MacRumors

Apple has failed to properly comply with a court order that requires non-App Store purchasing options be made available to third-party developers, Epic Games has told a judge (via Bloomberg).

The Supreme Court earlier this month declined to hear separate requests from both Apple and ‌‌Epic Games‌‌ in their three-year-long lawsuit against each other regarding App Store rules. As a result, Apple is able to continue to disallow third-party payment processing within apps, but it must allow developers to direct customers to a non-App Store purchasing option for digital goods.

Apple has since made changes to its U.S. App Store policies, and now allows apps to feature a single link to a developer website that leads to an in-app purchase alternative. However, Apple plans to continue to collect a 12 to 27 percent commission on content bought this way. The commission applies to transactions for digital goods and services that take place on a developers website within seven days after a user taps through an External Purchase Link to an external website.

Epic likely wishes to contest this aspect of the change in particular, as well as Apple's implementation of them. ‌Epic Games‌‌ CEO Tim Sweeney on January 16 took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize the‌ changes as soon as they were announced, and said that it would dispute Apple's "bad-faith compliance plan" in District Court.

According to Bloomberg, Epic said in a filing Tuesday that it "disputes Apple's compliance" with previously ordered changes and said it will explain the "non-compliance" in a forthcoming filing.

Meanwhile, Apple wants ‌Epic Games‌ to pay $73.4 million in legal fees after Apple won the antitrust case brought against it by the North Carolinian games maker. Apple bases the claim on Epic's original violation of its developer agreement, when its Fortnite game offered an in-app payment alternative on the ‌‌App Store‌‌. Epic previously accepted that it would owe damages if it lost its antitrust claims against Apple. Now that it has, Apple has issued the bill.

The first full-length reviews of the Apple Vision Pro were published today, revealing some new details about the headset before it launches in the U.S. on Friday.

To learn more, check out our roundup of Apple Vision Pro reviews and unboxing videos.

Battery Life

Apple says the Vision Pro provides up to two hours of battery life overall, and up to 2.5 hours for 2D video playback specifically. In his review, however, Brian Tong said he achieved nearly 2.5 hours of battery life for general usage, and separately was able to watch the three-hour movie Avengers: Endgame on a single charge.

Daring Fireball's John Gruber also said he has consistently got at least three hours of battery life on a full charge, but he did not list any specific use cases.

All in all, it seems that the Vision Pro may last up to 30 minutes longer per charge than Apple's advertised battery life claims, but results will vary.

Home Screen

According to Tong, third-party apps on visionOS are listed alphabetically starting on the second page of the Home Screen, and cannot be reordered like they can be on the iPhone and iPad. Apps cannot be placed into folders either.

He also confirmed that websites cannot be added to the Home Screen via Safari, which is inconvenient given that some popular services like YouTube and Spotify will only be accessible via the web on the Vision Pro at launch.

Apple could add these options in future visionOS updates.

Personas and EyeSight

Since the Vision Pro covers your face during video calls, Apple allows you to create a digital version of yourself called a Persona.

Apple refers to a Persona as an "authentic spatial representation" of a person that shows facial expressions and hand movements in real time. The feature is still in beta, and it seems that Apple has a lot of room for improvement.

The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern:

On FaceTimes with friends and family, the reviews were unanimous: "You look awful," my sister said. "It's like Botox from hell," remarked the always-kind Jason Gay. "Frightening," said my dad.

Calling other Vision Pro reviewers was slightly better because we all looked ridiculous. But everyone agreed I looked the worst. And this was after I remade my Persona numerous times, with professional lighting.

Poor Joanna! (She's still amazing, nothing can change that!)

The Verge's Nilay Patel:

I won't go into that much detail on Apple's deeply weird and extremely uncanny 3D persona system here […] You can see why Apple put the beta label on them; there's a long way to go before using a persona on a call isn't distracting at best and, at worst, extremely rude.

Personas extend to the Vision Pro's outer display, allowing others to view a digital recreation of your eyes. This feature is called EyeSight, and it has mostly been panned on social media since Vision Pro reviews were first published earlier today.

