MacRumors

Google today previewed its next-generation Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which are set to launch later this year. These are Google's new flagship smartphones, with a redesign that includes a rear camera bar and tons of other new technologies.

Google's Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will be the first smartphones using Google's custom-designed Tensor SoC that was created specifically for the Pixel phones.

Google says that the Tensor chip is designed to process AI and ML models directly on the Pixel 6 phones, which will bring improvements to camera technology, speech recognition, and more. With the Tensor chip, Google says that voice commands, translation, captioning, and dictation will be much improved.

The Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch full-screen display with a 90Hz refresh rate, while the 6.7-inch Pixel 6 Pro has a 6.7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Both phones are larger than the 2020 Pixel 5, which was a 6-inch smartphone, and have an in-display fingerprint sensor and a Titan M2 security chip.

Each of the new smartphones is available in three color combos with a rear camera bar setup. The Pixel 6 Pro is equipped with wide, ultra wide, and telephoto camera lenses, and the telephoto lens has 4x optical zoom capabilities. The Pixel 6 lacks the telephoto lens, but both phones have an updated sensor that lets in 150 percent more light.

A Material You user interface will provide what Google says is a "fluid" experience for the colors, camera, and form factor of the new device.

Several sites, including Gizmodo, The Verge, and Business Insider were able to either test out the Pixel 6 or speak with Google executives about its capabilities, so those reviews are worth checking out for those who want to know more about Google's upcoming smartphones. The Verge has suggested that this is Google's first true attempt at a "competitive flagship phone."

Google has not yet provided a release date for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, but these new smartphones will directly compete with Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 lineup featuring the ‌iPhone 13‌, ‌iPhone 13‌ mini, ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro, and ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro Max.

Pricing is not yet available, but the Pixel 5 that came out last year cost $699, so Pixel 6 pricing could start at a similar level.

Apple is preparing for a slew of fall product launches according to new filings that showed up today in the Eurasian Economic Commission database. There are listings for new Mac and Apple Watch models, all of which have previously unknown model identifiers that indicate that they're upcoming devices.

There are six new Apple Watch identifiers, including A2473, A2474, A2475, A2476, A2477, and A2478. These are likely the new Apple Watch Series 7 models, which are running watchOS 8. Apple is working on new Apple Watch Series 7 models that could feature the first significant redesign that the Apple Watch has seen in several years with thinner bezels and updated display technology. We're also expecting a smaller S7 chip, and there's always the possibility of new health capabilities.

As for the Mac, the ECC database lists A2442 and A2485 as new machines, and these could perhaps be the new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models that are in the works and that are rumored to be launching before the end of the year.

The new MacBook Pro models are expected to have an updated Apple silicon chip (either an M1X or an M2), and a complete design overhaul. The new machines do away with the Touch Bar in favor of a standard row of function keys and they also readopt many ports that were abandoned in prior models, with Apple adding an SD card slot and an HDMI port, along with Thunderbolt 4 ports.

The new machines are expected to re-adopt MagSafe technology for charging purposes, and they're believed to have mini-LED displays.

There are also updated filings for the new iPhone models that were spotted in the database earlier this year. In June we saw several new ‌iPhone‌ model numbers including A2628, A2630, A2634, A2635, A2640, A2643, and A2645, all of which likely correspond to new iPhone 13, ‌iPhone 13‌ mini, ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro, and ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro Max devices. At the time, those devices were filed running iOS 14, but Apple has now updated the filing to note that the devices have iOS 15 installed.

We've heard endless rumors about the ‌iPhone 13‌, and though the upcoming iPhones won't be too different from the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models, we can expect features like a smaller notch, an upgraded A15 chip, 120Hz ProMotion displays, and camera improvements, with a full list of features available in our iPhone 13 roundup.

Apple is required to publish all products featuring encryption and/or cryptographic tools with the Eurasian Economic Commission, which is why these filings are popping up ahead of the fall product launches. Apple regularly registers new iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs in the ECC, and these unreleased product filings correspond with future device launches.

Rumors suggest we're going to see the new ‌iPhone 13‌ models and the Apple Watch Series 7 debut at a September event, while the new MacBook Pro models could come either in September or at a separate event in October.

The iPhone 13 is widely expected to come with Wi-Fi 6E capabilities, and while it may seem rather nuanced to the average consumer, with only improved speeds and being "up to date" in the realm of Wi-Fi technology, it's actually a fairly significant improvement, laying the groundwork for much of what we know the future holds.

