MacRumors

Netflix says it's not currently testing spatial audio support for the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, putting to rest an earlier report that claimed support would roll out in the spring.

Image via iPhoneSoft

In a statement to MacRumors, a Netflix spokesperson says that it's not currently testing spatial audio support, and has no plans to make public at this point in time. Netflix instead says it was testing multi-channel support for built-in speakers, as part of its mission to "improve" its service, and evaluate "new experiences" for users.

Netflix and AirPods users have been on edge, waiting for the streaming giant to adopt the feature. The pressure on Netflix isn't made any lighter given the fact that a number of its biggest competitors such as Disney Plus, HBO Max, and of course, Apple TV+, all already include Spatial audio support.

Spatial audio brings three-dimensional sound to your ‌AirPods Pro‌ and ‌AirPods Max‌. Your iOS device will compare its own data from the gyroscope and accelerometer against the data from your AirPods, to ensure that your sound field stays anchored to the device even if you move your head.

Spotify today announced plans to introduce a new "HiFi" premium tier later this year, which will provide higher-quality lossless audio. According to Spotify, the feature will offer CD-quality music that will let fans experience more depth and clarity in their favorite tracks.

Streaming music services like Tidal, Deezer, and Amazon Music have offered lossless audio options but to date, Spotify and Apple Music have not provided higher quality streaming options.

Spotify is ‌Apple Music‌'s main competitor, so with Spotify planning a HiFi music option, Apple could be planning to also offer higher quality streaming in an effort to remain competitive. A lossless audio tier would also pair well with Apple's high-end AirPods Max headphones that were released in late 2020.

There's no pricing information available at this time, but Amazon Music's lossless tier is priced at $14.99 per month ($12.99 for Prime subscribers), while Tidal charges $19.99 per month and Deezer charges $14.99 for its high fidelity plan. Spotify plans to launch HiFi in select markets later in the year, and it will be a premium tier add-on.

HiFi was introduced at Spotify's Stream On event, which can be watched in full on YouTube.

Other announcements included Spotify's new Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen "Renegade" podcast, new interactive podcast features for creators like polls and Q&A tools, and new music promotion resources for artists.

Display manufacturer BOE will be one of the main suppliers of OLED panels for iPhone 13 models, according to a new report today from Taiwan's Economic Daily News.

BOE is said to be working with touch panel manufacturer General Interface Solution (GIS), part of the Hon Hai Group to develop OLED panels.

Multiple iPhone 12 rumors suggested that BOE would supply some panels for the devices, but BOE ran into major production problems. In June, BOE failed to deliver its first shipment of OLED panels to Apple as displays created by BOE failed validation tests.

Samsung Display ended up shipping the panels for the higher-end ‌iPhone‌ 12 models and the iPhone 12 mini, while LG Display made panels for the standard 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ 12.

At the time of the failures, BOE's yield rate was around 20 percent, which was not sufficient to meet Apple's needs. BOE was rumored to be working to improve its yield rate, but as of November, was unable to secure a supply order from Apple.

A report from The Elec in November suggested that Apple would revisit BOE's manufacturing facility in Chengdu, China in May or June, and if it passed validation tests at that time, BOE display panels could be used for refurbished ‌iPhone‌ 12 models and perhaps some ‌iPhone 13‌ inventory.

Economic Daily News suggests that BOE's position in Apple's supply chain has improved, and its OLED technology is now "closer to that of major South Korean manufacturers." The site also says that BOE has now completed certification tests and is manufacturing a small number of displays for the ‌iPhone‌ 12, but it's not clear if that's accurate given the mixed rumors.

‌iPhone 13‌ displays are expected to be more technically difficult to manufacture due to Apple's switch to LTPO technology to adopt 120Hz refresh rates on some models, but prior rumors have also suggested that BOE could win some orders.

The ‌iPhone 13‌ lineup is expected to be identical to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup with four iPhones in 6.1, 5.4, and 6.7-inch sizes, with Apple offering both standard and Pro models. Pro models are expected to feature 120Hz refresh rates, with Apple bringing the iPad Pro's "ProMotion" technology to the ‌iPhone‌ for the first time.

T-Mobile today introduced a new Magenta MAX smartphone plan that offers truly unlimited LTE and 5G data in the United States, meaning that speeds are not throttled after using a certain amount of data per month.