Mac Virtual Display

Many reviewers shared their thoughts on using the Vision Pro as an external display for a Mac.

CNET's Scott Stein was impressed:

What if my desk was just floating monitors? What if I didn't need anything but a headset? Vision Pro gets close to that feeling when all the apps are open and the flow is going. I'm doing that now. I'm in my virtual floating computer as I write this. There are glitches, and sometimes the controls feel too floaty, but in its first form, I'm shocked at how good it already is.

However, he mentioned a caveat:

And while the Vision Pro's display is great as a monitor, staring into 3D space for a while puts my eyes into a different focus zone than actual reality. Taking the headset off to work on my laptop, my eyes need time to settle and refocus. I feel myself slipping into long sessions in Vision Pro, but my eyes want me to take breaks.

Tom's Guide's Mark Spoonauer:

One of the options in Control Center is the ability to connect with your Mac, but you can also bring your Mac desktop into the Vision Pro just by looking at it. I saw a Connect button floating above my MacBook Pro 14-inch, pinched my fingers together and saw my laptop's screen go blank, popping up on the wall in front of me instead.

You don't get multiple desktop views, but you do get a crystal clear 4K display that renders text crisply, and you can make that canvas positively huge so it dwarfs most of the best monitors. Your keyboard and mouse still work as they normally would with no latency. You can even use your keyboard in Vision Pro apps if you want. Yes, only Apple could do this, and I could see myself taking the Vision Pro on business trips and using it back at the hotel.

Stay tuned for additional details about the Vision Pro over the coming days.

Apple today stopped signing the iOS 17.2.1 update, preventing iPhone users from downgrading to that version of iOS going forward. iOS 17.2.1 is no longer being signed following the January 22 release of iOS 17.3, which introduced Stolen Device Protection for the ‌iPhone‌ and other changes.

It is not unusual that iOS 17.2.1 is no longer being signed. Apple routinely stops signing older versions of iOS after new releases in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date and to prevent users from downgrading to older, less secure versions of the ‌iPhone‌ operating system.

Along with iOS 17.2.1, Apple has stopped signing iPadOS 17.2 for the iPad, and the older 15.8 and 16.7.4 versions of iOS and iPadOS for devices unable to run iOS 17.

Apple is already testing iOS 17.4, a major update that is set to come out in March.

Some of Apple's iCloud services are down at the current time, with the iCloud.com website non-functional and ‌iCloud‌ Mail failing to load. There are multiple reports on Twitter and other social networks, and Apple's System Status page says that some ‌iCloud‌ Mail users may not be able to send, receive, or access their messages.

Apple's System Status page also lists an issue with ‌iCloud‌ web apps, and says that some users are unable to log in to iCloud.com.

We'll update this article when the issue has been resolved and Apple's ‌iCloud‌ services are working.

Update: Apple says the issue has been resolved as of 4:38 p.m. Eastern Time.

Apple today introduced a new firmware update for AirPods Max. The new firmware is 6A324, up from the 6A300 firmware released in September.

Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware, so it is unclear what's new. The limited release notes for the update list only "bug fixes and other improvements."

Apple also does not offer instructions on how to upgrade AirPods software, but firmware is generally installed over-the-air while the ‌‌AirPods‌‌ are powered on and connected to an iOS device or a Mac.

You can check your ‌‌‌AirPods‌‌ Max‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ firmware by following these steps:

• Connect your ‌‌‌‌‌‌AirPods to your iOS device.
• Open the Settings app.
• Tap General.
• Tap About.
• Tap ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods‌‌‌‌‌.
• Look at the number next to "Firmware Version."

If we find anything notable in the firmware release, we'll update this article.

Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 updates to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test the software ahead of its release. The public iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 betas come a week after Apple released the betas for developers. Apple has also re-released the first beta of iOS 17.4 for developers with a new 21E5184k build number, which is the same build number used for the public beta.

Public beta testers can get the beta by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Public Beta. Signing up on Apple's beta testing website is required.

The iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 betas introduce a whole slew of changes for users in the European Union, allowing for alternative app stores and alternative payment methods.