To truly understand Wi-Fi 6E, MacRumors sat down for an exclusive interview with Kevin Robinson, senior vice president of marketing for the Wi-Fi Alliance, to discuss the new generation of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi's relationship with 5G, and what new experiences it will enable. The Wi-Fi Alliance is a group few have probably heard of, but as Kevin describes it, it's a crucial part of the Wi-Fi puzzle, consisting of a "who's who" in the connectivity space.

All of these companies come together with this common vision of connecting everyone in everything, everywhere. As I said, it really is the who's who in the connectivity space. And it includes everyone on the beat, from the core technology developers such as Qualcomm, Broadcom, Intel, etc. to the end product vendors such as Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, LG, and even service providers like Comcast, Charter, British Telecom, all find a home in Wi-Fi Alliance.

Wi-Fi is a technology that's present in the majority of technology products consumers buy and is one of the very few technologies itself that's universal. That universality means that all Wi-Fi devices must work together, even if from another brand or purchased in a completely different part of the world. That's where the Wi-Fi Alliance comes in with a program it calls Wi-Fi Certified. This program certifies devices for use with Wi-Fi, ensuring interoperability. In simpler words, the next time you go shopping for a router or other Wi-Fi-centric device and see a "Wi-Fi Certified" label, thank the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Traditionally, the name of every new release of a device, product, or technology includes a sequential increase in number, with the highest number being the latest and greatest. With Wi-Fi, that's only recently been the case. Before "Wi-Fi 6," Wi-Fi technologies were given names like 802.11b, n, or ax. The change to a sequential naming structure, according to Kevin, all boils down to making it easier for consumers to make the right decisions for their Wi-Fi needs.

Coming up with a generational naming approach was very critical in that it's very accessible and understandable to the average person who needs to know what is the latest Wi-Fi and for the industry to communicate what are the benefits associated with any given generation of Wi-Fi. There are characteristics, I think, that go along with each generation, and by having a very simple name, people are more likely to be able to associate those benefits with a given generation and ultimately make the best decision for them.

Knowing that, Wi-Fi 6 is still a fairly new technology. Released in 2019, it promises to offer users a more consistent, robust, and reliable Wi-Fi experience that works across a range of devices. Wi-Fi 6E, which on the surface is simply Wi-Fi 6 expanded into the 6-GHz range, was announced more recently in January of 2020.

Wi-Fi 6E builds on Wi-Fi 6, which includes a flexible approach to consumer Wi-Fi needs that ensures every device in a home, whether a smart TV streaming 4K content from Netflix or a small HomeKit-enabled sensor, gets the Wi-Fi performance that's right for that specific device.

Wi-Fi 6 is more deterministic, meaning you're getting a more consistent experience that works really well in dense environments. Because it's more efficient, it works well with multiple types of devices, all accessing the network at the same time and providing the level of service those devices need.

The biggest things are going to be high performance with multi-gigabit speeds that allow you to do things like stream high definition video, UHD video, mail with large file transfers, things like that. It delivers extremely low latency, which is something that's critical for gaming, where whether or not you have low latency determines whether it's maybe you losing the game or somebody else losing the game. But also critical for things like voice communications or VR where latency really feeds into the user experience and how you perceive VR.

Over the past year, Wi-Fi has skyrocketed in importance, with billions of people using it to live, work, and learn during the global health crisis. That increased reliance presented a challenge to Wi-Fi capacity, especially in densely populated areas. Wi-Fi 6E is designed specifically for this, where, thanks to the expansion into the 6-GHz range, the capacity of networks and routers has increased, along with performance.

Those additional benefits are an incredible increase in capacity. At a very high level, you have significantly more spectrum to operate with thanks to Wi-Fi 6E. You're going from one to maybe two 160 megahertz channels, and these are ultra-wide channels that allow very, very high performance. You get one or two of those in the five gigahertz band, depending on where you are. And you get up to seven of these super-wide channels in the 6-GHz band. It's critical when you're in, let's say, multi-dwelling units. Think of New York, Chicago and with high rise buildings around the planet; think of stadiums; that's where it becomes essential to have that additional capacity.

The bedrock of Wi-Fi 6E's creation is the realization that under previous technologies, there would not have been enough capacity for users. This similar realization is also a reason behind the rapid adoption of 5G, specifically 5G mmWave, which aims to deliver high performance in densely populated areas.

We were simply approaching a scenario where there would not have been enough spectrum and capacity for people to do everything they wanted to do, and what we envision happening over Wi-Fi. You would have been contending with your neighbor's network; even in a suburban setting, I see three, four, or five networks around me. Now, you take that into a dense city area and it becomes a much bigger problem. So it was essential for maintaining the experience over the long term of what you're gonna get from Wi-Fi 6E.

