Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming watchOS 8.1 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming one week after the release of the fourth beta and a month after the release of the watchOS 8 update.
To install watchOS 8.1, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, watchOS 8 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.
There have been no new major features discovered in watchOS 8.1, suggesting that it is a minor update that focuses on bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements. watchOS 8.1 will be released next week.
Apple today announced new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M1 Pro and M1 Max Apple silicon chips, and the new machines come with higher than expected price tags.
The 14-inch model starts at $1,999, while the 16-inch model starts at $2,499. There are upgrades available for the chip, SSD, and memory upgrades depending on the model.
A fully maxed 16-inch MacBook Pro tops out at $6,099, featuring a top of the line M1 Max chip with 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU, 64GB unified memory, and 8TB SSD.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro models can be customized with the same specs. A 14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max, 64GB unified memory, and 8TB SSD is priced at $5,899.
Pre-orders for the new MacBook Pro models started today and the first machines will be arriving to customers next Tuesday. Fully customized and upgraded MacBook Pro models won't ship out until December.
Apple today unveiled new MacBook Pro models, and while some customers will be disappointed that there is now a notch at the top of the display, one positive is that both the 14-inch and 16-inch models now feature a 1080p webcam, also known as the FaceTime camera.
Tech specs on Apple's website indicate that the 1080p camera is complemented with an advanced image signal processor for improved video quality compared to previous-generation MacBook Pro models, which had a 720p webcam. During its event, Apple said the camera has a larger sensor with more efficient pixels for 2x better low-light performance.
The new MacBook Pro models also feature Apple-designed M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, a ProMotion display with an adaptive refresh rate between 24Hz and 120Hz, up to 10 hours longer of battery life, and the return of an HDMI port, SD card slot, and MagSafe. In addition, the Touch Bar has been removed in favor of a return to a row of physical Fn keys.
The new MacBook Pro models can be ordered now and will be available on October 26, with pricing starting at $1,999 for the 14-inch model and at $2,499 for the 16-inch model in the United States. The notebooks come in Silver and Space Gray.
Apple's newly announced high-end chip for the new MacBook Pro, the M1 Max, can support up to three Pro Display XDRs and a fourth 4K TV display all at the same time, a significant jump in support compared to the single display support that the M1 chip provided.
The M1 Pro chip supports up to two Pro Display XDRs alone, while the higher-end M1 Max chip extends support to an additional Pro Display XDR and a 4K TV. To support this, the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros feature three Thunderbolt 4 ports and an HDMI port.
Overall, the new MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip supports up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, while the new MacBook Pro with the M1 Max chip supports up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz, according to Apple's tech specs.
Apple announced completely redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros models today during its "Unleashed" event. Be sure to catch up on all of the announcements right here on MacRumors.com.
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of macOS Monterey, the newest version of the macOS operating system. The release candidate comes less than one week after Apple released the tenth macOS Monterey beta.
The release candidate is listed as version 12.0.1, presumably because Apple has made a few tweaks since 12.0 started being loaded onto the new MacBook Pro models, so the official release version made available to everyone on Monday and as an update for new MacBook Pro owners will be 12.0.1.
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.
macOS Monterey will bring Universal Control, a feature that lets a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard be used across multiple Mac or iPad devices, plus there's a new AirPlay to Mac feature. Safari has been redesigned with a new tab bar with a toggle for two different designs and support for Tab Groups, and FaceTime has gained spatial audio, a Portrait Mode on M1 Macs, and Voice Isolation for cutting out background noise. There's also a new SharePlay FaceTime feature that lets Apple users watch TV, listen to music, and share their screens with one another.
Shared With You, a separate 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 collaboration is easier with mentions and an Activity View.
The Shortcuts app from iOS is now available on the Mac, and Focus helps people stay on task by cutting out background distractions. There's an updated Maps app with a whole slew of new features, and with Live Text, Macs can now detect text in photos or provide details on animals, art, landmarks, plants, and more in images.
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 full rundown available in our macOS Monterey roundup. macOS Monterey is set to be released next Monday.
Apple today seeded the RC versions of upcoming iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1 betas to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fourth betas and a month after releasing iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 to the public.
iOS and iPadOS 15.1 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.
SharePlay makes a return in iOS 15.1, with Apple once again testing the feature that was removed before the launch of iOS 15. SharePlay is designed to let users call their friends and family and interact by watching movies, watching TV, or listening to music together.
Apple has added features like shared playlists and TV show syncing so everyone sees the same thing at the same time. SharePlay also has a built-in screen sharing feature, and Apple is still working out the bugs.