There are new options for choosing a default browser, NFC has been opened up to banks and other financial institutions, and browsers aren't mandated to use WebKit.

Along with these changes, the update also brings new emoji characters, Podcast transcripts, tweaks to Safari, hints of what we can expect from the next-generation CarPlay, and more.

Full details on what's included in iOS 17.4 beta 1 can be found in our features guide.

Apple Card has over 12 million users in the United States, with card holders earning more than $1 billion in Daily Cash rewards in 2023, Apple said today.

Daily Cash is earned with every purchase on the ‌Apple Card‌. Apple provides 3% cash back for Apple purchases and items bought from select partners like T-Mobile, Ace Hardware, Panera Bread, Walgreens, and Uber. All Apple Pay purchases with ‌Apple Card‌ earn 2% cash back, and all other purchases earn 1% cash back.

Apple delivers Daily Cash rewards every day, and ‌Apple Card‌ holders can choose to have it added to the Apple Cash card or they can or opt in to having their cash deposited in the Apple Savings Account that launched last year.

Apple says that the "vast majority" of ‌Apple Card‌ users have opted in to having their Daily Cash auto-deposited into Savings, and nearly two-thirds of users deposit additional funds from a linked bank account. The ‌Apple Card‌ offers an APY of 4.50 percent at the current time, which is on par with the high-yield savings accounts from many competing financial institutions.

Almost 30 percent of ‌Apple Card‌ customers make two or more payments per month, and more than a million ‌Apple Card‌ users share their ‌Apple Card‌ with their Family Sharing Group. Close to 600,000 users have added spouses, partners, or another trusted adult to their ‌Apple Card‌. For those with low credit scores who are not initially approved for an ‌Apple Card‌, Apple has a "Path to ‌Apple Card‌ Program." According to Apple, 200,000 users have been approved for an ‌Apple Card‌ after enrolling and following the program's personal steps.

It has been almost five years since the ‌Apple Card‌ launched in 2019, and ‌Apple Pay‌ VP Jennifer Bailey said that new tools and features will be coming to ‌Apple Card‌ holders "in the year ahead and beyond."

"We designed Apple Card with users' financial health in mind, and it's rewarding to see our more than 12 million customers using its features to make healthier financial decisions," said Jennifer Bailey, Apple's vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. "We're proud of what we've been able to deliver to Apple Card customers in just five years. As we look at the year ahead and beyond, we're excited to continue to innovate and invest in Apple Card's award-winning experience, and provide users with more tools and features that help them lead healthier financial lives."

Though ‌Apple Card‌ is approaching its five-year launch anniversary, Apple has not managed to expand it to countries beyond the United States.

Apple's relationship with ‌Apple Card‌ provider Goldman Sachs has also soured, and reports suggest that Apple and Goldman Sachs plan to end their partnership in the next 12 to 15 months. Goldman Sachs is planning to cut back on its consumer business, and the partnership with Apple will be entirely dissolved.

Apple will need to find another partner for the ‌Apple Card‌, but has said that it is focused on providing the best experience for customers. Interruptions to the ‌Apple Card‌ service are not expected, and there's as of yet no word on the financial institution that Apple might partner with to replace Goldman Sachs. The failure of the agreement between Goldman Sachs and the upcoming shift are likely to delay any behind-the-scenes plans that Apple has had to expand the ‌Apple Card‌ beyond the United States.

iPhone 16 models launching later this year will not have any "significant design changes," according to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo also said that Apple is unlikely to offer "more comprehensive" generative AI features until the iPhone 17 series launches next year at the earliest.

"It is expected that Apple will not launch new iPhone models with significant design changes and the more comprehensive/differentiated GenAI ecosystem/applications until 2025 at the earliest," wrote Kuo, in a blog post on Medium today.

Kuo believes foldable designs and generative AI features are two of the biggest trends for high-end smartphones right now, and he thinks iPhone shipments could decline in 2024 as a result of Apple not launching products focused on these areas yet.

One notable hardware change rumored for the iPhone 16 lineup is the addition of a so-called "capture" button for video-related actions. According to a recent report, the button will respond to pressure and touch. For example, the report said users will be able to zoom in and out in the Camera app by swiping left and right on the button, focus with a light press, and start a video recording with a more forceful press.