Even with the increased reliance on Wi-Fi, the significant jump in capacity presented by Wi-Fi 6E seems, to the average consumer, almost overkill. I asked Kevin why, let's say, a family of four would need to take advantage of Wi-Fi 6E when it may be excessive for their needs.

I think what often gets overlooked is that as people are in increasingly dense environments, even suburbia, you have smaller land plots between single-family homes, and as people are increasingly moving into more urbanized areas, it's not just about the performance, let's say, that your family of four needs. But also because you are sharing [Wi-Fi] on this unlicensed spectrum with those that are around you. By adding this additional spectrum of Wi-Fi 6E, it means that, if I'm in an apartment complex, I have people on all four sides of me, and I have similar people above and below me kind of on all four sides, all using a shared resource. So again, it's important to understand that you still benefit by having more spectrum capacity and that you are going to get the performance that the technology can support without contending as much with those around you.

The technologies inside of routers and supported products only write half the story, the other half comes from internet service providers. I asked Kevin where ISPs fall into this grander scheme of our Wi-Fi world. Specifically, why should users invest in Wi-Fi 6E compatible devices if their ISPs cannot take advantage of them?

Kevin tells me that ISPs play a "very active" role in the Wi-Fi Alliance and that service providers who are on the "leading edge" wanting to deliver the best possible experience for their customers will take advantage of Wi-Fi 6E and all it has to offer.

I ended our conversation with a rounded question about the thinking behind Wi-Fi as a whole. Current measurement metrics for an average user include whether a TV show buffers or how long it takes to download a movie. My curiosity resides in where that mentality will be in 10 to 15 years; what arbitrary unit of measurement will we use to classify Wi-Fi speeds in the future?

The answer is that many things will be the same; content streaming and so forth will stay around. However, Kevin's main point is that consumers won't be as concerned over speeds as they're concerned over experiences, specifically virtual reality. Kevin believes that we're heading towards a future where Wi-Fi plays a more integral role in the immersion of VR experiences, rather than a focus on purely offering users high-speeds.

"Oh, well, that I [downloaded] all my contents and all my files in a matter of seconds stuff. That's amazing, right?" But then it's also going to be in experiences that are not so much like, "Oh, this happened in a few seconds," but rather, this VR experience is completely immersive; it is as close to reality as I can imagine, it's responsive, even though the person I'm interacting with is on the other end of the country, or, I'm using a game and I again, just cannot distinguish it from reality. And all of those experiences are going to rely on very high-performance Wi-Fi.

To me, Wi-Fi 6E is fundamental long-term in two ways. More and more people are using smart home devices, and in the Apple world, HomeKit-enabled devices. In a bubble, a single home has smart home products with laptops, smartphones, and more. Wi-Fi 6, and more so Wi-Fi 6E, is future-proofing Wi-Fi for a wide range of current and future devices.

Secondly, Wi-Fi 6E and how it plays a role in VR and AR seems to be one of the clearest reasons Apple could bring it to the ‌iPhone 13‌ later this fall. Apple builds on technologies it places into its products, and as the company continues its development on "Apple Glasses," the inclusion of Wi-Fi 6E and all of the benefits of high-speed, optimized, high-load Wi-Fi seems like a clear step in enabling future VR/AR experiences.

Apple has leaped from third to first place for profit and from twelfth to sixth place for revenue in the Fortune Global 500 rankings of the world's biggest companies.

After reaching a record high of $33.3 trillion in last year's rankings, total revenue for the world's biggest companies fell 4.8 percent to $31.7 trillion this year. Even so, the combined sales of all of the companies on the list are equal to over one-third of global GDP. Walmart was again the world's largest company, for the eighth consecutive year.

Apple's revenue is reported as $274.515 billion, of which $57.411 billion is profit. This is a moderate increase from last year, when the company's revenue was reported to be $260.174 billion, of which $55.256 billion was profit. Apple is also estimated to now have 10,000 more employees than it did last year, climbing to approximately 147,000.

Apple is now the most profitable company in the world according to the Fortune 500, followed by Saudi Aramco with $49.287 billion, SoftBank Group with $47.053 billion, and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China with $45.783 billion. For revenue, Apple is now only surpassed by Walmart, State Grid, Amazon, China National Petroleum, and Sinopec Group.

The pandemic created challenges and opportunities for Apple. CEO Tim Cook had to close stores and send home engineers. But with Apple customers worldwide working and learning from home, iPad and Macintosh computer sales skyrocketed to their highest levels ever. And fiscal-year revenue hit an all-time record too, of $275 billion. That helped Apple's stock price soar; it gained 80.7% in 2020. As that year wound down, regulators fixed their sights on Apple for potentially abusing its power over the iOS app store. A House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee report in October concluded that Apple "exerts monopoly power" in its app store to harm competition and increase prices for consumers. Meanwhile, testimony in an antitrust lawsuit filed by Fortnite developer Epic Games will likely increase pressure on legislators to limit Apple's power.

