MacRumors

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the first betas of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4.

Developers can download iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad. Apple warns that the fifth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro and third-generation 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ will not be able to update to iPadOS 15.4 beta 2 via IPSW, an issue that will be addressed in a later release.

iOS and iPadOS 15.4 introduce some of the most significant changes we've seen in an update since iOS 15 launched. On the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and 13 models, there's now an option to use Face ID while wearing a mask with no Apple Watch required for authentication. It works just like Face ID, but it scans the area around your eyes when you're wearing a mask.

On ‌iPad‌, iPadOS 15.4 brings the long awaited Universal Control feature. Paired with a Mac running macOS Monterey 12.3, Universal Control allows multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled with a single cursor and keyboard. It's a feature that works seamlessly after installing the updates, and it is simple and intuitive to use.

There are 37 new emojis with the addition of Emoji 14 characters, so you can now use emojis that include melting face, biting lip, heart hands, bubbles, beans, face with diagonal mouth, palm up hand, eggs, troll, low battery, coral, lotus, and more.

Other new features include full 120Hz ProMotion support for app animations on ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro models, EU vaccine certificates in the Wallet app, the ability to turn off notifications for Shortcuts automations, keyboard brightness controls in Control Center on the ‌iPad‌, an Apple Card widget, iCloud Keychain notes, support for adding custom email domains to ‌iCloud‌ Mail right on device, and a SharePlay option in the share sheet.

We have a full list of all of the features introduced in iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 in our dedicated guide highlighting everything new in the update.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 8.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after the release of the first watchOS 8.5 beta.

To install ‌‌‌watchOS 8.5, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, ‌‌‌watchOS 8.5‌‌‌ can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update.

To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌. You'll also need the accompanying iOS 15.4 update before you can install watchOS 8.5.

watchOS 8.5 introduces support for Emoji 14 characters, with new additions including melting face, biting lip, heart hands, bubbles, beans, face with diagonal mouth, palm up hand, eggs, troll, low battery, coral, lotus, and more.

We didn't discover any other major features in the watchOS 8.5 update, but we'll update this article should we find anything new.

Stripe today announced a closed beta program for Apple's upcoming "Tap to Pay on iPhone" feature, with a sign-up form available on its website. The payment platform said the feature is "coming this spring" in the United States.

Tap to Pay on iPhone will allow newer iPhones to accept payments via Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets, with no additional hardware required. Apple said Stripe will be the first payment platform to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone to its partners, including Shopify for its Point of Sale app "this spring."

Tap to Pay on iPhone will allow individual merchants and small businesses in the U.S. to accept contactless payments in supported apps with an iPhone XS or newer. At checkout, the merchant will simply prompt the customer to hold their own iPhone or Apple Watch, contactless credit or debit card, or other digital wallet near the merchant's iPhone, and the payment will be securely completed using NFC technology.

Apple's new feature will turn iPhones into contactless payment terminals without additional hardware like a Square Reader, providing for a simple and convenient experience. It appears that the feature will be exclusive to the U.S. at launch.

Tap to Pay on iPhone will work with contactless credit and debit cards from leading payment networks, including American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa, according to Apple. The feature will be available to participating payment platforms and their app developer partners in an upcoming iOS beta version.

Apple is introducing improved benefits for its retail employees in order to attract and retain workers in the current labor market, reports Bloomberg.

Updated benefits are applicable to both full time and part time employees, with Apple now offering 12 paid sick days, up from six. Sick days can be used for mental health leave, illnesses, or taking family members to the doctor.

Apple is also providing more vacation days, with an increase in the available vacation days coming after three years of employment instead of five years of employment. Vacation days will be offered to part time employees for the first time, with Apple providing up to six paid vacation days per year.

Part time employees are now eligible for up to six weeks of paid parental leave and will have the option to ramp up work time for the first four weeks when returning, and Apple is also offering part time workers access to discounted emergency backup care for children or elderly family members.

Many companies have been having trouble retaining retail staff amid the pandemic, leading to staffing shortages. In response, companies have upped wages for employees, and, as Apple is doing, added expanded benefits to be competitive with other businesses. Apple's updated benefits will be available starting on April 4.

CalDigit today introduced its new Thunderbolt Station 4 dock with 18 ports, which it claims is the most on any Thunderbolt dock ever.