The higher-end iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models are also expected to feature larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, compared to 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Is a new button and a larger display significant or not? Ultimately, it's subjective.

Today we're tracking a couple of deals on iPhone accessories that you can find on Woot, including low prices on the MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger. Additionally, Amazon has steep discounts on FineWoven and Silicone Cases for iPhone 15 models.

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

Both of the MagSafe Chargers in this sale are in brand new condition and come with a one year Apple manufacturer limited warranty. You'll find an estimated delivery between February 7 and February 12, although those dates may change depending on your location.

The highlight of the sale is the MagSafe Duo Charger for $79.99, down from $129.00. This beats the previous deal we tracked in January by about $20 and is a match for the best-ever price on the accessory. The MagSafe Duo Charger can simultaneously charge an iPhone via MagSafe and an Apple Watch.

Woot also has the MagSafe Charger for $29.99, down from $39.00. This is one of the first times in 2024 that we've tracked the charger down to nearly its all-time low price.

Of course, there are plenty of other deals in the Woot sale, including the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock for $34.99 ($44 off) and the Siri Remote with Lightning port for $44.99 ($14 off). You'll also find USB-C cables, previous generation Apple Watches, iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands, and more at a discount.

Finally, over at Amazon there is also a large collection of FineWoven and Silicone Cases on sale for the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. You can find these for as low as $21.70 right now on Amazon, and no coupon codes are required to get these deals.

• iPhone 15 FineWoven Case - $20.61, down from $59.00
• iPhone 15 Silicone Case - $25.99, down from $49.00
• iPhone 15 Plus FineWoven Case - $31.37, down from $59.00
• iPhone 15 Plus Silicone Case - $19.12, down from $49.00
• iPhone 15 Pro Silicone Case - $33.68, down from $49.00
• iPhone 15 Pro Max FineWoven Case - $51.99, down from $59.00
• iPhone 15 Pro Max Silicone Case - $35.16, down from $49.00

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

The first reviews and unboxing videos for the Apple Vision Pro were shared today ahead of the mixed reality headset's launch in the U.S. on Friday.

We have rounded up some of the videos below from well-known YouTube creators and reporters, including Marques Brownlee, Joanna Stern, and others.

Videos

Reviews

The Verge's Nilay Patel:

There are a lot of ideas in the Vision Pro, and they're all executed with the kind of thoughtful intention that few other companies can ever deliver at all, let alone on the first iteration. But the shocking thing is that Apple may have inadvertently revealed that some of these core ideas are actually dead ends — that they can't ever be executed well enough to become mainstream. This is the best video passthrough headset ever made, and that might mean camera-based mixed reality passthrough could just be a road to nowhere. This is the best hand- and eye-tracking ever, and it feels like the mouse, keyboard, and touchscreen are going to remain undefeated for years to come. There is so much technology in this thing that feels like magic when it works and frustrates you completely when it doesn't.

The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern:

Apple's headset has all the characteristics of a first-generation product: It's big and heavy, it's battery life sucks, there are few great apps and it can be buggy. And come on, have you seen what this thing thinks I look like?

Yet so much of what the Vision Pro can do feels sci-fi. I'm flicking apps all over my home office. I've got multiple virtual timers hovering over my stove. I'm watching holograms of my kid petting a llama. It's the best mixed-reality headset I've ever tried, way more advanced than its only real competition, the far cheaper Meta Quest Pro and Quest 3.

These companies know these aren't really the devices we want. They're all working toward building virtual experiences into something that looks more like a pair of regular eyeglasses. Until then, they're just messing with our heads.

CNET's Scott Stein:

The very first thing I noticed about the Vision Pro in my first demo was how good the displays were. The 4K-resolution-per-eye, micro-OLED display tech Apple uses is basically the "retina" moment for VR and AR. It's vivid, richly colored, HDR and just stunning. Not only is it good enough for movies -- something Apple is touting constantly -- but it's better than any TV in my house.