For iPhone 13 Pro users, the iOS 15.1 beta adds support for ProRes video capture, which is a higher quality professional video format that takes up quite a bit of storage space. For that reason, ProRes capture is limited to 30fps at 1080p on devices with only 128GB of storage, but higher capacity devices can record in 4K. ProRes can be toggled on in the Camera section of the Settings app.
There's also a new Auto Macro toggle for the iPhone 13 Pro models, which allows users to disable the feature that causes the camera to automatically swap to the Ultra Wide lens for a macro photo when in close proximity to an object.
Paired with the HomePod 15.1 beta (which is invite only), iOS 15.1 adds Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio support to the HomePod and the HomePod mini, bringing Apple's speakers in line with iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
iPhone users who have a health care provider or state record that uses SMART Health Cards can import their COVID-19 vaccination records into the Health app and can then add a vaccine card to the Wallet app. This is an opt-in feature that uses a global specification, but healthcare providers need to implement it.
Right now, Smart Health Cards are or will be available to those in California, Louisiana, New York, Virginia, Hawaii, and some Maryland counties, as well those who were vaccinated at Walmart, Sam's Club, and CVS Health. Healthcare providers like electronic health record vendors like Epic and Cerner also support Smart Health Cards.
Developers can download the new tvOS 15.1 beta by downloading a profile onto the Apple TV using Xcode.
Other than new releases, tvOS updates are often minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. We don't yet know what's included in tvOS 15.1, but we'll update this article should anything be found.
Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release. tvOS 15.1 will be released next week.
Following months of developer and public beta testing, Apple today announced that macOS Monterey will officially launch on Monday, October 25.
macOS Monterey maintains the same design as macOS Big Sur but includes several enhancements across the system. macOS Monterey consists of a completely redesigned Safari, Shortcuts for the Mac, Quick Note, and Universal Control, which will be coming in a future update. macOS Monterey also includes new features from iOS and iPadOS 15, such as Live Text, Focus modes, and SharePlay, also coming in a forthcoming update.
macOS Monterey is compatible with all of the same Macs that run macOS Big Sur, with the expectation of some older MacBook Air and iMac models from 2013 and 2014. Apple released iOS and iPadOS 15, alongside tvOS 15 and watchOS 8 last month, but macOS Monterey's release was held until later in the fall to coincide with the release of new Mac computers. Learn everything you need to know about macOS Monterey and all its new features using our roundup.
Apple today announced redesigned MacBook Pro models and AirPods 3 and orders for the new devices are available starting today. Apple is accepting orders from the online Apple Store and the Apple Store app in multiple countries around the world.
Pricing on the new MacBook Pro starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch models and $2499 for the 16-inch models, while the AirPods 3 are priced at $179.
The MacBook Pro models feature a complete design overhaul with a larger mini-LED display that has slimmer bezels, additional ports, MagSafe, a new Apple silicon chip, and more. The AirPods 3 feature an AirPods Pro-like design, spatial audio support, adaptive EQ, and more.
Those who want to be one of the first with one of the new devices should make sure to pre-order right away, as we do not know what available supply looks like and there could be constraints.
Apple today announced that 14-inch MacBook Pro pricing will start at $1,999 ($1,849 for education), while the new 16-inch MacBook Pro will start at $2,499 ($2,299 for education). The new MacBook Pro models were revealed during today's Apple event, and are powered by the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
The new models feature Liquid Retina XDR displays with ProMotion, HDMI ports and SDXC card readers, the return of MagSafe, and a notch that includes a 1080p webcam. There's the model with a 14.2-inch display that weighs 3.5 pounds, and the model with a 16.2-inch display that weighs 4.7 pounds.
Apple enhanced the amount of ports available on each model, including a MagSafe 3 port, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, a headphone jack, HDMI, and the SDXC card reader. The company also removed the Touch Bar and replaced it with a traditional function key row.
The notebooks can be ordered on Apple.com starting today and will be available on October 26. Be sure to visit our coverage post on the new MacBook Pro models to read more details about the latest Apple notebooks.
In addition to introducing third-generation AirPods with a similar design as AirPods Pro, Apple today announced that the AirPods Pro now come with a MagSafe charging case, with pricing remaining set at $249 in the United States.
With a MagSafe charging case, the AirPods Pro case can magnetically attach to Apple's MagSafe Charger or MagSafe Duo while wirelessly charging.
As expected, Apple did not announce second-generation AirPods Pro at its "Unleashed" event today. Rumors suggest the second-generation AirPods Pro will be announced next year with a more compact design like Google's Pixel Buds and Samsung's Galaxy Buds.
The full AirPods lineup now includes the second-generation AirPods with a wired charging case for $129, third-generation AirPods with a wireless charging case for $179, and the AirPods Pro with a MagSafe charging case for $249.