Apple has ranked in the Fortune Global 500 top 20 since 2013. In June, Apple ranked third in the Fortune 500 list of America's largest companies. Apple has now ranked in the top five for eight consecutive years.

The company recently reported record third fiscal quarter revenue of $81.4 billion and net quarterly profit of $21.7 billion, which corresponds to the second calendar quarter of this year.

YouTube is piloting a new cheaper subscription tier in Europe called "Premium Lite," which offers ad-free viewing minus YouTube Premium's other features.

First spotted by a user on ResetEra and subsequently confirmed by Google, the "Lite" plan means users who aren't interested in offline downloads or background playback can still enjoy YouTube videos on web and mobile app without being interrupted by ads.

A YouTube spokesperson told The Verge:

"In Nordics and Benelux (except for Iceland), we're testing a new offering to give users even more choice: Premium Lite costs €6.99/month (or local equivalent per month) and it includes ad-free videos on YouTube."

A standard YouTube Premium plan costs around €11.99/£11.99 a month in Europe and $11.99 in the United States, and includes ad-free viewing on web, mobile app, smart TVs and consoles, as well as ad-free YouTube Music listening, background playback, and offline downloads.

As The Verge notes, the "Lite" option costs around 60% of the price of a Premium plan but only offers a quarter of the features. However, YouTube says that the subscription plan is still in an experimental phase, and that it could still roll out more plans to gauge user feedback.

An Intel executive appears to have unintentionally leaked details of Thunderbolt 5, the next-generation hardware interface protocol that is yet to have been officially announced by Intel.

The details appeared Sunday in a tweeted photo, since deleted, by EVP and GM of Intel's Client Computing Group, Gregory Bryant, who was documenting his visit to Intel's R&D labs in Israel.

As outlined by AnandTech, the photo from a Thunderbolt-related tour revealed a poster on a lab wall with the words "80G PHY Technology," suggesting TB5 connectivity will support up to 80 Gb/s throughput, or double the bandwidth of existing Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 connections.

The poster also includes the sentence "USB 80G is targeted to support the existing USB-C ecosystem," implying that Intel intends to run the extra bandwidth through the same USB-C interface connector.

A more technical reference in the poster appears to refer to a new PAM-3 (Pulse Amplitude Modulation) implementation that would make use of a 3-bit data signal, allowing TB5 to achieve a higher bandwidth than that allowed in the more standard non-return-to-zero (NRZ) and PAM-4 implementations seen in existing connectivity protocols.

Intel launched Thunderbolt 4 last year and several TB4 accessories have been available for some time, but Apple's latest Macs and iPad Pro models still only support Thunderbolt 3. However, while TB4 offers more power and utility and is backwards compatible, it doesn't deliver any bandwidth increase over the maximum 40 Gb/s of Thunderbolt 3, so the step up to Thunderbolt 5 with its doubled maximum throughput could be significant.

The practical upshot of these innovations could mean, for example, TB5 supporting higher refresh rates for 4K and 8K monitors while providing backward compatibility with older Thunderbolt and USB connections.

Whether Intel Thunderbolt 5 will be officially launched – and supported by future Apple devices – is unclear at this time, but the unintentional leak at least provides a peak into where Intel might take the interface protocol in the future.

For future iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, Apple plans to use smaller internal components in an effort to increase the size of the device's battery, according to DigiTimes.

Specifically, Apple plans to "significantly increase the adoption" of IPDs or integrated passive devices for the peripheral chips in its products. These news chips will be slimmer in size and allow for higher performance while also taking up less internal space inside a device, allowing for larger batteries.

Apple is expected to significantly increase the adoption of IPD (integrated passive devices) for new iPhones and other iOS products, providing robust business opportunities for manufacturing partners TSMC and Amkor, according to industry sources.

Peripheral chips for iPhones, iPad and MacBook series are going slimmer with higher performance to allow more space for larger-capacity battery solutions for the devices, with the demand for IPDs to grow sharply in line with the trend, the sources said.

The report doesn't note when specifically these new smaller chips will debut, but it does note that Apple has approved TSMC's 6th-generation process to mass-produce IPDs for new iPhones and iPads.

Alleged battery capacities of the upcoming iPhone 13 lineup, leaked earlier this year, signaled that the upcoming iPhones will feature larger batteries. Schematics previously seen by MacRumors also revealed that the new iPhones will be thicker, making room for the larger batteries.

