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Apple today shared a document that provides a more detailed overview of the child safety features that it first announced last week, including design principles, security and privacy requirements, and threat model considerations.

Apple's plan to detect known Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) images stored in iCloud Photos has been particularly controversial and has prompted concerns from some security researchers, the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation, and others about the system potentially being abused by governments as a form of mass surveillance.

The document aims to address these concerns and reiterates some details that surfaced earlier in an interview with Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, including that Apple expects to set an initial match threshold of 30 known CSAM images before an iCloud account is flagged for manual review by the company.

Apple also said that the on-device database of known CSAM images contains only entries that were independently submitted by two or more child safety organizations operating in separate sovereign jurisdictions and not under the control of the same government.

The system is designed so that a user need not trust Apple, any other single entity, or even any set of possibly-colluding entities from the same sovereign jurisdiction (that is, under the control of the same government) to be confident that the system is functioning as advertised. This is achieved through several interlocking mechanisms, including the intrinsic auditability of a single software image distributed worldwide for execution on-device, a requirement that any perceptual image hashes included in the on-device encrypted CSAM database are provided independently by two or more child safety organizations from separate sovereign jurisdictions, and lastly, a human review process to prevent any errant reports.

Apple added that it will publish a support document on its website containing a root hash of the encrypted CSAM hash database included with each version of every Apple operating system that supports the feature. Additionally, Apple said users will be able to inspect the root hash of the encrypted database present on their device, and compare it to the expected root hash in the support document. No timeframe was provided for this.

In a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple said it will have an independent auditor review the system as well. The memo noted that Apple retail employees may be getting questions from customers about the child safety features and linked to a FAQ that Apple shared earlier this week as a resource the employees can use to address the questions and provide more clarity and transparency to customers.

Apple initially said the new child safety features would be coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac with software updates later this year, and the company said the features would be available in the U.S. only at launch. Despite facing criticism, Apple today said it has not made any changes to this timeframe for rolling out the features to users.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with WaterField Designs to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an Air Travel Backpack and an Air Caddy, both of which are perfect for use with Apple's iPads and Macs.

WaterField Designs makes a wide range of bags for Apple devices, and the Air Travel Backpack is its newest offering, announced earlier this year. Designed specifically for travel purposes, the 45L Air Travel Backpack is the maximum size allowed for a carry-on (16" x 7.5" x 22.5").

Priced at $419, the Air Travel Backpack has two separate compartments for tech gear and personal items, with the mobile office section equipped with padded sleeves for two laptops and a series of pockets to store your accessories.

The larger laptop compartment fits laptops up to 15" x 10", so it works with Apple's largest 16-inch MacBook Pro. The second compartment can also be usd for a tablet, and can accommodate the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with attached Magic Keyboard.

WaterField Designs created the Air Travel Backpack to serve as a mobile office, so it has a ton of pockets and compartments for organizing cables, cords, chargers, pens, earbuds, and more.

The personal items compartment has a large interior for holding clothing, shoes, and toiletries. Two sturdy straps are included to keep everything secure, and there are two mesh zipper pockets for smaller items.

Both main compartments of the Air Travel Backpack are lined with a bright yellow material to make it easy to see what's inside and find just what you're looking for.

Everything inside is kept secure through a D-ring that's able to attach to the double zipper pulls to keep it closed until you're ready to access it, and you can also lock the zipper pulls together as they're sized to work with a small lock. The Air Travel Backpack can be carried vertically, worn on the back, or carried horizontally like a duffel bag.

As with all WaterField Designs products, the Air Travel Backpack is durable, well-made, and designed to hold up to heavy usage for years to come. It is available in a black ballistic nylon with leather accents in various colors, or in a waxed canvas material that's water resistant.

As an optional accessory for the Air Travel Backpack, WaterField Designs offers the Air Caddy, a pouch that's meant to hold your in-flight entertainment options. Available for the iPad mini, iPad Air, or ‌iPad Pro‌ models, the Air Caddy is available in waxed canvas or ballistic nylon to match the Air Travel Backpack, and it is able to house your tablet and any accessories and add-ons you might need.

It's sized to fit inside the main laptop compartment of the Air Travel Backpack, and it's also the right size to tuck right into a seat back compartment, making it an ideal travel companion.

