MacRumors

Apple Card has over 12 million users in the United States, with card holders earning more than $1 billion in Daily Cash rewards in 2023, Apple said today.

Daily Cash is earned with every purchase on the ‌Apple Card‌. Apple provides 3% cash back for Apple purchases and items bought from select partners like T-Mobile, Ace Hardware, Panera Bread, Walgreens, and Uber. All Apple Pay purchases with ‌Apple Card‌ earn 2% cash back, and all other purchases earn 1% cash back.

Apple delivers Daily Cash rewards every day, and ‌Apple Card‌ holders can choose to have it added to the Apple Cash card or they can or opt in to having their cash deposited in the Apple Savings Account that launched last year.

Apple says that the "vast majority" of ‌Apple Card‌ users have opted in to having their Daily Cash auto-deposited into Savings, and nearly two-thirds of users deposit additional funds from a linked bank account. The ‌Apple Card‌ offers an APY of 4.50 percent at the current time, which is on par with the high-yield savings accounts from many competing financial institutions.

Almost 30 percent of ‌Apple Card‌ customers make two or more payments per month, and more than a million ‌Apple Card‌ users share their ‌Apple Card‌ with their Family Sharing Group. Close to 600,000 users have added spouses, partners, or another trusted adult to their ‌Apple Card‌. For those with low credit scores who are not initially approved for an ‌Apple Card‌, Apple has a "Path to ‌Apple Card‌ Program." According to Apple, 200,000 users have been approved for an ‌Apple Card‌ after enrolling and following the program's personal steps.

It has been almost five years since the ‌Apple Card‌ launched in 2019, and ‌Apple Pay‌ VP Jennifer Bailey said that new tools and features will be coming to ‌Apple Card‌ holders "in the year ahead and beyond."

"We designed Apple Card with users' financial health in mind, and it's rewarding to see our more than 12 million customers using its features to make healthier financial decisions," said Jennifer Bailey, Apple's vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. "We're proud of what we've been able to deliver to Apple Card customers in just five years. As we look at the year ahead and beyond, we're excited to continue to innovate and invest in Apple Card's award-winning experience, and provide users with more tools and features that help them lead healthier financial lives."

Though ‌Apple Card‌ is approaching its five-year launch anniversary, Apple has not managed to expand it to countries beyond the United States.

Apple's relationship with ‌Apple Card‌ provider Goldman Sachs has also soured, and reports suggest that Apple and Goldman Sachs plan to end their partnership in the next 12 to 15 months. Goldman Sachs is planning to cut back on its consumer business, and the partnership with Apple will be entirely dissolved.

Apple will need to find another partner for the ‌Apple Card‌, but has said that it is focused on providing the best experience for customers. Interruptions to the ‌Apple Card‌ service are not expected, and there's as of yet no word on the financial institution that Apple might partner with to replace Goldman Sachs. The failure of the agreement between Goldman Sachs and the upcoming shift are likely to delay any behind-the-scenes plans that Apple has had to expand the ‌Apple Card‌ beyond the United States.

iPhone 16 models launching later this year will not have any "significant design changes," according to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo also said that Apple is unlikely to offer "more comprehensive" generative AI features until the iPhone 17 series launches next year at the earliest.

"It is expected that Apple will not launch new iPhone models with significant design changes and the more comprehensive/differentiated GenAI ecosystem/applications until 2025 at the earliest," wrote Kuo, in a blog post on Medium today.

Kuo believes foldable designs and generative AI features are two of the biggest trends for high-end smartphones right now, and he thinks iPhone shipments could decline in 2024 as a result of Apple not launching products focused on these areas yet.

One notable hardware change rumored for the iPhone 16 lineup is the addition of a so-called "capture" button for video-related actions. According to a recent report, the button will respond to pressure and touch. For example, the report said users will be able to zoom in and out in the Camera app by swiping left and right on the button, focus with a light press, and start a video recording with a more forceful press.

The higher-end iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models are also expected to feature larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, compared to 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Is a new button and a larger display significant or not? Ultimately, it's subjective.

Today we're tracking a couple of deals on iPhone accessories that you can find on Woot, including low prices on the MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger. Additionally, Amazon has steep discounts on FineWoven and Silicone Cases for iPhone 15 models.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Woot. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Both of the MagSafe Chargers in this sale are in brand new condition and come with a one year Apple manufacturer limited warranty. You'll find an estimated delivery between February 7 and February 12, although those dates may change depending on your location.