Tom's Guide's Mark Spoonaeur:

As for endurance, the Vision Pro's battery is rated for 2 hours of general use and 2.5 hours of video playback. In my testing of on and off use over 2 hours, the Vision Pro was down to about 60% and then down to 40% after another couple hours.

If you want to use the Vision Pro continuously, you can always just plug in the battery using the included USB-C power adapter. Competing mixed reality headsets like the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro have batteries built into the headset, which is more convenient, but they're also less powerful.

What's in the Box

Alongside the Vision Pro, the following accessories are included in the box:

• Light Seal
• Light Seal Cushion (Two Sizes)
• Solo Knit Band
• Dual Loop Band
• Front Cover
• Battery Pack
• Vision Pro Polishing Cloth
• 30W USB-C Power Adapter
• USB‑C Charging Cable

Apple also released an optional Vision Pro travel case for $199. It features compartments for the external battery pack, ZEISS optical inserts, fabric front cover, and additional accessories. Apple says the case has a fabric exterior with a polycarbonate protective layer, a soft microfiber inner lining, and a retractable handle.

Apple said the Vision Pro will launch in additional countries later this year.

Apple today shared the "Replay 2024" playlist with Apple Music subscribers, allowing you to start tracking all of the songs you've been streaming so far this year. Just like the past few years, this playlist ranks a total of 100 songs based on how many times you've listened to them.

"Replay 2024" will update every week with the newest order of your most-listened-to tracks. By the time 2024 ends, the playlist provides an overall look at your music history for the year.

Once you've listened to enough music to generate the playlist, you'll find it at the bottom of the Listen Now tab in ‌‌Apple Music‌‌ on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. There's also a more detailed version of the data tracking feature on Apple Music for the web, including most streamed artists and albums, and statistics for detailed play counts and hours listened.

Apple has been making its yearly Replay playlists available since 2019. Spotify Wrapped has been dominating this area of the music streaming business for a few years now, mainly thanks to its easily shareable infographics that come out in early December. In addition to Replay playlists, in 2022 Apple introduced a "Highlight Reel" feature with more statistics about each users' listening history at the end of the year.

Head to the ‌‌‌Apple Music‌‌‌ app or Apple Music on the web to add the Replay 2024 playlist to your library. If you haven't listened to enough music yet in 2024, the playlist may not appear in your ‌‌Apple Music‌‌ app. Once you do listen to more music, you should see your Replay 2024 playlist appear as usual in the Listen Now tab.

(Thanks, Guille!)

Post-apocalyptic open world action game Death Stranding is today officially available on iPhones, iPads, and Macs powered by Apple silicon.

Previously released on PlayStation 5 (2021) and PC (2022), the Director's Cut version for Mac was announced by legendary game creator Hideo Kojima at WWDC 2023 to showcase the potential gaming performance of Apple silicon. Apple subsequently teased an iPhone 15 Pro version at its "Wonderlust" iPhone event in September.

Gamers take on the role of Sam Bridges (played by Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead fame) as a courier tasked with delivering supplies to isolated colonies and reconnecting them via wireless network following a cataclysmic event known as the Death Stranding. Unfortunately for everyone, the event opens a doorway between the living and the dead, leading to grotesque creatures from the afterlife roaming a ravaged and desolate world.

MacRumors sister site TouchArcade has an updating review of the game, which supports ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max devices, as well as Macs running one of Apple's M-series chips.

Death Stranding Director's Cut is currently listed in the App Store at the promotional price of $19.99 (normal price $39.99). Note that this is a universal purchase giving players the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌, iPadOS, and macOS versions in a single purchase as well as support for cross-device progress syncing.

NHS App users in England can now collect medication from a pharmacy without having to contact a GP or health center to get a paper prescription, according to NHS Digital.

From today, patients in England can use the NHS App to view all their prescription details, order repeat prescriptions, and generate a barcode for medication collection. The barcode replaces the traditional paper slip given by doctors.

The national rollout follows a successful pilot in late 2023. Since then, over 1 million patients have used the app to view their prescriptions. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told the BBC the update would "ease pressures on our hardworking pharmacists and GPs - freeing up valuable time for patients and helping to cut waiting lists."