Although the 2021 iPhones aren't mentioned in today's report, it's reasonable to assume that new IPD chips, coupled with an increase in thickness, provide Apple with the freedom to increase battery size thanks to free internal space. The new larger batteries are rumored to be put to good use thanks to more advanced displays in the upcoming high-end iPhones.

The Australian government has introduced support for adding COVID-19 vaccination digital certificates to Apple Wallet via the Express Plus Medicare app on iOS.

As spotted by Tap Down Under, users who have received two doses of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine now have access to the digital certificate through their Medicare online account or via the Medicare app, downloadable as a PDF or by using the "Add to Apple Wallet" option.

The front of the digital certificate includes the user's date of birth, document number, and the "valid from" date, which indicates the date the second dose was received. The back of the pass includes the individual's Healthcare Identifier, what vaccine was received, and the date of both doses.

The Australian digital certificate is official proof of COVID-19 vaccination should it become needed domestically or for travel, and is separate from any other immunizations the individual may have received. The certificate is similar to digital passes generated by some other government apps, such as the UK's NHS COVID pass scheme.

Models of the Apple Watch Series 6 with titanium cases part of the "Apple Watch Edition" collection is currently widely unavailable for pick-up in several of Apple's retail stores in the United States and is unavailable entirely for delivery in major markets.

Noted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, titanium models of the Apple Watch Series 6, which starts at $799, is currently listed as unavailable in the US and other major markets for pick-up in retail stores and delivery. Apple hasn't stated the Apple Watch Edition for the Series 6 is being discontinued; however, with less than two months before the Apple Watch Series 7 is released, Gurman hypothesizes what the latest shortage could mean.

Apple hasn't said that the Apple Watch Edition is discontinued, so here's my theory. With just weeks to go until the next version of the Apple Watch, Apple has nearly run out of the titanium models. Given the high price point, Apple probably only made a small amount expecting they wouldn't sell very well. They likely stopped manufacturing them months ago and are finally running out of supply.

We'll see if Apple chooses to keep titanium for the Apple Watch Series 7, but it wouldn't surprise me if the company ditched the pricier Edition material, as it did in the past with both ceramic and real gold. Seriously, what's the point of spending $800 or more on a watch that will be outdated in one year and nonfunctional in under five?

As Gurman points out, Apple previously sold, then ended the selling of "Apple Watch Edition" models with ceramic and gold. Apple may also decide to end the titanium Apple Watch models later this fall.

This week saw an interesting range of Apple news and rumors, including a blockbuster earnings report, rumors about next year's "iPhone 14" and Face ID coming to Macs, and more.

Other popular topics included Apple's crackdown on leaks, changes in the latest round of betas for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, and several stories involving Tesla CEO Elon Musk, so check out our video above and read on below for all of the details!

Face ID Expected to Come to Mac Within a 'Couple of Years'

While it has been nearly four years since Face ID debuted on the iPhone X, the facial recognition feature has yet to expand to the Mac. However, that could change in the not too distant future, as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week said Face ID is coming to the Mac within a "couple of years."

Gurman believes that Apple's ultimate goal is to shift most of its product lineup to Face ID, including lower-end iPhone models such as the iPhone SE and the iPad Air, both of which currently feature Touch ID.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Takes Shots at Apple During Earnings Call

In an earnings call this month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made some pointed comments about Apple's so-called "walled garden" and the company's use of the rare-earth element cobalt, which has been associated with human rights issues like forced child labor and environmental concerns near mining sites.

Later in the week, Musk came out to publicly back Epic Games in its dispute with Apple, calling Apple's App Store "a de facto global tax on the Internet."

In crazier Musk news, a new book about Tesla claims that Musk demanded he be named Apple CEO in a brief phone discussion with Tim Cook about a potential acquisition of Tesla by Apple. Musk has denied the claim, saying that he and Cook have never even spoken or written to each other.

Apple Reports 3Q 2021 Results: $21.7B Profit on $81.4B Revenue, New June Quarter Records

Apple this week announced financial results for the third fiscal quarter of 2021, which roughly covered the months of April through June. For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $81.4 billion and net quarterly profit of $21.7 billion, or $1.30 per diluted share, shattering June quarter records for the company.

Apple saw strong performance across its product and services segments, but CEO Tim Cook says the company is expecting supply constraints to affect iPhone and iPad shipments during the current quarter.

Apple Demands Leaker Reveals Sources Under Threat of Being Reported to Police

It was recently reported that Apple sent letters to several prominent leakers asking them to immediately stop sharing information about unreleased products, or else face legal action, and further details about the letter have emerged this week.