The highlight of the sale is the MagSafe Duo Charger for $79.99, down from $129.00. This beats the previous deal we tracked in January by about $20 and is a match for the best-ever price on the accessory. The MagSafe Duo Charger can simultaneously charge an iPhone via MagSafe and an Apple Watch.

Woot also has the MagSafe Charger for $29.99, down from $39.00. This is one of the first times in 2024 that we've tracked the charger down to nearly its all-time low price.

Of course, there are plenty of other deals in the Woot sale, including the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock for $34.99 ($44 off) and the Siri Remote with Lightning port for $44.99 ($14 off). You'll also find USB-C cables, previous generation Apple Watches, iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands, and more at a discount.

Finally, over at Amazon there is also a large collection of FineWoven and Silicone Cases on sale for the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. You can find these for as low as $21.70 right now on Amazon, and no coupon codes are required to get these deals.

• iPhone 15 FineWoven Case - $20.61, down from $59.00
• iPhone 15 Silicone Case - $25.99, down from $49.00
• iPhone 15 Plus FineWoven Case - $31.37, down from $59.00
• iPhone 15 Plus Silicone Case - $19.12, down from $49.00
• iPhone 15 Pro Silicone Case - $33.68, down from $49.00
• iPhone 15 Pro Max FineWoven Case - $51.99, down from $59.00
• iPhone 15 Pro Max Silicone Case - $35.16, down from $49.00

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

The first reviews and unboxing videos for the Apple Vision Pro were shared today ahead of the mixed reality headset's launch in the U.S. on Friday.

We have rounded up some of the videos below from well-known YouTube creators and reporters, including Marques Brownlee, Joanna Stern, and others.

Videos

Reviews

The Verge's Nilay Patel:

There are a lot of ideas in the Vision Pro, and they're all executed with the kind of thoughtful intention that few other companies can ever deliver at all, let alone on the first iteration. But the shocking thing is that Apple may have inadvertently revealed that some of these core ideas are actually dead ends — that they can't ever be executed well enough to become mainstream. This is the best video passthrough headset ever made, and that might mean camera-based mixed reality passthrough could just be a road to nowhere. This is the best hand- and eye-tracking ever, and it feels like the mouse, keyboard, and touchscreen are going to remain undefeated for years to come. There is so much technology in this thing that feels like magic when it works and frustrates you completely when it doesn't.

The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern:

Apple's headset has all the characteristics of a first-generation product: It's big and heavy, it's battery life sucks, there are few great apps and it can be buggy. And come on, have you seen what this thing thinks I look like?

Yet so much of what the Vision Pro can do feels sci-fi. I'm flicking apps all over my home office. I've got multiple virtual timers hovering over my stove. I'm watching holograms of my kid petting a llama. It's the best mixed-reality headset I've ever tried, way more advanced than its only real competition, the far cheaper Meta Quest Pro and Quest 3.

These companies know these aren't really the devices we want. They're all working toward building virtual experiences into something that looks more like a pair of regular eyeglasses. Until then, they're just messing with our heads.

CNET's Scott Stein:

The very first thing I noticed about the Vision Pro in my first demo was how good the displays were. The 4K-resolution-per-eye, micro-OLED display tech Apple uses is basically the "retina" moment for VR and AR. It's vivid, richly colored, HDR and just stunning. Not only is it good enough for movies -- something Apple is touting constantly -- but it's better than any TV in my house.

Tom's Guide's Mark Spoonaeur:

As for endurance, the Vision Pro's battery is rated for 2 hours of general use and 2.5 hours of video playback. In my testing of on and off use over 2 hours, the Vision Pro was down to about 60% and then down to 40% after another couple hours.

If you want to use the Vision Pro continuously, you can always just plug in the battery using the included USB-C power adapter. Competing mixed reality headsets like the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro have batteries built into the headset, which is more convenient, but they're also less powerful.