The dock features three Thunderbolt 4 ports, with one of them providing up to 98W of pass-through charging to compatible Macs, including the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. The dock is also equipped with three USB-C ports (3.2 Gen 2), five USB-A ports (3.2 Gen 2), SD and microSD card slots (UHS-II), one DisplayPort 1.4 port, one 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, an audio in jack, an audio out jack, and a combo audio in/out jack.

The dock is also compatible with Macs and iPads featuring Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C ports, with some functionality limited depending on the device.

While the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro brought back many ports, the dock can expand connectivity even further and serve as a hub for connecting external displays, microphones, headphones, speakers, and other equipment.

Priced at $359.95 in the United States, £324.99 in the United Kingdom, and €324.99 in the EU, the dock can be ordered through CalDigit's online store in those regions starting today. CalDigit said the dock will launch in other regions in mid-March.

Apple today announced plans to introduce a new "Tap to Pay on iPhone" feature that will allow compatible iPhones to accept payments via Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets, with no additional hardware required.

Apple said the feature will launch in the U.S. later this year and will allow merchants to accept contactless payments through supported iOS apps using an iPhone XS or newer. At checkout, the merchant will simply prompt the customer to hold their own iPhone or Apple Watch, contactless credit or debit card, or other digital wallet near the merchant's iPhone, and the payment will be securely completed using NFC technology.

Currently, merchants that accept contactless payments on an iPhone must rely on additional hardware like the Square Reader, which comes in various models that work wirelessly or connect to an iPhone's Lightning connector or headphone jack.

Stripe will be the first payment platform to offer "Tap to Pay on iPhone" to their business customers, including the Shopify Point of Sale app this spring, and additional payment platforms and apps will follow later this year, according to Apple. Apple Stores in the U.S. will also roll out the feature later this year. It appears that the feature will be exclusive to the U.S. at launch, with no other countries mentioned.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman exclusively revealed that Apple was planning this feature last month.

Popular calendar app Fantastical today is being updated with Fantastical Scheduling, a set of new and updated features designed to help schedule meetings.

The headline feature of Fantastical Scheduling is Openings, which lets you share your calendar availability with recipients and allows them to book available time slots. You can easily customize available time slots, while templates help you get started on setting up bookings.

The feature works automatically, pulling available slots from all or a subset of your calendar sets in Fantastical, blocking out times when you're not available. Requested bookings can be added to your calendar automatically, or you can opt to manually approve them.

Flexibits emphasizes that privacy is a key feature of Openings in Fantastical. While Flexibits' servers need to know something about your schedule in order for the feature to work, only the start and end times for your events and your calendar names are uploaded, and no other details about your scheduled events leave your devices. Even the actual booking of events through Openings takes place directly on your devices rather than on Flexibits' servers.

The second piece of Fantastical Scheduling is a revamped Proposals feature, which lets a meeting organizer propose multiple meeting times to a group and lets participants reply back with their availability. Through a convenient new grid view, you can easily see which meeting times work best for the participants.

Finally, Fantastical 3.6 includes a few other features updates such as a new Quarter view to optimize a mid-term view of your schedule between the typical Month and Year views, as well as a new Up Next toggle that lets you easily jump to either your full-day view or the next event on your calendar.

All of the new Fantastical Scheduling features are included with a Flexibits Premium subscription, which covers apps on all platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. It's priced at $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year for a single user and $7.99 per month or $64.99 per year for a family plan covering up to five family members.

The Fantastical apps are also available as free downloads with limited functionality, and there's a 14-day free trial of the full set of Premium features available. The updated apps should be rolling out now.

Today we're tracking a collection of iPad Pro discounts from Amazon and B&H Photo, offering up to $100 off 11-inch and 12.9-inch models. One of the most notable discounts is on the 128GB Wi-Fi 12.9-inch iPad Pro, available for $999.00, down from $1,099.00.

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

This deal has been one of the most consistent offers on the entire 2021 iPad Pro lineup for a few weeks now, and it's an all-time low price on this model. Below we've listed every current iPad Pro discount you can find across Amazon and B&H Photo, with a few more record low prices available.