First, it was reported that Apple demanded that leakers reveal any sources who provided them with information about Apple products that were not publicly available, and Apple also said that the leaks could mislead third-party case/accessory makers.

iPadOS 15 Gains macOS Monterey's Redesigned Safari Tab Interface

The fourth beta of iPadOS 15 that was released this week introduces tweaks to Safari, with the browser's layout now mirroring the updated design that was introduced in the third beta of macOS Monterey.

Apple also seeded a fourth beta of macOS Monterey to developers this week and this version enables the new Live Text feature on Intel-based Macs, whereas the feature was previously exclusive to Macs with the M1 chip.

iPhone 14 Pro Said to Feature Tougher Titanium Design

Next year's so-called "iPhone 14" lineup is expected to feature high-end models with a new titanium alloy chassis design, according to a recent investor note shared by investment banking firm JPMorgan Chase.

The investor note said the use of titanium alloy will be one of the biggest changes to the casing design of the 2022 iPhone models, and Foxconn will supposedly be the exclusive manufacturer of the titanium frames for the devices.

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.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Telegram Messenger has received a major update to its video capabilities, including support for video calls with up to 1,000 viewers.

Group video calls in Telegram allow up to 30 users to stream video from both their camera and their screen, and now a maximum of 1,000 people can tune into the broadcast. Telegram says it intends to continue increasing this limit "until all humans on Earth can join one group call."

Meanwhile, video messages now have a higher resolution, and any audio playing on the user's device will keep playing when a message is being captured so that it's included in the recording.

In addition, users can now tap on a video message to expand it in the conversation thread. Tapping on an expanded video message initially pauses it, and it's also possible to fast-forward and rewind the message.

Elsewhere in this update, the media player now supports multiple video playback speeds, screen sharing has been added to one-on-one calls, the in-app camera supports all zoom levels a device is capable of, and the media editor includes new tools to illustrate photos and videos with drawings, text, and stickers.

Several other smaller tweaks and improvements have made it into this bumper update, and Telegram has further details in its latest blog post. Telegram is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Since introducing the unified Find My app, Apple has been working to improve the ‌Find My‌ experience. iOS 15 brings some major new features to ‌Find My‌, including features like live locations and the ability to track an iPhone even after it's been erased or powered off.

This guide covers everything that Apple added to the ‌Find My‌ app in iOS 15.

Live Locations

When you track a friend or a family member using the ‌Find My‌ app, it now shows continuous streaming updates on their location rather than updating with a new location every few minutes.

Apple says that this feature is designed to provide an immediate sense of speed, direction, and progress when you're looking at someone's location.

Locate Lost Devices That Are Off

Devices that have been turned off can still be tracked by the ‌Find My‌ network in iOS 15. If a device was low on battery power or turned off by a thief, it can still be found when it's close to another Apple device.

The ‌Find My‌ network is a feature that Apple introduced with iOS 13, and it enabled Apple devices to be located even without a WiFi or cellular connection by leveraging other nearby iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

In iOS 15, Apple has extended the ‌Find My‌ network to work with devices that are turned off as well. Apple has not outlined just how this feature works, but either the U1 chip, Bluetooth, or NFC continues to be powered in the background even when your device is off or out of battery, though in the case of battery, tracking may last a limited number of hours.

Apple has a similar feature for Car Keys that uses NFC, and it lasts for about five hours after an ‌iPhone‌'s battery dies. In this case, it lets you continue to unlock your car if your ‌iPhone‌ is dead.

For this feature to work, the ‌Find My‌ network feature must be enabled. It's on by default, but you can double check by going to your profile, tapping on ‌Find My‌, selecting ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌, and then making sure "‌Find My‌ network" is toggled on.

• How to Help Return Lost Find My Items
• iOS 15.2 Beta: How to Use Find My to Locate Items That Can Track You

Locate Lost Devices That Have Been Erased

If someone steals your ‌iPhone‌ and then erases it, in iOS 15, it's still going to show up in the ‌Find My‌ app, and it will be trackable even after it's been wiped.

The feature is tied to Activation Lock, which prevents someone from using your ‌iPhone‌ without your Apple ID and password. In iOS 14 and prior iOS updates, erasing a device would leave Activation Lock on so no one could use your ‌iPhone‌ without your password, but erasing a device did prevent ‌Find My‌ from functioning.

A wiped ‌iPhone‌ would not show up in the ‌Find My‌ app, but now, erasing an ‌iPhone‌ no longer works that way. If Activation Lock is on (i.e., it wasn't wiped using your username and password to disable Activation Lock), it's tied to your account and locatable using ‌Find My‌.

Combined with the feature for tracking a device that's turned off, the ‌Find My‌ app serves as a much stronger theft deterrent.