What's in the Box

Alongside the Vision Pro, the following accessories are included in the box:

• Light Seal
• Light Seal Cushion (Two Sizes)
• Solo Knit Band
• Dual Loop Band
• Front Cover
• Battery Pack
• Vision Pro Polishing Cloth
• 30W USB-C Power Adapter
• USB‑C Charging Cable

Apple also released an optional Vision Pro travel case for $199. It features compartments for the external battery pack, ZEISS optical inserts, fabric front cover, and additional accessories. Apple says the case has a fabric exterior with a polycarbonate protective layer, a soft microfiber inner lining, and a retractable handle.

Apple said the Vision Pro will launch in additional countries later this year.

Apple today shared the "Replay 2024" playlist with Apple Music subscribers, allowing you to start tracking all of the songs you've been streaming so far this year. Just like the past few years, this playlist ranks a total of 100 songs based on how many times you've listened to them.

"Replay 2024" will update every week with the newest order of your most-listened-to tracks. By the time 2024 ends, the playlist provides an overall look at your music history for the year.

Once you've listened to enough music to generate the playlist, you'll find it at the bottom of the Listen Now tab in ‌‌Apple Music‌‌ on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. There's also a more detailed version of the data tracking feature on Apple Music for the web, including most streamed artists and albums, and statistics for detailed play counts and hours listened.

Apple has been making its yearly Replay playlists available since 2019. Spotify Wrapped has been dominating this area of the music streaming business for a few years now, mainly thanks to its easily shareable infographics that come out in early December. In addition to Replay playlists, in 2022 Apple introduced a "Highlight Reel" feature with more statistics about each users' listening history at the end of the year.

Head to the ‌‌‌Apple Music‌‌‌ app or Apple Music on the web to add the Replay 2024 playlist to your library. If you haven't listened to enough music yet in 2024, the playlist may not appear in your ‌‌Apple Music‌‌ app. Once you do listen to more music, you should see your Replay 2024 playlist appear as usual in the Listen Now tab.

(Thanks, Guille!)

Post-apocalyptic open world action game Death Stranding is today officially available on iPhones, iPads, and Macs powered by Apple silicon.

Previously released on PlayStation 5 (2021) and PC (2022), the Director's Cut version for Mac was announced by legendary game creator Hideo Kojima at WWDC 2023 to showcase the potential gaming performance of Apple silicon. Apple subsequently teased an iPhone 15 Pro version at its "Wonderlust" iPhone event in September.

Gamers take on the role of Sam Bridges (played by Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead fame) as a courier tasked with delivering supplies to isolated colonies and reconnecting them via wireless network following a cataclysmic event known as the Death Stranding. Unfortunately for everyone, the event opens a doorway between the living and the dead, leading to grotesque creatures from the afterlife roaming a ravaged and desolate world.

MacRumors sister site TouchArcade has an updating review of the game, which supports iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max devices, as well as Macs running one of Apple's M-series chips.

Death Stranding Director's Cut is currently listed in the App Store at the promotional price of $19.99 (normal price $39.99). Note that this is a universal purchase giving players the iPhone 15 Pro, iPadOS, and macOS versions in a single purchase as well as support for cross-device progress syncing.

NHS App users in England can now collect medication from a pharmacy without having to contact a GP or health center to get a paper prescription, according to NHS Digital.

From today, patients in England can use the NHS App to view all their prescription details, order repeat prescriptions, and generate a barcode for medication collection. The barcode replaces the traditional paper slip given by doctors.

The national rollout follows a successful pilot in late 2023. Since then, over 1 million patients have used the app to view their prescriptions. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told the BBC the update would "ease pressures on our hardworking pharmacists and GPs - freeing up valuable time for patients and helping to cut waiting lists."

The new functionality allows patients to see the medication prescribed, the prescription type (repeat or one-off), and who the prescribing professional is. Patients who don't have a nominated pharmacy can generate a prescription barcode for collection. The app also now shows average local hospital waiting times for elective treatment, such as hip replacements.

Accessing Digital Prescriptions in the NHS App

1. Tap your health at the bottom of the screen
2. Select view and manage prescriptions.
3. Select Your approved prescriptions.
4. Tap the green button on the prescription you want to view.

NHS Digital says future developments for the service are now being explored, including prescription tracking to tell patients when medications are ready for collection.

Announced in 2018, the NHS Digital app allows more than 33 million registered users to view their health record from their GP and manage hospital appointments. The NHS app is available on iOS devices through the App Store, as well as on Android phones via Google Play.

Apple is "deeply concerned" that proposed changes to British surveillance legislation could give the U.K. government unprecedented powers to secretly prevent software updates from being released in any other country (via BBC News).