The new functionality allows patients to see the medication prescribed, the prescription type (repeat or one-off), and who the prescribing professional is. Patients who don't have a nominated pharmacy can generate a prescription barcode for collection. The app also now shows average local hospital waiting times for elective treatment, such as hip replacements.

Accessing Digital Prescriptions in the NHS App

1. Tap your health at the bottom of the screen
2. Select view and manage prescriptions.
3. Select Your approved prescriptions.
4. Tap the green button on the prescription you want to view.

NHS Digital says future developments for the service are now being explored, including prescription tracking to tell patients when medications are ready for collection.

Announced in 2018, the NHS Digital app allows more than 33 million registered users to view their health record from their GP and manage hospital appointments. The NHS app is available on iOS devices through the App Store, as well as on Android phones via Google Play.

Apple is "deeply concerned" that proposed changes to British surveillance legislation could give the U.K. government unprecedented powers to secretly prevent software updates from being released in any other country (via BBC News).

The UK government is planning to update the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), which came into effect in 2016 and allows the British Home Office to outlaw certain encrypted services by issuing something called a Technical Capability Notice (TCN).

Dubbed by critics as a "Snooper's Charter," the updated Act of Parliament could also allow the Home Office to decline security and privacy updates without telling the public.

The bill proposes changes including:

• Creating a new condition for the use of internet connection records to aid "target detection."
• Introducing an alternative, less stringent regulatory regime for the retention and examination of bulk personal datasets where individuals have little or no
  expectation of privacy (such as publicly available online telephone directories).
• A new notification requirement which can be issued to selected
  telecommunications operators requiring them to inform the government of
  proposed changes to their products or services that could negatively impact the current ability of agencies to lawfully access data.

Apple opposes the requirement to inform the Home Office of any changes to product security features before they are released, the requirement for non-U.K.-based companies to comply with changes that would affect their product globally, and having to take action immediately if requested to disable or block a feature without review or an appeals process.

"We're deeply concerned the proposed amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) now before Parliament place users' privacy and security at risk," said Apple in a statement.

"It's an unprecedented overreach by the government and, if enacted, the UK could attempt to secretly veto new user protections globally preventing us from ever offering them to customers."

In a July 2023 letter to the Home Office, Apple argued that the proposed changes "would suppress innovation, stifle commerce, and — when combined with purported extraterritorial application — make the Home Office the de facto global arbiter of what level of data security and encryption are permissible."

The company also said it would consider pulling services such as FaceTime and iMessage from the U.K. rather than compromise future security.

Earlier this month, civil liberties groups including Big Brother Watch, Liberty, Open Rights Group and Privacy International, issued a joint briefing opposing aspects of the bill.

The groups said the proposed changed could "force technology companies, including those based overseas, to inform the government of any plans to improve security or privacy measures on their platforms so that the government can consider serving a notice to prevent such changes."

"This would be effectively transforming private companies into arms of the surveillance state and eroding the security of devices and the internet," the groups added.

The proposed changes will be debated in the House of Lords on Tuesday.

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.

With the launch of the Vision Pro just days away, popular video collaboration service Zoom announced a Vision Pro app that is set to come out on Friday, February 2. The Zoom app for Vision Pro is meant to blur the lines of in-person and remote meetings to help teams feel more connected with one another.

The Zoom app will work on the "infinite canvas" of the Vision Pro, with the scalable interface able to be viewed in the real world or with a virtual backdrop. The app supports Personas, which are a spatial representation of the user in Vision Pro.

A Persona is created by using the cameras on the Vision Pro, and it serves as a stand-in for the user during video calls. Personas look like the user, and are able to gesture, speak, and react based on the facial and hand movements of the Vision Pro wearer.

With these features, Zoom users can expect to "feel like they are in the same room as their colleagues and customers" without the need for anything but the Vision Pro.

Later in the spring, the Zoom app will add support for sharing 3D files, with the files able to "come to life" on the Vision Pro. Team Chat integration is coming as well, and users will eventually be able to pin up to five Zoom participants anywhere in their physical space.