To prevent someone from being tricked into purchasing a device that's tied to your account, the Hello screen will make it clear that the device is locked, locatable using ‌Find My‌, and the property of someone else.

Separation Alerts

With Separation Alerts, the ‌Find My‌ app can let you know if an ‌iPhone‌ or iPad is left behind by alerting you on one of the other devices with you.

Separation Alerts work for AirTags and for third-party accessories that integrate with the ‌Find My‌ network, so if you leave a wallet or a MacBook behind at a cafe after you walk out with your ‌iPhone‌, your ‌iPhone‌ will let you know.

Separation Alerts can be toggled on in the ‌Find My‌ app and need to be turned on for each individual item that you own. You can also set exceptions, so if you leave something behind at home on purpose, you won't get an alert.

• How to Get Notified If You Leave an AirTag or Apple Device Behind

Find My for AirPods

For AirPods Max and AirPods Pro, the ‌Find My‌ network is able to deliver an approximate location if these items become lost.

AirPods have always shown up in the ‌Find My‌ app, but until now, functionality has been limited. In iOS 14 and earlier versions of iOS, ‌AirPods Pro‌ and Max show up in ‌Find My‌, but if they're out of Bluetooth range of your own devices, you only see their last known location.

With the ‌Find My‌ network, ‌AirPods Pro‌ and ‌AirPods Max‌ can communicate with the Apple devices of others, which lets you track them even when they're out of range of your own devices.

You can get an approximate location using this method, and Apple says it is designed to help you get within Bluetooth range so you can activate the Play a Sound feature to track them down. According to Apple, this feature will be coming in an update to iOS 15 that will be released later in the year.

Find My Widget

There's now a ‌Find My‌ widget that you can add to the Home screen or the Today View to track items at a glance without having to open up the ‌Find My‌ app.

Widgets come in two sizes, small and medium, and can be used to track People or Items. The People feature tracks your friends and family members who have location sharing enabled, and the Items widget tracks your AirTag items and third-party accessories that use the ‌Find My‌ network.

Tapping on either ‌Find My‌ widget opens up the full ‌Find My‌ app.

Find My on iPad and Mac

The changes in this guide are applicable to the ‌iPhone‌, but on the ‌iPad‌, there's support for Separation Alerts, the ‌Find My‌ Widget, and live locations for family and friends.

Macs with macOS Monterey support the ‌Find My‌ widget and for live locations for family and friends. Offline tracking and tracking for erased devices are features limited to ‌iPhone‌.

Guide Feedback

Have questions about ‌Find My‌ in iOS 15, know of a feature we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.

"Unicorn Hunters," a YouTube and Facebook show starring Apple-cofounder Steve Wozniak and singer Lance Bass as judges, is aiming to make its way to television, reports Variety.

The show aims to find "unicorn" companies, which are startups able to reach a $1 billion valuation. A panel of investors called the "Circle of Money" serve as judges on the show, in a format that's similar to "Shark Tank." Circle of Money members include Steve Wozniak, Lance Bass, Moe Vela, Silvina Moschini, Alex Konanykhin, Scott Livingston, and Rosa Rios.

Unicorn is the name given to startup companies with a valuation of over one billion dollars. If you spot one and invest in it at an early stage, you could potentially earn enormous returns on your investment.

No one has the ability to predict which companies will ultimately become Unicorns, but Unicorn Hunters offers you a front-row seat to hear the pitch from businesses that have what it takes to become one.

With Unicorn Hunters, you "discover" private startups at the same time as our Panel of Experts, and you get an equal shot at investing in these very promising companies before they go big.

The Circle of Money can opt to invest in a show, but there is also a crowd funding component as audience members can opt in to be "hunters" to invest in private startups at the same time as the experts.

Four episodes of the first season of "Unicorn Hunters" with Steve Wozniak were filmed earlier this year and debuted online, but the show's producers and its stars want to transition from online to television and are seeking distribution both in the United States and internationally.

There is no word on which television companies might be interested in the show at the current time. Companies on the show so far include Far UV Technologies, fitness company Forte, Starton Therapeutics, Introimmune Therapeutics, and Carbon Connect. The initial episodes can be watched on the Unicorn Hunters website.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Harber London to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an Everyday Leather Briefcase and a matching Magnetic Envelope Sleeve for either the MacBook or the iPad.

Harber London makes a range of attractive, quality leather accessories designed for Apple devices, including multiple bag and briefcase options. The Everyday Briefcase is a sleek, high-quality bag that's ideal for carrying a Mac or an iPad.

Priced at GBP289.00 (~$400), the Everyday Briefcase can fit a 13 to 16-inch laptop or a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard attached, so it's ideal for all of Apple's Mac and ‌iPad‌ offerings. There are two sizes. The medium version has a 5.6L capacity, while the larger version has a 7.5L capacity.