We have an Air Travel Backpack and an Air Caddy prize for one lucky MacRumors reader. 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 (August 13) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on August 20. The winner will be chosen randomly on August 20 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.

Apple Arcade recently surpassed 200 games available on the service, and several new titles are coming soon, including Tetris Beat, Baldo, Asphalt 8: Airborne, Layton's Mystery Journey, Zen Pinball Party, Zookeeper World, MasterChef: Let's Cook, and more.

Another game can be added to the list, as Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls from well-known Japanese company Konami is set to launch exclusively on Apple Arcade, across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Mobile gaming enthusiasts may remember that the game had soft launched on the App Store in Canada back in 2019, but it was removed less than a year later. No specific release date has been announced for its Apple Arcade return.

The side-scrolling action game will feature a lineup of iconic characters from the popular gothic video game series, including Alucard, Simon Belmont, Charlotte, Shanoa, Maria, and more to come. Players will be tasked with blasting their way through Dracula's army using a variety of attacks, weapons, and unique character moves.

The original trailer for the game from 2019 can be watched below.

In addition, a trio of Apple Arcade games have recently been updated, with a new mini-game and new quests added to The Oregon Trail, five new songs added to Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat, and 200 new levels added in Simon's Cat - Story Time.

Priced at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, Apple Arcade is a subscription-based service that provides access to a catalog of over 200 games without ads or in-app purchases across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, with additional titles added periodically. A free one-month trial is available for first-time subscribers.

The Connectivity Standards Alliance, which includes Apple, Google, and Amazon, has announced it will delay the launch of its "Matter" standard, which aims to unify the smart home ecosystem of the largest tech giants, according to a blog post by the Alliance posted today (via Stacey on IoT).

"Matter," announced last year and formerly known as "Project CHIP," is a unified IP-based connectivity that aims to make a standard universal protocol for developers to build Internet of Things devices. The Alliance had previously sought to roll out the standard in the latter portion of this year, but it's now been delayed until 2022.

The group says that "Matter" is complete in regards to its feature set. However, according to the blog post, it still needs to continue working on the program in which developers can apply for certification and finish the SDK for developers to use.

Several smart home accessory makers have signed onto using Matter as a standard protocol, including Amazon, ASSA ABLOY, Comcast, Espressif Systems, Eve Systems, Google, Grundfos Holding A/S, Huawei, Infineon Technologies, LEEDARSON, Legrand, Nanoleaf, and others.

LG's first-ever OLED monitor has officially come to market, with the company's new 32-inch UltraFine Display OLED Pro Monitor now available to order through B&H Photo Video. Pricing is set at $3,999 in the United States.

Designed for creative professionals, LG says the monitor's 4K OLED panel provides exceptional color accuracy. However, the technology comes at a steep price compared to LG's standard UltraFine 4K monitor with LCD technology, which is available for $699.95 through Apple's online store in the United States.

Key tech specs of the monitor include HDR10, 99% coverage of the Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a 60Hz refresh rate, 250 nits peak brightness, pixel dimming technology, a 1ms response time, and a 178º viewing angle. The monitor can be connected to a compatible Mac with a single USB-C cable, with 90W pass-through charging for any MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

Other connectivity on the rear of the monitor includes one HDMI port, two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, three USB-A ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The monitor is currently out of stock on LG's website, but can be ordered from B&H Photo Video.

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

Eve Spectrum bills itself as the first crowd-developed monitor, and it was in the works for quite some time ahead of launch. The Eve Spectrum is now shipping out and available, so we thought we'd test it out to see if it's worth picking up.

There are three versions of the 27-inch Spectrum display. For $459, you can get a Spectrum QHD with a 144Hz refresh rate, while a 240Hz version is available for $609. A 4K version is also available with a 144Hz refresh rate, and this top-of-the-line version costs $799. The Spectrum stand for those who aren't using a VESA mount is an additional $99.

MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been testing the 4K 144Hz version, and he found the design to be minimal, clean, and subtle, and for video editing work, it performed well.

Colors were accurate and natural and viewing angles were solid, but there is some light bleed with blacks and contrast doesn't quite measure up to some other displays at this price point.