• 11-inch 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,349.99, down from $1,499.00 ($149 off, lowest ever)
• 11-inch 2TB Wi-Fi - $1,799.00, down from $1,899.00 ($100 off)
• 12.9-inch 128GB Wi-Fi - $999.00, down from $1,099.00 ($100 off, lowest ever) [matched at B&H]
• 12.9-inch 256GB Wi-Fi - $1,099.00, down from $1,199.00 ($100 off) [matched at B&H]
• 12.9-inch 512GB Wi-Fi - $1,299.99, down from $1,399.00 ($99 off)
• 12.9-inch 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,649.99, down from $1,799.00 ($149 off)

For even more iPad deals, head to our full Best Deals guide for iPad. In that guide we track the best discounts online for iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro.

iPad models with OLED displays appear to be ebbing closer to production, as LG Display is preparing equipment at its facilities to make OLED panels specifically for future iPads, The Elec reports.

The company is purportedly making significant adjustments to its production lines to be able to supply Apple with OLED display panels for future ‌iPad‌ models. According to the report, this is indicated by the fact that LG Display is currently moving OLED production equipment to its plant in Paju, South Korea. The movement of active equipment to another production line is very rare since it requires recalibration and risks damage during transport, sources speaking to The Elec said.

The Paju plant already houses two production lines that manufacture flexible OLED panels for the iPhone, and LG is constructing another line to add to its ‌iPhone‌ panel production capacity. A new, fourth line will manufacture rigid OLED panels. Each production line is able to make up to 15,000 panels per month.

This is the second time that the Paju plant has been reported to be central to Apple's OLED ‌iPad‌ plans. Last month, ETNews claimed that LG Display was planning to expand the Paju plant to supply panels for next-generation ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ models. Although an OLED display could come to the ‌iPad‌ for the first time next year, LG is said to be planning to start mass production of these panels at the Paju facility in 2024. This timing broadly lines up with other recent reports, which has placed the launch of the OLED ‌iPad‌ between 2023 and 2024.

LG is also not the only supplier now enacting plans to set up production lines for upcoming ‌iPad‌ models with OLED displays. China's BOE is similarly believed to be gearing up to supply OLED panels suitable for future iPad models.

As expected, Nvidia has officially abandoned efforts to acquire chip maker Arm after talks reportedly "collapsed" between the two parties on Monday, according to the Financial Times.

From the paywalled report:

SoftBank and Nvidia said they had agreed to scrap the deal because of "significant regulatory challenges preventing the consummation of the transaction, despite good faith efforts by the parties."

Reports late last month suggested California-based Nvidia was edging away from its planned acquisition of the British chip company, owned by Japanese multinational Softbank, because of its failure to win approval from regulators.

In December 2021, the United States Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit to prevent Nvidia from acquiring Arm as the purchase would give Nvidia control over computing technology and designs that rival firms rely on to develop competing chips.

The FTC said that allowing the acquisition to move forward would stifle "innovative next-generation technologies" and would "unfairly undermine" Nvidia's competitors.

Nvidia is a customer of Arm and Arm has many licensing deals with Nvidia competitors, which is why it was clear from the beginning that the purchase would be subject to regulatory scrutiny. Nvidia first announced plans to purchase Arm in September 2020.

Chipmaker Qualcomm was one of the Nvidia competitors that objected to the purchase, and in February 2021, it told several regulatory bodies in the US, UK, and EU that the acquisition would allow Nvidia to become the gatekeeper for Arm's technology, preventing other chipmakers from using it.

Arm licenses its chip designs to over 500 companies, including Apple, and its architecture is used in 95 percent of the world's smartphones. Arm's hardware underpins all of Apple's custom silicon processors such as the A14 in the iPhone 12 and the M1 in the MacBook Pro, since Apple licenses the Arm instruction set.

If the proposed $66 billion dollar acquisition had gone through, it would have been the biggest sale in the history of the semiconductor industry.

Nothing, the brand from OnePlus founder Carl Pei, has announced that its Ear (1) true wireless earbuds now include Siri support, putting them on a more equal footing when compared to Apple's rival AirPods Pro.

The $99 Ear (1) feature an in-ear design, Active Noise Cancelation, transparency mode, and a charging case with Qi-compatible wireless charging and a USB-C port, although Fast pairing is supported on Android devices only.

The Ear (1) earbuds cost $150 less than Apple's ‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌, but offer many of the same features, such as the premium design, ANC, transparency mode, IPX4 water resistance, and 24 hours of battery life with the charging case. Now they offer ‌Siri‌ support, too.