Magenta MAX will be available starting February 24 for both consumers and small businesses, with pricing starting at $57 per month ($47 per month for a limited time) with three lines of service and AutoPay automated billing enabled, including taxes and fees. T-Mobile informed MacRumors that pricing for one individual line is $85 per month with AutoPay enabled, including taxes and fees, equal to its existing Magenta Plus plan.

The plan's only limitation appears to be Mobile Hotspot tethering to other devices, with high-speed data capped at 40GB per month for this. After this limit is reached, T-Mobile says speeds will be capped to the equivalent of 3G.

Magenta MAX also includes unlimited talk and text in the United States, a free Netflix Basic subscription for individuals and a free Netflix Standard subscription for families, 5GB of high-speed data when roaming in Canada and Mexico, unlimited Wi-Fi on flights with Gogo Inflight Internet, access to T-Mobile Tuesdays freebies, and more.

T-Mobile is also introducing a new standard Magenta smartphone plan priced at $47 per month ($40 per month for a limited time) with more limitations, including high-speed data capped at 100GB per month, high-speed Mobile Hotspot capped at 5GB per month, streaming video limited to 480p, and no free Netflix Basic for individuals.

T-Mobile says existing Magenta and Magenta Plus customers can easily upgrade and keep their current device or line promotions.

Epic Games will not be able to expand its ongoing Fortnite fight with Apple in the UK after a judge said the case could not continue in London, reports Bloomberg.

In January, ‌Epic Games‌ submitted a complaint to the United Kingdom's Competition Appeal Tribunal in an effort to get the Fortnite app back on the App Store in the UK. ‌Epic Games‌ argued that Apple's decision to remove Fortnite was unlawful, and tried to convince the Appeal Tribunal that it was acting on behalf of consumers and developers in the UK impacted by "Apple and Google's misuse of market power."

The judge ruled that ‌Epic Games‌' case against Apple Inc. was better decided in the United States, but ‌Epic Games‌ is allowed to sue Apple (UK) Limited, a European arm of the company, and Google.

‌Epic Games‌ in a statement said that it will reconsider pursuing a case against Apple in the UK after the U.S. case is finished.

"We are pleased that the Court has granted Epic permission to pursue our case against Google in the U.K. Epic will reconsider pursuing its case against Apple in the U.K. after the resolution of the U.S. case. We note the Competition Appeal Tribunal's assessment that Apple and Google's anticompetitive app store policies are 'serious issues to be tried' under UK Competition law, and that it is 'well arguable' that their conduct has 'an immediate and substantial effect in the UK'. We are unwavering in our commitment to stopping Apple and Google's anti-competitive practices and will continue to fight for fairer app distribution globally."

Apple and ‌Epic Games‌ will continue their legal fight in the United States, with the two companies set to face off in court in July 2021.

Apple today shared new Apple Watch ads on its YouTube channel, highlighting the water resistance, ECG, and sleep tracking capabilities of the Apple Watch Series 6.

All of the ads feature the tagline "The future of health is on your wrist" and link to the Apple Watch Series 6 website.

Apple has not heavily advertised the Apple Watch Series 6 since its September release, and this is the first ad campaign focused on the Apple Watch that we've seen in recent months.

Apple's impending iOS and iPadOS 14.5 update will make zero-click attacks considerably more difficult by extending PAC security provisions, according to Motherboard.

Apple has made a change to the way in which it secures its code in the latest betas of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 to make zero-click attacks much harder. The change, spotted by security researchers, has now been confirmed by Apple and is slated to be included in the final update.

Zero-click attacks allow hackers to break into a target without the need for victim interaction, such as clicking a malicious phishing link. Zero-click attacks are therefore considerably harder for targeted users to detect and are considered to be much more sophisticated.

Since 2018, Apple has used Pointer Authentication Codes (PAC) to prevent attackers from leveraging corrupted memory to inject malicious code. Cryptography is applied to authenticate pointers and validate them before they are used. ISA pointers instruct a program about what code it should use when it runs on iOS. By using cryptography to sign these pointers, Apple is now extending PAC protection to ISA pointers.