Pinned users will have their backgrounds removed, adding to the feel of multiple people being in the same room.

Zoom will be available from the Vision Pro App Store.

Apple has sold upwards of 200,000 Vision Pro headsets, MacRumors has learned from a source with knowledge of Apple's sales numbers. Apple began accepting pre-orders for the Vision Pro on January 19, so the headset has been available for purchase in the U.S. for 10 days.

Last Monday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that Apple had sold an estimated 160,000 to 180,000 Vision Pro units during the pre-order weekend for the device, so sales may have slowed somewhat since then.

Vision Pro headsets for launch day home delivery sold out within hours of pre-orders launching, and in-store pickup options followed shortly after, so it is no surprise that interest in the headset has started to wane somewhat after the initial rush of orders.

Media reviews for the Vision Pro are set to go live on Tuesday, and that could push more sales, plus there will likely be an uptick in purchases after actual consumers begin sharing hands-on experiences.

Kuo has warned that demand for the Vision Pro could taper off quickly because of the niche market for the device. The headset is priced at $3,500, which puts it out of range of many consumers. Rumors have suggested that Apple is prepared for a limited number of sales, due both to the high price of the Vision Pro and difficulty producing it.

Apple is expected to produce around half a million Vision Pro headsets, but whether it will sell that many remains to be seen.

iOS 17.4 introduces a small but useful change for the Clock app's Stopwatch function, adding the timer to Apple's Live Activities feature. When activated through the Clock app, the Stopwatch will now show up both in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen.

The ‌Dynamic Island‌ shows a small to-the-second timer, and the Lock Screen shows the full Stopwatch timer when the screen is being looked at. Pressing into the ‌Dynamic Island‌ shows options for pausing the Stopwatch or starting a new lap, with these controls also on the Lock Screen. After the Stopwatch is paused, swiping on it from the Lock Screen or tapping on the "X" in ‌Dynamic Island‌ will clear it.

Timers have worked with Live Activities since the feature launched with iOS 16, but the Stopwatch could only be viewed in the Clock app. The addition of Live Activities support will prevent users from activating the timer and then forgetting about it.

(Thanks, Hidde!)

Code discovered by MacRumors in the first beta of tvOS 17.4 suggests that Apple's work on "homeOS" is continuing behind the scenes.

Back in June 2021, Apple listed two job postings that mentioned homeOS, but deleted the term when it was noticed by the media. We've seen no sign of homeOS since, except for in the first tvOS 17.4 beta.

Apple's 2018 HomePod ran a modified version of iOS 11 when it launched, but Apple transitioned to using the tvOS platform for the ‌HomePod‌ with the release of ‌HomePod‌ Software 13.4. As part of its effort to develop an expanded smart home presence, Apple could eventually combine the tvOS and ‌HomePod‌ software in the future, potentially rebranding it as homeOS.

Apple is actively working on a new smart home display that would compete with the Echo Show, Meta Portal, and Google Nest Hub, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The smart home display is said to have an iPad-like design and a camera for FaceTime calls, and it is likely meant to mount to the wall and serve as a central console for smart home products. The device could also feature HomePod-like speakers, and if the product sees a release, it could be part of Apple's ‌HomePod‌ lineup.

There have also been rumors of a next-generation version of the HomePod with a display at the top of the device, and this product could come out as early as 2024. homeOS could refer to either the iPad-like home hub in the works, or the ‌HomePod‌ with a display, but it is also possible that it is neither of these.

A SharePlay feature for the HomePod added in tvOS 17.4 beta 1 further hints at Apple's work on a ‌HomePod‌ with a screen. The update adds a QR code to the Apple Music app on the TV, which can be scanned by others to start a SharePlay session right on the device. A ‌HomePod‌ with a display could feature a similar function.

tvOS 17.4 is expected to see a public release in March alongside iOS 17.4, and the timing is close to when Apple sometimes holds a spring event. We've heard rumors of an iPad refresh coming in late March, so given the homeOS mention in tvOS 17.4 and a possible upcoming event, we may not have too long to wait before learning more about Apple's homeOS plans.