Gameplay was smooth thanks to the high refresh rate, and the high contrast and peak brightness made games look great. There were times, however, that the video feed would die, and it's unclear if the issue was a cable or a port.

The Eve Spectrum comes equipped with a single DisplayPort port, two HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB-C ports, and one USB-A port, along with an audio port. There's no Thunderbolt support, but with a 100W USB-C port, it can charge even the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

There are few gaming monitors with these specs and HDMI 2.1, so for those who need these features, the Spectrum may be worth checking out. Make sure to watch the full video up above to see it in action.

Update:Those interested in purchasing the Eve Spectrum monitor should know that Eve previously launched preorders for a V laptop and did not deliver the product. There are also complaints on Reddit from users who preordered a Spectrum display and have not yet received it.

Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, has today defended the company's controversial planned child safety features in a significant interview with The Wall Street Journal, revealing a number of new details about the safeguards built into Apple's system for scanning users' photos libraries for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).

Federighi admitted that Apple had handled last week's announcement of the two new features poorly, relating to detecting explicit content in Messages for children and CSAM content stored in iCloud Photos libraries, and acknowledged the widespread confusion around the tools:

It's really clear a lot of messages got jumbled pretty badly in terms of how things were understood. We wish that this would've come out a little more clearly for everyone because we feel very positive and strongly about what we're doing.

[...]

In hindsight, introducing these two features at the same time was a recipe for this kind of confusion. By releasing them at the same time, people technically connected them and got very scared: what's happening with my messages? The answer is...nothing is happening with your messages.

The Communications Safety feature means that if children send or receive explicit images via iMessage, they will be warned before viewing it, the image will be blurred, and there will be an option for their parents to be alerted. CSAM scanning, on the other hand, attempts to match users' photos with hashed images of known CSAM before they are uploaded to iCloud. Accounts that have had CSAM detected will then be subject to a manual review by Apple and may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

The new features have been subject to a large amount of criticism from users, security researchers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Edward Snowden, Facebook's former security chief, and even Apple employees.

Amid these criticisms, Federighi addressed one of the main areas of concern, emphasizing that Apple's system will be protected against being taken advantage of by governments or other third parties with "multiple levels of auditability."

Federighi also revealed a number of new details around the system's safeguards, such as the fact that a user will need to meet around 30 matches for CSAM content in their Photos library before Apple is alerted, whereupon it will confirm if those images appear to be genuine instances of CSAM.

If and only if you meet a threshold of something on the order of 30 known child pornographic images matching, only then does Apple know anything about your account and know anything about those images, and at that point, only knows about those images, not about any of your other images. This isn't doing some analysis for did you have a picture of your child in the bathtub? Or, for that matter, did you have a picture of some pornography of any other sort? This is literally only matching on the exact fingerprints of specific known child pornographic images.

He also pointed out the security advantage of placing the matching process on the iPhone directly, rather than it occurring on ‌iCloud‌'s servers.

Because it's on the [phone], security researchers are constantly able to introspect what’s happening in Apple’s [phone] software. So if any changes were made that were to expand the scope of this in some way —in a way that we had committed to not doing—there's verifiability, they can spot that that's happening.

When asked if the database of images used to match CSAM content on users' devices could be compromised by having other materials inserted, such as political content in certain regions, Federighi explained that the database is constructed from known CSAM images from multiple child safety organizations, with at least two being "in distinct jurisdictions," to protect against abuse of the system.

These child protection organizations, as well as an independent auditor, will be able to verify that the database of images only consists of content from those entities, according to Federighi.

Federighi's interview is among the biggest PR pushbacks from Apple so far following the mixed public response to the announcement of the child safety features, but the company has also repeatedly attempted to address users' concerns, publishing an FAQ and directly addressing concerns in interviews with the media.

Apple may be forced to remove the Lightning port from the iPhone in favor of USB-C, according to legislation expected be presented by the European Commission next month, Reuters reports.

The legislation would establish a common charging port for all mobile phones and other relevant devices in all European Union countries. The move is expected to primarily affect Apple, since many popular Android devices already feature USB-C ports.

In 2018, the European Commission tried to reach a final resolution on the issue but it failed to come into law. At the time, Apple warned that forcing a common charging port on the industry would stifle innovation and create electronic waste as consumers were forced to switch to new cables.