"Nowadays, since the pointer is signed, it is harder to corrupt these pointers to manipulate objects in the system. These objects were used mostly in sandbox escapes and zero-clicks," security firm Zimperium's Adam Donenfeld told Motherboard. The change will "definitely make zero-clicks harder. Sandbox escapes too. Significantly harder." Sandboxes aim to isolate applications from each other to stop code from a program interacting with the wider operating system.

While zero-clicks will not be eradicated through this change, many of the exploits used by hackers and governmental organizations will now be "irretrievably lost." Hackers will now need to find new techniques to implement zero-click attacks on iPhone and iPad, but the security improvements to ISA pointers are likely to make a significant impact on the overall number of attacks on these devices.

Over the weekend, we reported on the second known piece of malware compiled to run natively on M1 Macs. Given the name "Silver Sparrow," the malicious package is said to leverage the macOS Installer JavaScript API to execute suspicious commands. After observing the malware for over a week, however, security firm Red Canary did not observe any final payload, so the exact threat to users remains a mystery.

Nonetheless, Apple has since informed MacRumors that it has revoked the certificates of the developer accounts used to sign the packages, preventing additional Macs from being infected. Apple also reiterated that Red Canary found no evidence to suggest the malware has delivered a malicious payload to Macs that have already been infected.

For software downloaded outside of the Mac App Store, Apple said it has "industry-leading" mechanisms in place to protect users by detecting malware and blocking it so it cannot run. Since February 2020, for example, Apple has required all Mac software distributed with a Developer ID outside of the Mac App Store to be submitted to Apple's notary service, an automated system that scans for malicious content and code-signing issues.

Malware targeting M1 Macs has simply been compiled to run natively on the Arm-based architecture of the M1 chip, now that Intel-based Macs are slowly being phased out. For more details about the "Silver Sparrow" malware, read our earlier coverage.

In a blog post shared by ZDNet, security researcher Vishal Bharad claims that he found a bug that would have allowed a hacker to inject a virus or malicious script onto Apple's ‌iCloud‌ website.

According to Bharad, the vulnerability consisted of creating a Pages or Keynote document on the ‌iCloud‌ website with the name field containing the XSS payload. Sharing the document with another user, creating a change, saving, and then clicking "Browse All Versions" under Settings would have triggered the XSS payload.

Given the vulnerability revolved around the ‌iCloud‌ website, it's not linked to a recent software update and has reportedly been patched by Apple server-side. Bharad says he submitted the issue to Apple on August 7, 2020, and received a $5,000 bounty on October 9, 2020. We've reached out to Apple for comment and we'll update if we hear back.

Chinese smartphone company Huawei has today unveiled its latest foldable smartphone, the Mate X2, at a special event in China.

The successor to 2019's Mate X, the phone has received a radical redesign and now features a large uninterrupted 8-inch screen that folds inwards, rather than having the main display on the exterior, as with the original device.

The main screen uses a 180Hz display with an 8:7.1 aspect ratio, and when the phone is folded, a second 6.45-inch display (with a 12:9 aspect ratio) on the outside can be used, similar to Samsung's Galaxy Fold design. Both displays feature a wide color gamut and an ultra-low reflection feature that bests the reflectance level of Apple's Pro Display XDR, claims Huawei.

In a neat-looking innovation, a new multi-dimensional hinge design allows for a "seamless" fold without a gap, using a water drop-shaped cavity that houses the fold inside. Its dual-spiral structure is made from high-intensity steel that "eliminates the problem of display creasing," and also enables a 40% flatter panel design, claims Huawei.

Camera wise, the Mate X2 features an Ultra Vision Leica Quad setup that offers a "DSLR-level experience," with a 50-megapixel sensor, a 50-megapixel wide-angle lens, a 16-megapixel ultra-wide lens, a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with a 3x optical zoom, and an 8-megapixel "SuperZoom" camera with a 10x optical zoom.

The camera module is housed in the thickest part of the phone, which tapers off. However, despite the tapering design, the device folds in a uniform left and right fashion, so that the taper is not apparent when closed. The majority of the handset's mass is also on the right side of the phone to make it easier to hold when unfolded in either portrait or landscape.