Apple today announced that iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, watchOS 8.1, tvOS 15.1, and macOS Monterey will all be released as free software updates next week. Apple revealed this timing in a press release for the third-generation AirPods.
macOS Monterey will enable Universal Control, allowing for a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard to be used across multiple Mac or iPad devices, but the feature is not coming until later this fall, according to Apple. Other new features include AirPlay to Mac, a Safari redesign with new features, a Shortcuts app, spatial audio in FaceTime, and a SharePlay function that lets Apple users watch TV, listen to music, and share their screens with one another.
Apple today announced its long-awaited major redesign for the MacBook Pro, featuring configurations with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chip, a mini-LED display with ProMotion, an HDMI port and SDXC card reader, charging with MagSafe 3, a notch housing a 1080p webcam, and more.
The MacBook Pro features a new design and is available with 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch display sizes. The 14.2-inch model is 15.5mm thick and weighs 3.5 pounds, while the 16.2-inch model is 16.8mm thick and weighs 4.7 pounds. The all-new aluminum enclosure also contains a completely new thermal design. It continues to be available in Silver and Space Gray.
There are now more ports available, with the right side of the machine offering an HDMI port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and an SDXC card reader. The left side of the machine features a MagSafe 3 port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a headphone jack. The keyboard now has a full-height function key row in place of the Touch Bar and the entire keyboard area is black.
The MacBook Pro features significantly reduced display borders that are 3.5mm thick, with a notch out of the top of the display for the webcam. The webcam now offers a 1080p resolution with a wider aperture, a larger image sensor, and benefits from an improved image signal processor.
The display itself is a mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display, which also features ProMotion for refresh rates up to 120Hz. The Liquid Retina XDR display offers 1,000 nits of sustained brightness, 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and a million to one contrast ratio.
The new MacBook Pro also features improved studio-quality mics and speakers that support Spatial Audio, with the 16-inch model containing a six-speaker system.
The MacBook Pro now features magnetic charging with MagSafe 3, which gives the device fast charging for up to 50 percent charge in 30 minutes. It remains possible to charge using the Thunderbolt ports. When playing back video, the 14.2-inch model offers up to 17 hours of battery life, while the 16.2-inch model can deliver up to 21 hours of video playback.
The redesigned MacBook Pro features configurations with two new Apple silicon chips. Apple's The M1 Pro chip is a scaled-up, more powerful variant of the M1 chip. The M1 Pro chip features an 8-core or 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, a more capable Media Engine, more Thunderbolt controllers, support for up to 32GB of unified memory, and more. The M1 Max chip features the same 10-core CPU as the M1 Pro, but includes a 24-core or 32-core GPU with support for up to 64GB of unified memory.
The new MacBook Pro is available to pre-order today, with the first orders arriving to customers next week.
Apple at its "Unleashed" event today announced the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors, two custom-built successor chips to the original M1 Apple silicon chip. The new MacBook Pros are powered by the new chips, which deliver up to 70% faster CPU performance than the M1.
The M1 Pro features up to 10 CPU cores, with eight high-performance and two energy-efficient cores. In terms of graphics, the M1 Pro has a 16-core GPU, which is up to twice as powerful as the M1. It has up to 200GB/s of memory bandwidth, using 33.7 billion transistors, and supports up to 32GB of unified memory.
The M1 Max builds on the M1 Pro and starts by doubling the memory interface, delivering up to 400 GB/s memory bandwidth, and supports up to 64GB of unified memory with 57 billion transistors. It has the same 10-core CPU, but a 32-core GPU that's up to seven times faster, and is similar performance to discrete graphics while using 70% less power.
"M1 has transformed our most popular systems with incredible performance, custom technologies, and industry-leading power efficiency. No one has ever applied a system-on-a-chip design to a pro system until today with M1 Pro and M1 Max," said Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Technologies. "With massive gains in CPU and GPU performance, up to six times the memory bandwidth, a new media engine with ProRes accelerators, and other advanced technologies, M1 Pro and M1 Max take Apple silicon even further, and are unlike anything else in a pro notebook."
The efficient architecture of M1 Pro and M1 Max means they deliver the same level of performance whether MacBook Pro is plugged in or using the battery, says Apple. The M1 Pro and M1 Max also feature enhanced media engines with dedicated ProRes accelerators specifically for pro video processing.
Compared to a powerful discrete GPU for PC notebooks, M1 Pro delivers more performance while using up to 70 percent less power, according to Apple. As for the M1 Max, Apple says the GPU delivers performance comparable to a high-end GPU in a compact pro PC laptop while consuming up to 40 percent less power, and performance similar to that of the highest-end GPU in the largest PC laptops while using up to 100 watts less power.