The UK government is planning to update the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), which came into effect in 2016 and allows the British Home Office to outlaw certain encrypted services by issuing something called a Technical Capability Notice (TCN).

Dubbed by critics as a "Snooper's Charter," the updated Act of Parliament could also allow the Home Office to decline security and privacy updates without telling the public.

The bill proposes changes including:

• Creating a new condition for the use of internet connection records to aid "target detection."
• Introducing an alternative, less stringent regulatory regime for the retention and examination of bulk personal datasets where individuals have little or no
  expectation of privacy (such as publicly available online telephone directories).
• A new notification requirement which can be issued to selected
  telecommunications operators requiring them to inform the government of
  proposed changes to their products or services that could negatively impact the current ability of agencies to lawfully access data.

Apple opposes the requirement to inform the Home Office of any changes to product security features before they are released, the requirement for non-U.K.-based companies to comply with changes that would affect their product globally, and having to take action immediately if requested to disable or block a feature without review or an appeals process.

"We're deeply concerned the proposed amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) now before Parliament place users' privacy and security at risk," said Apple in a statement.

"It's an unprecedented overreach by the government and, if enacted, the UK could attempt to secretly veto new user protections globally preventing us from ever offering them to customers."

In a July 2023 letter to the Home Office, Apple argued that the proposed changes "would suppress innovation, stifle commerce, and — when combined with purported extraterritorial application — make the Home Office the de facto global arbiter of what level of data security and encryption are permissible."

The company also said it would consider pulling services such as FaceTime and iMessage from the U.K. rather than compromise future security.

Earlier this month, civil liberties groups including Big Brother Watch, Liberty, Open Rights Group and Privacy International, issued a joint briefing opposing aspects of the bill.

The groups said the proposed changed could "force technology companies, including those based overseas, to inform the government of any plans to improve security or privacy measures on their platforms so that the government can consider serving a notice to prevent such changes."

"This would be effectively transforming private companies into arms of the surveillance state and eroding the security of devices and the internet," the groups added.

The proposed changes will be debated in the House of Lords on Tuesday.

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.

With the launch of the Vision Pro just days away, popular video collaboration service Zoom announced a Vision Pro app that is set to come out on Friday, February 2. The Zoom app for Vision Pro is meant to blur the lines of in-person and remote meetings to help teams feel more connected with one another.

The Zoom app will work on the "infinite canvas" of the Vision Pro, with the scalable interface able to be viewed in the real world or with a virtual backdrop. The app supports Personas, which are a spatial representation of the user in Vision Pro.

A Persona is created by using the cameras on the Vision Pro, and it serves as a stand-in for the user during video calls. Personas look like the user, and are able to gesture, speak, and react based on the facial and hand movements of the Vision Pro wearer.

With these features, Zoom users can expect to "feel like they are in the same room as their colleagues and customers" without the need for anything but the Vision Pro.

Later in the spring, the Zoom app will add support for sharing 3D files, with the files able to "come to life" on the Vision Pro. Team Chat integration is coming as well, and users will eventually be able to pin up to five Zoom participants anywhere in their physical space.

Pinned users will have their backgrounds removed, adding to the feel of multiple people being in the same room.

Zoom will be available from the Vision Pro App Store.

Apple has sold upwards of 200,000 Vision Pro headsets, MacRumors has learned from a source with knowledge of Apple's sales numbers. Apple began accepting pre-orders for the Vision Pro on January 19, so the headset has been available for purchase in the U.S. for 10 days.

Last Monday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that Apple had sold an estimated 160,000 to 180,000 Vision Pro units during the pre-order weekend for the device, so sales may have slowed somewhat since then.

Vision Pro headsets for launch day home delivery sold out within hours of pre-orders launching, and in-store pickup options followed shortly after, so it is no surprise that interest in the headset has started to wane somewhat after the initial rush of orders.

Media reviews for the Vision Pro are set to go live on Tuesday, and that could push more sales, plus there will likely be an uptick in purchases after actual consumers begin sharing hands-on experiences.

Kuo has warned that demand for the Vision Pro could taper off quickly because of the niche market for the device. The headset is priced at $3,500, which puts it out of range of many consumers. Rumors have suggested that Apple is prepared for a limited number of sales, due both to the high price of the Vision Pro and difficulty producing it.