The Mate X2 is powered by the Kirin 9000 5G chip, which debuted in Huawei's Mate 40 Pro last year. It's supported by 8GB of RAM, and a 4,400mAh battery that can be fast-charged at up to 55W. The device also supports dual-SIM 4G/5G use, and comes supplied with a leather case featuring a kickstand.

The Mate X2 launches in China on February 25, available with either 256GB or 512GB storage, for ¥17,999 (around $2,785) and ¥18,999 (around $2,940), respectively.

There have been several rumors suggesting that Apple is exploring folding screen technology. Apple's rumored foldable ‌iPhone‌ has been said to feature an OLED display from Samsung, according to reports of internal durability testing and display sample orders.

In January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple was testing foldable iPhones with a range of display sizes. A recent report from Taiwanese website Economic Daily News claimed that two prototype foldable iPhones had passed internal tests, and said that the device could launch in late 2022 or 2023.

Given the influx of multiple folding smartphones coming to market and the uptick in rumors, Apple is surely looking into the feasibility of its own similar device. Rumors about Apple working on a foldable ‌‌‌iPhone‌ actually‌‌ date back to 2016, and the company has filed a significant number of patents related to a foldable ‌‌iPhone‌‌.

Amid a spate of rumors in recent months about Apple's plans for a mixed reality headset and AR glasses, videos of Samsung's plans for its own AR glasses have purportedly leaked online (via The Verge).

A leaker known as "WalkingCat" has shared seemingly official Samsung concept videos that depict "Samsung Glasses Lite" and "Samsung AR Glasses." Samsung Glasses Lite give the illusion of a 2D display in front of the user, while Samsung AR Glasses are able to display interactive 3D objects and environments.

Samsung Glasses Lite can be used as a virtual movie theatre or a computer monitor, and the video shows various practical uses for this, such as piloting a drone with an overlaid first-person view. The glasses do not appear to be responsive to gestures, instead relying on a Samsung smartwatch for controls, or even a keyboard and mouse in "Dex" mode, and are seemingly incapable of displaying 3D objects or offering a wide field of view. The video also shows that Samsung Glasses Lite feature an auto-dimming "sunglasses mode."

Samsung AR Glasses appear to be a more capable, higher-end AR product akin to Microsoft's HoloLens. The device is able to display interactive 3D objects and environments with a wider field of view. Unlike Samsung Glasses Lite, Samsung AR Glasses look to be responsive to hand and arm gestures. It is reasonable to expect that the device's additional capabilities would result in a higher price tag.

It is unclear how closely these videos depict consumer-ready products or Samsung's imminent plans for AR glasses, but they do suggest that the company is planning to compete with similar products from Apple in the future. The devices appear to be clearly targeted at two different price points and offer one of the best looks yet at how tech companies may be planning to market AR glasses.

It is difficult to avoid comparing these two concept products to Apple's similar rumored devices, with Samsung AR Glasses being a potential competitor to Apple's mixed-reality headset and Samsung Glasses Lite being a possible rival to Apple's AR glasses. Apple is believed to be planning to launch its mixed-reality headset as soon as the first quarter of 2022, with a separate AR glasses product following in 2023.

Last month, Samsung beat Apple's long-rumored AirTags product to launch with its SmartTags item trackers and it is possible that the company may be planning to do the same with AR glasses.

More than a month ago, LG's 24-inch 4K UltraFine display was removed from Apple's online store across Europe. Now, the higher-end 5K, 27-inch UltraFine display has also been removed from Apple's online store in several European countries, such as France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Interestingly, both the 4K and 5K UltraFine displays remain listed and available for order in the United States. The 5K UltraFine display retails for $1,300 and offers one Thunderbolt 3 port and three USB-C ports. The display features up to 500 nits of brightness with a 5,120 x 2,880 resolution and P3 wide color gamut, and offers built-in stereo speakers, a camera, and a microphone.

Apple is reportedly working on a new lower-priced external monitor, according to Bloomberg. The new monitor would be offered alongside the current high-end $4,999, 32-inch Pro Display XDR. According to Bloomberg, the new monitor would be cheaper and aimed at mainstream consumers, rather than the professional market that the Pro Display XDR is aimed at.

(Thanks, Colin!)

Update: According to MacGeneration, a soon-to-be-implemented regulation across the European Union and the UK is the cause of the display's disappearance from Apple's online store in those regions.