The Everyday Briefcase is constructed from a full grain leather and handmade in Spain, with color options that include tan, deep brown, and black. Given the nature of the material, the Everyday Briefcase will age with a unique patina over time, and it will look even more refined with use.

Inside the Everyday Briefcase, there's a specially padded laptop compartment with double padding to keep a Mac or an ‌iPad‌ safe from bumps and scratches. In addition to the laptop compartment, there's a dedicated charger pocket, slots for cords, chargers, and pens, and more, plus pockets for notebooks, and a carry strap with a custom made buckle. There's also a bonus magnetic keychain that lets you dock your keys inside your bag and then take them out again when they're needed.

To go along with the Everyday Briefcase, Harber London is offering one of its Magnetic Envelope Sleeves, available for both Apple's MacBooks and Apple's iPads. There are sleeves sized to fit the full range of Mac notebooks and all of the modern ‌iPad‌ options.

At GBP89.00 (~$124), the Magnetic Envelope Sleeve is an ideal solution for protecting an ‌iPad‌ or Mac when the device is inside of another bag or when being carried. The Envelope Sleeves come in tan and black colors to match the Everyday Briefcase, and are made from a dense and soft protective wool material with a leather topper. There's a built-in charge through system for charging a device while it's inside the sleeve, and the name comes from the magnetic flap that keeps everything locked in place when you're on the go.

We have one Everyday Briefcase and one Magnetic Envelope Sleeve available for a lucky MacRumors reader. The winner will be able to choose the size of the briefcase and their preferred sleeve, as well as their favorite color option.

To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (July 30) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on August 6. The winner will be chosen randomly on August 6 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter today to criticize Apple's App Store fees in a tweet that sides with Epic in the ongoing Epic v. Apple dispute.

"Epic is right," wrote Musk, before going on to call Apple's ‌App Store‌ fees a "de facto global tax on the Internet."

Musk earlier this week made veiled comments about ‌App Store‌ fees, but today's statement is a much more direct criticism.

During Tesla's earnings call, Musk said that Tesla was planning to let other companies use its charger network because Tesla does not want to "create a walled garden" and use that to "bludgeon" competitors. Musk said that this is a tactic used by "some companies," and then he fake coughed and said "Apple."

Epic Games launched a major dispute with Apple in August 2020, defying the ‌App Store‌ rules and getting popular game Fortnite removed from the ‌App Store‌. After that, ‌Epic Games‌ launched a planned lawsuit to call out Apple's ‌App Store‌ fees and restrictions.

Apple and ‌Epic Games‌ went to trial earlier this year, and we're waiting to hear the outcome. ‌Epic Games‌ is aiming for alternate app store or app loading options, while Apple wants to maintain the status quo.

Musk has clashed with Apple over the years due to employee poaching issues, but this is the first time he's directly spoken out about Apple's ‌App Store‌ policies. Tesla does not have a paid app in the ‌App Store‌ and is not impacted by fees.

Musk also took to Twitter today to deny claims that he'd once asked to be the CEO of Apple. A new book says that Musk once called Cook about a potential Apple acquisition of Tesla. The book claims that Musk asked to be CEO of Apple, at which point Cook said "F-- you" and hung up the phone.

According to Musk, he has never spoken or written to Cook, and while there was one point where he requested a meeting with Cook about a potential acquisition, Cook refused to meet. Cook has also said that he has never spoken with Musk.

While the iPad has long been the world's most popular tablet, newly published market research helps put Apple's lead into perspective.

According to estimates shared by research firm IDC, Apple shipped 12.9 million iPads in the second quarter of 2021. By comparison, IDC estimated that Samsung and Amazon shipped a combined 12.3 million tablets in the quarter, suggesting that Apple shipped more tablets than Samsung and Amazon did combined in the quarter.

A big caveat is that Apple no longer reports iPad unit sales in its earnings results, forcing IDC to estimate shipments based off the iPad quarterly revenue number that Apple does share. As a result, other research firms like Strategy Analytics and Canalys have different iPad shipment numbers for the second quarter, but it doesn't change the narrative, as both have Apple with a significant lead over Samsung and Amazon.

iPad sales continued to surge last quarter as many people continue to work, learn, and communicate with others remotely. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the ‌iPad‌ had its best June quarter in nearly a decade, with the company reporting iPad revenue of $7.4 billion in the quarter, a significant increase over $6.6 billion in the year-ago quarter.

The launch of a new iPad Pro with an M1 chip and a mini-LED display on the 12.9-inch model likely also bolstered sales during the quarter.