• The EU Wants All Phones to Work With Interoperable Chargers, Here’s What That Means for Apple's Lightning Port

A European Commission impact assessment study conducted in 2019 found that half of all charging cables sold with mobile phones had a USB micro-B connector, 29 percent had a USB-C connector, and 21 percent had a Lightning connector. The study suggested five options for a common charger, with various options that cover ports on devices and ports on power adapters.

Last year, the debate was reignited as the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of a common charger, citing less environmental waste and user convenience as the main benefits.

The executive branch of the European Union is currently drafting the legislation, according to sources speaking to Reuters, which is expected to be presented next month.

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.

Apple employees are now joining the choir of individuals raising concerns over Apple's plans to scan iPhone users' photo libraries for CSAM or child sexual abuse material, reportedly speaking out internally about how the technology could be used to scan users' photos for other types of content, according to a report from Reuters.

According to Reuters, an unspecified number of Apple employees have taken to internal Slack channels to raise concerns over CSAM detection. Specifically, employees are concerned that governments could force Apple to use the technology for censorship by finding content other than CSAM. Some employees are worried that Apple is damaging its industry-leading privacy reputation.

Apple employees have flooded an Apple internal Slack channel with more than 800 messages on the plan announced a week ago, workers who asked not to be identified told Reuters. Many expressed worries that the feature could be exploited by repressive governments looking to find other material for censorship or arrests, according to workers who saw the days-long thread.

Past security changes at Apple have also prompted concern among employees, but the volume and duration of the new debate is surprising, the workers said. Some posters worried that Apple is damaging its leading reputation for protecting privacy.

Apple employees in roles pertaining to user security are not thought to have been part of the internal protest, according to the report.

Ever since its announcement last week, Apple has been bombarded with criticism over its CSAM detection plans, which are still expected to roll out with iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 this fall. Concerns mainly revolve around how the technology could present a slippery slope for future implementations by oppressive governments and regimes.

Apple has firmly pushed back against the idea that the on-device technology used for detecting CSAM material could be used for any other purpose. In a published FAQ document, the company says it will vehemently refuse any such demand by governments.

Could governments force Apple to add non-CSAM images to the hash list?
Apple will refuse any such demands. Apple's CSAM detection capability is built solely to detect known CSAM images stored in iCloud Photos that have been identified by experts at NCMEC and other child safety groups. We have faced demands to build and deploy government-mandated changes that degrade the privacy of users before, and have steadfastly refused those demands. We will continue to refuse them in the future. Let us be clear, this technology is limited to detecting CSAM stored in iCloud and we will not accede to any government's request to expand it. Furthermore, Apple conducts human review before making a report to NCMEC. In a case where the system flags photos that do not match known CSAM images, the account would not be disabled and no report would be filed to NCMEC.

An open letter criticizing Apple and calling upon the company to immediately halt it's plan to deploy CSAM detection has gained more than 7,000 signatures at the time of writing. The head of WhatsApp has also weighed into the debate.

Apple in iOS 15 is making several improvements to Spotlight, aka the universal search feature that can be accessed on the iPhone or iPad's Home Screen with a downward swipe.

Spotlight is a one-stop resource for accessing everything you might want to find on an iOS device, and in iOS 15, it's better than ever. This guide highlights all of the new features that are coming to Spotlight with Apple's latest update.

Rich Search Results

Apple's Siri knowledge database has been expanded and the Spotlight feature now supports rich search results, so you can get more information than before directly from the Spotlight interface.

If you search for a movie or a TV show, for example, and then tap on the result, you'll see information like how you can watch the show, the actors, trailers, seasons, links to the TV app, Messages discussions you've had about the content, ‌Siri‌ suggested search results, and more.

With iOS 14, a search such as this brings up a much more limited range of information, typically limited to a web search.

Rich search results work for all kinds of search topics, including contacts, actors, musicians, movies, and TV shows. With contacts, it will bring up a full contact card with Message interactions, shared links, Wallet transactions, Find My location, photos from apps, and emails in addition to the standard contact info, making the Spotlight search much more informative.

Web Images Search

Spotlight can be used to search for images on the web. So, for example, if you type "cat images" into the Spotlight search interface, Spotlight will now provide a selection of the most popular web images.

