reset after a certain number of failed attempts to enter a passcode.

This Apple Vision Pro is in security lockout. You can wait and try your passcode again, or you can erase and reset this Apple Vision Pro now.

Resetting the Vision Pro will wipe all content from the device, but as it has Activation Lock, it will not be able to be used by anyone except for the original owner with the Apple ID password used to set it up. After being wiped, the Vision Pro can be set up as new again with a new passcode added.

For Heart Month, Apple Watch owners can earn an award by completing a 30 minute workout to fill their Exercise ring on Wednesday, February 14, which is Valentine's Day.

This Valentine's day, it's all about heart. Close your Exercise ring on February 14 to get this award.

As with all of Apple's Activity Challenges, the Heart Month challenge will be accompanied by three awards that can be viewed in the Fitness app as well as a series of animated stickers that can be used in the Messages app.

To celebrate Heart Month, Apple also often provides themed content in the App Store, Apple TV app, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books.

If you have physical security keys set up for your Apple ID account, you can now sign in to iCloud on Windows, after updating the app to version 15 or later. Apple confirmed this change in a support document updated today.

Previously, signing in to iCloud for Windows was not an option whatsoever after turning on the Apple ID security keys feature.

Apple ID security keys support was introduced early last year with iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, and macOS 13.2. When the optional setting is turned on, signing in to an Apple ID requires entering the account's password and then using a FIDO-certified security key to complete two-factor authentication, instead of a traditional six-digit verification code from another Apple device. These security keys typically look similar to a USB thumb drive.

Apple says the feature is "designed for people who want extra protection from targeted attacks, such as phishing or social engineering scams." You should be extra careful if you turn on the feature, as you could be locked out of your Apple ID account permanently if you lose all of your trusted Apple devices and security keys.

Apple today released the first beta of an upcoming visionOS 1.1 update for developers, allowing developers to test new features ahead of the software seeing a public launch. This is the first beta version of visionOS software that Apple has made available since the headset launched last Friday.

The visionOS beta can be downloaded by going to the Settings app on the device and toggling on developer betas. A registered developer account is required, and Apple recommends making a backup before installing new software.

visionOS 1.1 brings Apple Device management to the Vision Pro. With this functionality, IT departments at companies and educational institutions can manage Vision Pro headsets in the same way they manage iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that Apple believes the Vision Pro will have a range of enterprise uses, from assisting in surgeries to managing warehouses and providing guides for complex mechanical work.

Apple's enterprise marketing head Jeremy Butcher told TechCrunch that the company wants to give businesses the tools they need to manage the Vision Pro at scale. "So the good news is we've got a lot of great technology to bring over to Vision Pro in that regard," he said. Device management on the Vision Pro will include managed Apple IDs, single sign-on, identity management, and security.

The visionOS 1.1 beta adds support for resetting the Vision Pro on device should the user lose their passcode, and according to Apple's release notes, users can now reposition volumetric scenes closer than before, enabling easier direct interaction with the volumetric scene content.

Apple may have also made some updates to the Persona feature in visionOS, as updating to the visionOS 1.1 beta requires the Persona to be redone. It is not yet clear what is improved, however.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the release of the first beta.

Registered developers can opt-in to the beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. Note that an Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.

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, and little else was found in the first beta.

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 betas to developers for testing purposes, with the updates coming two weeks after Apple seeded the first betas.

Registered developers are able to opt into the betas 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 Developer Beta. An Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

iOS 17.4 introduces sweeping changes to the way the App Store and apps operate in the European Union, paving the way for alternative app marketplaces, alternative payment systems, third-party browser engine support, and NFC access for banks and third-party payment providers. These features are limited to the EU, and won't be available in other countries.

There are, however, changes to gaming apps, and with the launch of iOS 17.4, Apple will be allowing cloud gaming apps like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce NOW. Mini games, chatbots, and plug-ins are also now able to use the in-app purchase system.

Along with these updates, iOS 17.4 adds new emoji characters, transcripts for podcasts in the Podcasts app, support for using SharePlay with the HomePod, Stopwatch Live Activities, and more. Full details on everything new in iOS 17.4 can be found in our iOS 17.4 features article.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 10.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a week after the release of the first watchOS 10.4 beta.

To install the ‌watchOS 10.4‌ update, developers need to open the Apple Watch app, go to the Software Update section under "General" in Settings, and toggle on the watchOS 10 Developer Beta. An Apple ID linked to a developer account is required.

Once beta updates have been activated, watchOS 10.4 can be downloaded under the same Software Update section. To install software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life and it must be placed on an Apple Watch charger.

watchOS 10.4 includes new emoji characters such as a lime, an edible brown mushroom, a phoenix, a broken chain, shaking head vertically (as in a "yes" nod), and shaking head horizontally (a "no" head shake).

There is also a Vision Pro setting to disable the Double Tap feature on Apple Watch, as the hand gestures might interfere.

Apple's new Vision Pro headset can serve as an external display for a Mac, letting you view and control your computer's screen in a visionOS window. The feature can currently be used with only a single Mac display, but analyst Ben Thompson today suggested that Apple has internally tested the ability to use multiple displays.

"I have heard through the grapevine that Vision Pro users at Apple headquarters can project two Mac screens," said Thompson, in his review of the headset.

Apple engineers have access to future visionOS versions, and feature flags that enable extra functionality, so this revelation is certainly believable. However, it's unclear if Apple plans to let the public use the feature with multiple displays.

For now, if your Mac has external displays connected to it, the Vision Pro only shows the main display that you have set in the Mac's System Settings app. While the Vision Pro is showing a Mac's display, the computer's built-in display and any external monitors that are connected to it appear black and cannot be used during that time.

The feature is compatible with any Mac running macOS Sonoma, but the maximum display resolution is limited to 3K for Intel-based Macs.

We're tracking a new record low price on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 today at Best Buy, available for $729.00, down from $799.00. Best Buy has a few models of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 at this best-ever price, including multiple Alpine Loops and Trail Loops.

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.

Shoppers should note that this sale will last today only, and many models have already sold out, so be sure to shop soon if you're interested. Amazon is matching the new best-ever price, with a focus on Trail Loop and Alpine Loop band styles as well.

We've been tracking a lot of Apple Watch deals so far in February, the latest focused on steep discounts on the Apple Watch SE. You can still get the 40mm GPS model for $189.00 and the 44mm GPS model for $219.00 right now on Amazon.

As of last month, a sales ban was reenacted in the United States on any Apple Watch model sold by Apple that has blood oxygen sensing. While Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models purchased directly from Apple currently come with blood oxygen sensing disabled, retailers like Amazon are able to continue selling through their existing stocks that include the feature.

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.