The M1 Pro includes dedicated acceleration for the ProRes professional video codec, allowing playback of multiple streams of high-quality 4K and 8K ProRes video while using very little power. Meanwhile, the M1 Max delivers up to 2x faster video encoding than the M1 Pro, and features two ProRes accelerators. With M1 Max, the new MacBook Pro can transcode ProRes video in Compressor up to 10x faster compared with the previous-generation 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Both the M1 Pro and M1 Max feature a 16-core Neural Engine for on-device machine learning acceleration and improved camera performance, a new display engine that drives multiple external displays, additional integrated Thunderbolt 4 controllers, Apple's custom image signal processor and Neural Engine, as well as Apple's latest Secure Enclave, hardware-verified secure boot, and runtime anti-exploitation technologies.
Apple today announced that the third-generation AirPods are available to order starting today, with pricing set at $179 in the United States. Apple also said the second-generation AirPods with a wired charging case are remaining available for $129, down from $159.
The third-generation AirPods will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, October 26, according to Apple.
The third-generation AirPods feature a similar design as the AirPods Pro, but without noise cancellation or silicone ear tips. Newly added Adaptive EQ tunes sound in real time based on how the AirPods fit in the user's ear for an optimal listening experience. Other new features include spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, IPX4-rated water and sweat resistance, longer battery life, and a MagSafe-compatible charging case.
Apple today announced the third-generation AirPods, featuring an updated design, improved sound quality, and more. The new third-generation AirPods builds on features such as Spatial Audio in Apple Music and more.
The new AirPods, as rumored, features a design similar to the AirPods Pro but without silicone eartips or Active Noise Cancelation. The new AirPods includes Adaptive EQ, which adjusts frequencies in real-time based on what a user is listening to deliver even improved sound quality.
For an optimal listening experience with rich detail, the new AirPods feature Adaptive EQ that tunes sound in real-time based on how AirPods fit in the user’s ear. An inward-facing microphone monitors for sound, and then Adaptive EQ, powered by computational audio, tunes the low and mid frequencies to account for what may be lost due to variances in fit.
Unlike the second-generation AirPods, the third-generation AirPods is sweat and water-resistant, featuring a new contoured design that's meant to fit a wide varify of ear sizes.
The new design of AirPods is lightweight and contoured, sitting at just the right angle for comfort and to direct audio into the ear. For a more subtle appearance, the stem is shorter than the previous generation and features the same intuitive force sensor as AirPods Pro for media control. The new AirPods are resistant to both sweat and water, with an IPX4 rating for both the earbuds and the charging case.
In battery life, Apple is promising that the new third-generation AirPods will deliver up to an extra hour of battery life compared to the second-generation model. Apple claims that just five minutes of charging provides enough battery for an hour of use. AirPods Pro and the new AirPods now also support MagSafe. The new AirPods start at $179, and are available starting today.
Apple today revealed a new subscription tier for Apple Music, called the "Voice Plan" and priced at $4.99/month. This plan has been designed around the power of Siri and offers subscribers access to the service's catalog of 90 million songs only through Siri, hence the name.
This means that users on this tier can only access and play songs, playlists, and albums in Apple Music through their voice on devices like iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and HomePod mini. Users will be able to subscribe to the Voice Plan by saying "Hey Siri, start my Apple Music Voice trial, or by using the Apple Music app. The trial lasts seven days.
This plan is available for one person, similar to the regular $9.99/month Individual Plan, but essentially lacking all of the regular app-based UI in the Apple Music app. Apple says that users will still have full playback control including unlimited song-skipping through Siri.
Instead of the regular Music app UI, Voice Plan users will get a "customized in-app experience" with suggestions based on their music preferences and a queue of music that was recently played through Siri. There will also be a section called "Just Ask Siri" where subscribers can learn tips to optimize the voice assistant.
Apple Music is also adding hundreds of new mood and activity playlists, which were created by Apple Music's editorial team and are optimized for the Voice Plan. Some examples Apple gave are asking Siri to "Play the dinner party playlist," "Play something chill," or "Play more like this."
These new playlists will be available to all subscribers on any Apple Music plan. Those on the Voice Plan will also still have access to Apple Music's entire lineup of playlists, like New Music Daily, Today's Hits, Today's Country, A-List Pop, and more.
The Apple Music Voice Plan will launch later this fall in 17 countries and regions, including: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Apple today announced that the HomePod mini will be available in three new colors next month, including yellow, orange, and blue.
Apple said the new HomePod mini colors will be available in November alongside the existing White and Space Gray colors, with pricing remaining at $99 in the United States. Apple did not share a specific release date.
The new HomePod mini colors will be available in the United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
In addition, Apple said Siri's multi-user voice recognition is expanding to all regions where the HomePod mini is available later this year.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