Some features, like Bluetooth 5.2, three microphones per earbud, and earbud weight, are actually better on paper than ‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌, but they still lack Apple-specific features such as auto-pairing with the H1 chip.

Released in July 2021 with much marketing hype, the Ear (1) earbuds have seen impressive sales of over 400,000 units since launch. Available in black or white, they are the first Nothing product, and Nothing founder Pei has previously said that the company plans to launch a connected ecosystem of new devices that will extend far beyond the true wireless earphones.

Apple will launch its first MacBook Pro featuring a second-generation M2 Apple silicon processor at its spring event next month, according to a new supply chain report today.

DigiTimes reports that Apple's supply chain partners kept production lines running during the Lunar New Year holiday for the new ‌MacBook Pro‌, which is set to launch in "early March," according to the publication's industry sources:

Apple reportedly will release a spate of new devices in early March, including new MacBook Pro adopting the latest M2 processor, budget-level 5G iPhone SE and iPad, the sources said. Except for the processor, most other components used in the new MacBook Pro reportedly will feature almost the same specs as those for existing model featuring M1 chips, leading MacBook Pro supply chain partners to maintain production during the week-long Lunar New Year holiday to satisfy increasing demand for Mac series, the sources continued.

Although the report doesn't mention the exact size of ‌MacBook Pro‌, the only "Pro" model with the original M1 chip is the entry-level 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, and Apple is believed to be working on an updated version of this machine, which was positively received when it launched back in November 2020.

As recently as this past weekend, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman said Apple's intention is to release an updated entry-level 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with ‌M2‌ chip in 2022, but it was generally assumed that the machine would appear later in the year, after Apple finishes releasing its final Macs with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.

DigiTimes' sources often provide reliable information, but the site has a mixed track record when it comes to interpreting that information and accurately deciphering Apple's plans, especially with respect to product launch timing.

Nevertheless, whenever it arrives, the next-generation entry-level ‌MacBook Pro‌ should use the same ‌‌M2‌‌ chip that the next-generation ‌MacBook Air‌ is expected to adopt, featuring the same number of CPU cores as the ‌M1‌ chip, up to 10 graphics cores, and improved performance. Gurman believes Apple will remove the Touch Bar from the new entry-level ‌MacBook Pro‌, and he expects the notebook will lack a ProMotion display.

These details have yet to be corroborated, which is why there have been questions regarding how the new entry-level machine will take the middle ground between a new ‌‌M2‌‌ ‌‌MacBook Air‌‌, also expected this year, and the current high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ models.

At its virtual event on Tuesday, March 8, Apple is also expected to introduce new iPhone SE and iPad Air models, which are both believed to feature an A15 chip and 5G support.

Apple has acquired AI Music, a startup that uses artificial intelligence to generate personalized soundtracks and adaptive music, reports Bloomberg. AI Music developed an "Infinite Music Engine" meant to create bespoke audio solutions for marketers, publishers, fitness professionals, and creative agencies.

The technology is able to generate dynamic soundtracks that change based on user interaction. Music during a workout, for example, could change based on the wearer's heartbeat, adjusting to workout intensity. AI Music described it as a feature that could allow advertisers to create audio that would match user context, like mood.

AI Music's website no longer functions, but the company's prior LinkedIn page said it was "on a mission to redefine how we create, interact and experience music."

AI Music allows brands, developers and sonic adventurers access to our intelligent music library. Our goal is to give consumers the power to choose the music they want, seamlessly edited to fit their needs or create dynamic solutions that adapt to fit their audiences.

Apple completed its purchase of the UK-based AI Music company in recent weeks. Prior to acquisition, AI Music had approximately two dozen employees, according to Bloomberg.

Apple could potentially make use of the AI Music technology in several ways. Songs that can update based on heart rhythm could be useful for Apple Fitness+, and Apple's Photos app uses royalty-free music to provide songs for photo slideshows, so on-demand generated music that matches mood could come in handy for that purpose.

The Netherlands' Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has fined Apple five million euros for a third consecutive week for allegedly failing to satisfy the requirements it set regarding alternative payment systems for dating apps, according to Reuters.

The ACM today said it has still not received enough information from Apple to assess whether Apple has properly complied with the order, the report states. The competition regulator will continue to fine Apple five million euros per week, up to a maximum of 50 million euros, until it finds the company has come into compliance.