Apple is expected to produce around half a million Vision Pro headsets, but whether it will sell that many remains to be seen.

iOS 17.4 introduces a small but useful change for the Clock app's Stopwatch function, adding the timer to Apple's Live Activities feature. When activated through the Clock app, the Stopwatch will now show up both in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen.

The ‌Dynamic Island‌ shows a small to-the-second timer, and the Lock Screen shows the full Stopwatch timer when the screen is being looked at. Pressing into the ‌Dynamic Island‌ shows options for pausing the Stopwatch or starting a new lap, with these controls also on the Lock Screen. After the Stopwatch is paused, swiping on it from the Lock Screen or tapping on the "X" in ‌Dynamic Island‌ will clear it.

Timers have worked with Live Activities since the feature launched with iOS 16, but the Stopwatch could only be viewed in the Clock app. The addition of Live Activities support will prevent users from activating the timer and then forgetting about it.

(Thanks, Hidde!)

Code discovered by MacRumors in the first beta of tvOS 17.4 suggests that Apple's work on "homeOS" is continuing behind the scenes.

Back in June 2021, Apple listed two job postings that mentioned homeOS, but deleted the term when it was noticed by the media. We've seen no sign of homeOS since, except for in the first tvOS 17.4 beta.

Apple's 2018 HomePod ran a modified version of iOS 11 when it launched, but Apple transitioned to using the tvOS platform for the ‌HomePod‌ with the release of ‌HomePod‌ Software 13.4. As part of its effort to develop an expanded smart home presence, Apple could eventually combine the tvOS and ‌HomePod‌ software in the future, potentially rebranding it as homeOS.

Apple is actively working on a new smart home display that would compete with the Echo Show, Meta Portal, and Google Nest Hub, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The smart home display is said to have an iPad-like design and a camera for FaceTime calls, and it is likely meant to mount to the wall and serve as a central console for smart home products. The device could also feature HomePod-like speakers, and if the product sees a release, it could be part of Apple's ‌HomePod‌ lineup.

There have also been rumors of a next-generation version of the HomePod with a display at the top of the device, and this product could come out as early as 2024. homeOS could refer to either the iPad-like home hub in the works, or the ‌HomePod‌ with a display, but it is also possible that it is neither of these.

A SharePlay feature for the HomePod added in tvOS 17.4 beta 1 further hints at Apple's work on a ‌HomePod‌ with a screen. The update adds a QR code to the Apple Music app on the TV, which can be scanned by others to start a SharePlay session right on the device. A ‌HomePod‌ with a display could feature a similar function.

tvOS 17.4 is expected to see a public release in March alongside iOS 17.4, and the timing is close to when Apple sometimes holds a spring event. We've heard rumors of an iPad refresh coming in late March, so given the homeOS mention in tvOS 17.4 and a possible upcoming event, we may not have too long to wait before learning more about Apple's homeOS plans.

The Apple Music service is malfunctioning for some users at the current time due to an ongoing outage that started at 1:20 p.m. Eastern Time. The "Home" or "Listen Now" tab is not loading in ‌Apple Music‌, and songs will not play.

On Mac, some tracks are providing an error message about the song being unavailable, and the ‌Apple Music‌ app is continually skipping through playlists trying to find a functional song. On iPhone, tapping play or selecting a song simply does not work.

According to Apple's system status page, ‌Apple Music‌ and the iTunes Store are both down. Apple says that users may be experiencing "intermittent issues" with the services.

Update: Apple says that the issue has been fixed as of 1:47 p.m. Eastern Time.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 10.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a week after the release of watchOS 10.3.

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).

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the release of macOS Sonoma 14.3.

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, but if we find anything new in the beta, we'll update this article.

Samsung came out with its 2024 flagship smartphone lineup in January, with the new devices competing directly with the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Samsung's high-end S24 Ultra adopts some Apple-like features like a titanium chassis and a 5X zoom lens, but it also has standout additions that set it apart. We have an S24 Ultra, and thought we'd see how one main feature compares to the iPhone 15 Pro Max -- the camera.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera (Apple's Wide lens is 50 megapixels), a 12-megapixel ultra wide camera (equal to Apple's), a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto lens, and a 50-megapixel 5x telephoto lens (Apple has a single 12-megapixel Telephoto lens). A higher pixel count equates to a higher resolution for printing and cropping in, but it doesn't necessarily make for better images because the size of the sensor is more important.