Tapping into an image will show you additional images related to the image you tapped, and you can continue tapping through images to find just what you're looking for.

The web images search feature can be used to find pictures of people, animals, plants, landmarks, monuments, and more. It doesn't work for every search, but for most topics, just adding an "images" to the search is a quick way to bring up image web results.

Photos Search

In addition to searching the web for images, Spotlight can also now look for specific pictures in your own photo library. When you search for "cat photos" or "dog photos," for example, Spotlight surfaces the photos that are stored on your device in the "Photos From Apps" section.

If you tap into a search, you can see additional search results, and there's also an option to open up the ‌Photos‌ app to see all the photos that are relevant to the search.

You can search through your Photo Library in Spotlight by location, people, scenes, and specific objects that are in the photos like a pet or a plant.

‌Photos‌ that were shared with you through the Messages app can be found in Spotlight by using a contact name in the search.

Lock Screen Spotlight Search

If you swipe downward on the Lock Screen of the ‌iPhone‌, you can get to the Spotlight search interface without having to unlock the ‌iPhone‌.

A Spotlight search conducted while the ‌iPhone‌ is locked does not bring up personal information like your own photos, text messages, and contacts, focusing instead on general content from the web, ‌Siri‌ Knowledge, News, Stocks, dictionary, and more.

All personalized results only come up when the ‌iPhone‌ is unlocked, so if someone gets ahold of your ‌iPhone‌, they can use it for search purposes but will not be able to see your info.

Install Apps

App Store searches have been improved in iOS 15, and if you search for an app that you want to use, you can now install it right from Spotlight without leaving the Spotlight search interface.

Delete Apps

In addition to installing apps using Spotlight, you can also search for an app that you have installed and uninstall it right from the search interface.

To delete an app, conduct a search and then long press on the result to bring up the delete interface.

Drag Apps From Spotlight to Home Screen

If you search for an app using Spotlight, you can grab it with a long press and drag it out of search and onto your ‌Home Screen‌, which can be a useful way to rearrange apps.

You'll need to do a press, hold, and drag gesture with one finger while using another to swipe up to the ‌Home Screen‌ with the other, exiting the Spotlight search. From there, you can drag the app icon to any of your app pages.

Maps Spotlight Search Improvements

If you search for a business that supports Apple's App Clips feature, you can see action buttons on the Maps result in Spotlight. You can do things like access menus or tickets, see reservations, make an appointment, order takeout or delivery, see waitlist and showtime information, get parking details, and more.

Spotlight Search Warnings

As part of a suite of Child Safety features, Apple is expanding guidance for ‌Siri‌ and Spotlight that will offer resources to help children stay safe online and get help with unsafe situations.

If a user searches for topics related to Child Sexual Abuse Material, for example, Apple will offer interventions that will explain to users that interest in this topic is harmful and problematic, offering resources on ways to get help.

Guide Feedback

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

This year, Apple has already released several new products, including new iPads, the 24-inch iMac, the new Apple TV, and of course, AirTags. Looking ahead to the next few weeks, the list of 2021 Apple products will grow even longer as Apple prepares to reveal the next iPhones, MacBook Pros, and more.

There has been an avalanche of rumors about this year's fall season and what Apple has planned for the remainder of 2021. The cloud of product rumors can make it hard to stay updated with what new devices to expect and when. To help, we've created this guide for MacRumors' readers that outlines what events we could see and what we should expect.

Apple's last event was the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, which focused on upcoming updates to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Before that, the company's first event of 2021 focused on new products was held on April 20 and included the M1 iPad Pro, ‌iMac‌, and more.

Due to the global health crisis, both 2021 and all events of 2020 have been held virtually online. Under normal circumstances, Apple would have held standalone events at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park, with a live audience consisting of Apple employees, members of the media, special guests, and others. While some may have hoped that the 2021 iPhone event would be held in person following five virtual online events, that's highly unlikely to be the case.

iPhone 13 Apple Event

The global health crisis last year not only required Apple to hold its typically in-person events online, but it also delayed the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 to October, one month behind the usual schedule. Every September, Apple has released its new iPhones, but lockdowns and suppliers' restrictions meant that timeframe wasn't met. This year, though, things are looking different.