Apple overtook Samsung to become the largest smartphone vendor worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2020, a feat not achieved by Apple since 2016, according to market data by Gartner.

In the final quarter of 2020, Apple sold 80 million new iPhones, largely driven by the launch of the first 5G-enabled iPhone series. Anshul Gupta, Senior Research Director at Gartner, says that 5G and improved camera features helped convince customers to upgrade to ‌iPhone‌ 12 models in the final quarter of the year.

Even as consumers remained cautious in their spending and held off on some discretionary purchases, 5G smartphones and pro-camera features encouraged some end users to purchase new smartphones or upgrade their current smartphones in the quarter.

Compared to 2019, Apple sold more than 10 million extra iPhones in the fourth quarter and saw its global smartphone market share increase by almost 15%. Samsung, the closest rival to Apple, saw its market share decrease by 11.8% and sold around eight million fewer devices compared to just one year ago, according to the market data.

Apple's near 15% increase in market share yielded it an "upgrade super-cycle," according to Annette Zimmerman, the lead analyst for Apple at Gartner, quoted by the Financial Times. In Q1 of 2021, Apple saw its largest number of ‌iPhone‌ upgrades ever, according to CEO Tim Cook. The ‌iPhone‌ alone generated more than $65 billion in revenue for the first quarter of the year.

For the greater picture, however, global smartphone sales decreased by 12.5% in 2020. Out of the top five smartphone makers, Apple and Xiaomi were the only two unscathed by the global decline in sales. Apple's growth comes despite the fact that it launched its ‌iPhone‌ 12 series out of the normal September timeframe due to the global health crisis.

Across the board, the accelerated growth of 5G adoption around the world drove up demand for 5G compatible smartphones. In a year stricken by economic difficulties, consumers were looking for lower-end, affordable 5G smartphones, instead of higher-end models with price tags of up to $1,500. On that front, the iPhone 12 mini, despite reports of it performing poorly relative to other ‌iPhone‌ 12 models, likely helped Apple overtake Samsung thanks to its small form factor and relatively affordable $699 price tag.

Looking further ahead into 2021, Gartner expects that the availability of lower-end 5G smartphones, such as the ‌iPhone 12 mini‌, will be a "deciding factor for end users to upgrade their existing smartphones." Apple is expected to continue the "mini" model for next year's model, and the entire iPhone 13 lineup is rumored to feature an under-the-screen Touch ID sensor, always-on-display, and improved cameras.

Apple's $10 million donation to COPAN Diagnostics from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund led to more than 15 million COVID-19 tests being shipped across the United States, according to an Apple press release.

Apple's chief operating officer, Jeff Williams, said the company is proud of its continued funding to support frontline healthcare workers who are battling the pandemic across the United States.

We are proud our Advanced Manufacturing Fund is supporting companies like COPAN who are playing a critical role in the fight against COVID-19 and assisting healthcare professionals and communities across the country.

Apple says that it's continuing to work with COPAN and more than a dozen other companies to find new and innovative ways to increase the production of COVID-19 tests by developing new machinery at COPAN's facility in Southern California.

Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund is "designed to foster and support the innovative production and high-skill jobs." Apple's investment in the fund so far accounts for more than $1.3 billion and supports 450,000 suppliers jobs across all 50 states.

In an internal memo this week, obtained by MacRumors, Apple informed service providers that it is aware of and investigating an issue that may result in "pink squares or pixels" appearing on displays connected to an M1 Mac mini.

Apple did not provide a specific timeframe for a fix. The memo was issued on February 19, over a week after the release of macOS Big Sur 11.2.1, which does not appear to address the issue. It is possible that a fix could be readied in time for the release of macOS Big Sur 11.3, which has been in beta testing since February 2.

In the meantime, Apple outlined the following troubleshooting steps:

• Put the Mac mini to sleep
• Wait two minutes and wake the Mac mini
• Unplug the display from the Mac mini, and then plug the display back in
• Adjust the display's resolution in System Preferences > Displays

If the issue reoccurs after restarting the Mac mini, Apple says to repeat the steps above.

There have been various other external display issues with M1 Macs in recent months, ranging from USB-C connection issues to some resolutions being unavailable when using an ultrawide or super-ultrawide display.