In the sample images, you'll see that there's not too much of a difference between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the S24 Ultra. The S24 Ultra is a little bit more saturated and the highlights are brightened, so the S24 images can look brighter in straight from the camera comparisons. The iPhone images tend to be sharper for the most part, but Samsung's algorithm works well for night mode images.

Samsung primarily focused on AI this year, so the S24 Ultra camera is almost identical to the S23 Ultra camera, but the telephoto lens is a major difference. Samsung ditched its 10x telephoto lens and opted instead for a 5x telephoto lens that more closely matches the 5x telephoto lens on the iPhone. Telephoto images are close to the same, but in Portrait mode, Samsung's photos come out crisper.

There are two telephoto lenses in Samsung's smartphone, so it supports up to 10x optical zoom, and Samsung has long had the edge when it comes to digital zoom. The S24 Ultra can zoom in up to 100x, and while the iPhone's digital zoom is good, it's not able to zoom in to that level.

On the topic of AI, Samsung added some AI-supported features for post processing. You can use generative fill to remove objects from images and change the crop, cut down on noise with remastering, add slow motion to any video, and record with both the front and rear-facing cameras at the same time. We may see camera-related AI additions on the iPhone 16 models or in iOS 18, but for now, Samsung has the edge when it comes to fun AI-based tools.

No smartphone is able to measure up to the iPhone when it comes to video quality because of its stabilization and resolution, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the closest competitor, and it has an edge when it comes to microphone quality. The S24 Ultra's microphone has great noise isolation and clarity, and the Cinematic mode looks nice, though Samsung's Cinematic mode overdoes it on the blur. 4K video is supported at 30 and 60fps, but not 24fps, which is problematic for those who want to shoot high-quality 24fps video. On iPhone, there is a setting for recording 4K video at 24fps.

As smartphone cameras get better and better, it gets more difficult to distinguish which smartphone takes superior images. Both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy Ultra S24 take excellent quality pictures, and it's impossible to pick an overall winner. We think these cameras are about on par.

Samsung and Apple are using different algorithms and processing for image capture and to make pictures look sharper in lower light, so you'll see some differences in brightness, white balance, saturation, and similar parameters, and "better" becomes a matter of preference.

Which images do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below.

For the past few weeks, some iPhone users have been unable to view the latest app reviews left by customers in the App Store. Specifically, affected users are only able to read reviews submitted up until January 16 this year.

It's unclear how widespread this issue is, but it seems to be very inconsistent, with recent reviews showing for some users and not for others depending on the app. We were able to reproduce the issue on iPhones in the U.S. and Canada, but not on an iPhone the U.K., while the Mac App Store does not appear to be affected whatsoever.

The issue was mentioned last week in a Reddit post spotted by Jeff Johnson, developer of the popular web browser extension StopTheMadness for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Johnson said he could see a review for his app submitted on January 20 in the App Store Connect developer tool, but he could not see it on the App Store.

Update — January 30: This issue appears to be fixed.

Samsung has a new sale on computer monitors this week, including a match of the all-time low price on the 27-inch ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor. You can get this display for $999.99 on Samsung's website, down from $1,599.99.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This is a massive $600 discount on the Smart Monitor, which features a matte 5K display, modular 4K SlimFit camera, and support for Thunderbolt 4. The monitor is a good (and cheaper) alternative to Apple's Studio Display. The last time we tracked this deal was in early December, so if you've been waiting for a solid markdown on the Samsung display, now is definitely the time to buy.

In addition to the ViewFinity display sale, Samsung has a few other monitor discounts right now. One of the steepest is on the 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 Curved Gaming Monitor, which is $500 off at $1,299.99 during this discount event. You can find more of these sales in the list below.

• 34-inch ViewFinity Monitor - $499.99, down from $599.99
• 34-inch ViewFinity Curved Monitor - $699.99, down from $799.99
• 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 Curved Gaming Monitor - $1,299.99, down from $1,799.99
• 57-inch Odyssey Mini-LED Curved Gaming Monitor - $1,999.99, down from $2,499.99
• 55-inch Odyssey Ark Mini-LED Curved Gaming Screen - $1,999.99, down from $2,999.99

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.