Last month, the ACM said that Apple had "raised several barriers" for dating apps looking to offer alternative payment systems in the Netherlands. For example, developers must submit an entitlement request form on Apple's website, and the entitlement can only be used with a new app binary distributed solely on the App Store in the Netherlands.

The ACM said Apple is also forcing dating apps to choose between the App Store's standard in-app purchase system or alternative payment systems. The regulator said that dating apps must be able to offer both options in the Netherlands.

Apple provided additional details for dating apps wishing to offer alternative payment systems in the Netherlands last week, including that it will charge a 27% commission on transactions made in dating apps that use alternative payment systems.

Apple has appealed the ACM's order, arguing that alternative payment systems in the App Store pose privacy and security risks for customers. Apple also said it will be unable to assist customers with refund requests, subscription management, and other issues encountered when purchasing digital goods and services through alternative systems.

Apple's 14-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 8-core CPU, 512GB) has dropped to $1,749.99, down from $1,999.00. This sale price will be reflected after you add the MacBook Pro to your cart on Amazon and receive an automatic coupon worth $200.

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

In total this discount reaches to $249 off the original price of the 14-inch MacBook Pro, and it's a new all-time low price on this model. You can get the sale in both Silver and Space Gray color options, and both are in stock and sold by Amazon.

You can find even more discounts on other MacBooks by visiting our Best Deals guide for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. In this guide we track the steepest discounts for the newest MacBook models every week, so be sure to bookmark it and check back often if you're shopping for a new Apple notebook.

Update: The sale quickly expired, but if it returns to Amazon we'll update this article again.

Update 2: The sale has returned, but only in Space Gray.

Update 3: The sale has expired again.

Apple's first Mac with Face ID is unlikely to be a MacBook because the technology necessary to embed the authentication hardware into a thin notebook display still doesn't exist, according to well-connected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman.

Gurman's latest thoughts on the subject appeared in the Q&A section of his latest "Power On" newsletter. On whether ‌Face ID‌ will ever come to the Mac, Gurman writes:

Face ID was in the cards for the original M1 iMac. Naturally, the iMac is the thickest Mac with a built-in display since Apple's laptops have fairly thin screens. At this point, the technology to embed Face ID into the thin MacBook displays doesn't exist. So if Face ID comes to the Mac, I think it will be on an iMac or external monitor first. Apple has definitely been working on this, but time will tell if they launch it.

First shown off in 2017 with the launch of the iPhone X, Apple's ‌Face ID‌ facial recognition system has since replaced Touch ID in most of the company's subsequent iPhones and iPads, and rumors have inevitably suggested a future Mac will adopt ‌Face ID‌.

Broaching the topic in July 2021, Gurman said he believed Apple intended to launch its first Mac with ‌Face ID‌ "within a couple of years," and that Apple had initially planned to include ‌Face ID‌ in 2021's 24-inch iMac, but its inclusion was delayed because of the all-in-one machine's 2021 redesign.

There have been rumors that Apple has tested ‌Face ID‌ for its next larger ‌‌iMac‌‌, tentatively dubbed "‌iMac‌ Pro," but it is not a confirmed feature and it remains unclear whether ‌‌Face ID‌‌ will make it into the release version of the machine.

Aside from the technical limitations, there are also practical questions surrounding the implementation of ‌Face ID‌ on a Mac. For example, unlocking a Mac from sleep using ‌Face ID‌ would seem reasonably straightforward, but using it to authenticate actions like purchases would presumably mean it would have to be confirmed by a physical button press or perhaps be used in conjunction with ‌Touch ID‌.

As for ‌Face ID‌ on future iPhones, for at least some of the ‌iPhone‌ 14 models, Apple is working to eliminate the notch that houses the hardware needed for ‌Face ID‌. Display analyst Ross Young has said he expects to see both a pill-shaped cutout and a circular cutout on some ‌iPhone‌ 14 models. The circular cutout will likely house the ‌Face ID‌ dot projector, and the pill-shaped cutout will include the front camera, ‌Face ID‌ infrared camera, and possibly other components.

In addition to the question of ‌Face ID‌ on Mac, Gurman's latest newsletter reiterated that Apple is planning to hold a virtual event on Tuesday, March 8 to introduce new ‌iPhone‌ SE and iPad Air models, which are both expected to feature an A15 chip and 5G support.