Multiple reports from credible outlets and journalists have pointed to Apple releasing its new iPhones on time in September this year. Apple last released its flagship ‌iPhone‌ in September 2019, with an event at ‌Apple Park‌ on September 10. Apple tends to have its events on Tuesdays, previously to give members of the audience sufficient time to travel to California to attend the product announcement. Still, even now, with digital events requiring no such travel, Apple has stuck to a preference of Tuesday.

Knowing that, we can make some educated guesses as to when Apple will hold its ‌iPhone‌ event this year. This September, Tuesdays will land on the 7, 14, 21, and 28. Looking at Apple's pattern of holding events towards the middle of the month, it's a reasonable guess to assume that the 2021 ‌iPhone‌ event could be held on Tuesday, September 14.

Of course, this is all speculation. However, Apple is one to stick to a strict routine when it comes to scheduling events, and such predictions based on the company's previous event planning behavior have proven accurate. With the date possibly set, here's what we can expect:

• iPhone 13 mini, ‌iPhone 13‌, ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro, and ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro Max: Expect significant new camera features, more advanced displays, improved performance, battery life, and smaller hardware changes.
• Apple Watch Series 7: May include a complete redesign featuring smaller display bezels and flat edges, more advanced health tracking capabilities, and bolstered internals.
• Third-Generation AirPods: The next generation of the standard AirPods could feature a design more in-line with the AirPods Pro with silicone ear tips, a redesigned charging case, and improved connectivity. The new AirPods have been rumored for some time, with recent reporting suggesting a launch alongside the new ‌iPhone 13‌.

Apple could, ultimately, decide to include more in its September event. However, given the event's mainstream coverage, it may want to focus on its more popular products rather than reveal other new devices such as upcoming Apple silicon Macs.

Apple Silicon Mac Event

This year, one of the most rumored and highly anticipated product releases is the redesigned 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro. The new laptops are expected to feature the most radical redesign to the MacBook Pro since 2016, with new ports, the death of the Touch Bar, a brand-new display based on mini-LED technology, and a powerful Apple silicon chip.

To anyone who follows the Apple news and rumor cycle, it will feel as if these MacBook Pros have been rumored for an eternity, but their long-awaited reveal is close. Last year, Apple announced its first Apple silicon chip, the ‌M1‌, and an updated 13-inch MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini at a November event.

Apple is likely to follow a similar path this year, separating its ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch announcements from these new MacBook Pros. All credible reports suggest a launch before the end of the year. While it's harder to pinpoint a specific date for this event compared to the September ‌iPhone‌ event, there is a relative timeframe we can look into.

An account that goes by the name of "Dylan," which has shared accurate information in the past regarding Apple's plan, including details about the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ weeks before its launch, has stated the new MacBook Pros are set to launch in late October to early November. Here are the possibilities for when we could see an Apple silicon Mac event this year, based on that information:

• Tuesday, October 19
• Tuesday, October 26
• Tuesday, November 9

An unlikely possibility is that Apple releases the new MacBook Pros through a press release on its website, similar to how it released the ‌AirPods Pro‌ in 2019 and updated ‌iPad Pro‌ in 2020. That, however, is highly unlikely as Apple will likely want to tout in an elegant way the new MacBook Pros, their design, and their powerful performance aimed at high-end professional users.

Surprise Third Event?

In 2020, Apple held three separate events in the fall, with one focusing entirely on the redesigned iPad Air, 10.8-inch iPad, and Apple Watch. This year, Apple is working on a less significant round of updates to its ‌iPad‌ family. Rather than update two ‌iPad‌ models, Apple is expected to release only an updated iPad mini this fall.

Given this, it's unlikely Apple will hold an entire event dedicated to just a single ‌iPad‌ model. Instead, it may decide to include the iPad mini at its Apple silicon or ‌iPhone‌ event or none and release it via a press release.

What else is in store for 2021?

With new iPhones, Apple Watches, MacBook Pros, and AirPods all possibly awaiting a launch this fall, is there anything else? In short, probably not. While Apple is continuing to work on several other products, such as a larger Apple silicon ‌iMac‌, they're not expected to be released until early 2022. Apple is also working on a redesigned ‌Mac mini‌, Mac Pro, and ‌MacBook Air‌, all expecting a release next year.

For a more comprehensive roundup of what else Apple is working on, be sure to check out our full 2021 Apple product guide.

Apple is working on updated icons for the macOS versions of its iWork apps, according to images discovered by MacRumors. The new icons are included in the framework of macOS 12 Monterey beta 5 that handles the display of collaboration links in apps such as iMessage.

The images of the new macOS iWork icons for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are relatively low-resolution given the small size they are displayed at for sharing purposes, but it's clear they are a mix of the flat design and solid background colors of the iWork icons first introduced with iOS 7 and the latest macOS versions introduced for Big Sur in November 2020 that feature more photorealistic elements.

The macOS 12 Monterey Pages icon keeps its orange theme, the 45-degree angle of the pen, and written line of the iOS-style Pages icon while replacing the flat pen glyph with a more realistic-looking white pen, compared to the current macOS Pages icon that features a photorealistic orange pen on a white pad of paper.

The upcoming Numbers icon for Monterey moves from the current graph paper background to the solid green background of the iOS Numbers icon. It features a white version of the bar chart currently seen on the macOS icon with shadows for the bars and omits the line under the bars that is seen on iOS.

The refreshed Keynote icon features the same blue background of the iOS Keynote icon rather than the white slide grid view of the macOS icon. The podium and pie chart document are similar to the version seen on the current macOS Keynote icon, but with the color of the podium changed from blue to white.

The new icons should be included with the iWork apps when they are updated for macOS 12 Monterey later this year. It is not clear at this time whether these icons will also come to the iWork suite for iOS alongside iOS 15.

Apple today seeded a new public beta of the macOS 12 Monterey beta to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test the new macOS Monterey software ahead of its public release. The fourth beta comes two weeks after Apple released the third macOS Monterey public beta.

Public beta testers can download the macOS 12 Monterey update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

macOS Monterey introduces quite a few major updates for the macOS operating system. Universal Control, for example, lets a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard be used across multiple Mac or iPad devices, and it's now possible to AirPlay directly to a Mac from an iPhone, ‌iPad‌, or even another Mac.

Safari has an updated tab bar and support for Tab Groups to keep tons of tabs organized, and FaceTime now features support for spatial audio, Portrait Mode (M1 Macs only) and Voice Isolation for cutting out background noise. A SharePlay ‌FaceTime‌ feature lets Apple TV users watch TV, listen to music, and share their screens with one another.

Shared With You, another new feature, keeps track of the music, links, podcasts, news, and photos that people are sent in Messages, highlighting it in the relevant apps. Notes has a new Quick Note feature for jotting down thoughts, and the Shortcuts app is now available on the Mac.

A dedicated Focus mode helps people stay on task by cutting out background distractions based on what's going on, and there's an updated Maps app with a whole slew of new features. With Live Text, Macs can now detect text in photos or provide details on animals, art, landmarks, plants, and more in images. The new beta adds Live Text support for Intel Macs.

Mail Privacy Protection hides IP and prevents tracking through invisible pixels, and iCloud Private Relay keeps Safari browsing protected. There are many other new features in ‌macOS Monterey‌, with a complete overview available in our macOS Monterey roundup.

Apple will likely unveil its next-generation iPhones next month, and ahead of time, Taiwanese research firm TrendForce has outlined its expectations for the devices.

TrendForce said its latest investigations indicate that some of the notable hardware upgrades for the iPhone 13 models will include a faster and more power efficient 5nm+ chip that will presumably be named the A15 Bionic, support for mmWave 5G in additional countries outside the United States, and space-saving internal circuitry that will likely allow for larger batteries inside the devices. All of these features have been rumored previously.

As for pricing, TrendForce believes the iPhone 13 series will be priced similarly as the iPhone 12 series, assuming that Apple is able to effectively control manufacturing costs, due to the lack of many significant hardware upgrades. While the iPhone 12 series was announced in October last year, likely due to pandemic-related delays, the research firm said Apple will return to a September release for the iPhone 13 series this year.

TrendForce said iPhone shipments will likely maintain a growth trajectory in the third quarter of 2021 following the launch of the iPhone 13 series.