MacRumors

Apple and other U.S. tech companies could be forced to open offices in Russia or face punitive measures, as part of a push by Russia to improve its internet "sovereignty."

Russian lawmakers passed legislation last week that requires foreign sites with more than half a million daily users in Russia to set up a local branch or Russian legal entity, reports Reuters:

Websites that do not comply would be marked as being non-compliant on search engines, they could be excluded from search engine results, and banned from advertising in Russia and for Russians, the parliament said on its website.

The bill's authors argue that the current lack of such a requirement allows foreign sites to formally remain outside of Russia's jurisdiction.

The legislation has passed its third and final reading in the country's lower house of parliament, and now needs to be approved by the upper house and signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, which is widely expected to happen.

The latest move follows several actions by the Russian government that allow it to further tighten state control of online content in the country. In 2017, Russia banned VPNs and other software that enables users to gain anonymous access to websites.

Apple in 2019 complied with the country's law requiring data on citizens to be stored on local servers, and earlier this year it was forced to show iOS users in the country a list of suggested apps created by Russian developers when setting up a new device.

Russia has also targeted apps and services more directly if it considers them to be in breach of local digital laws. For example, Russia tried to ban encrypted messaging app Telegram after it refused to comply with requests that it hand over the encryption keys that would allow it to access users' data.

More recently, in March, Russia intentionally slowed down Twitter's internet traffic to punish it for not deleting what it considered to be "banned content."

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.

A wireless network naming bug has been discovered in iOS that effectively disables an iPhone's ability to connect to Wi-Fi.

Security researcher Carl Schou found that after joining a Wi-Fi network with the name "%p%s%s%s%s%n" his ‌iPhone‌'s Wi-Fi functionality was left "permanently disabled."

Changing a hotspot's SSID did nothing to correct the problem, with even a reboot failing to make a difference, according to BleepingComputer.

Other users who were able to replicate the issue have suggested the bug could be related to the initial use in the network name of the percentage sign, which leads to an input parsing issue whereby iOS mistakenly interprets the letters following the "%" as a string-format specifier.

In C and C-style languages, string format specifiers have a special meaning and are parsed by the language compiler as a variable name or a command instead of standard text.

Android phones don't seem to be affected by the same network, but iPhones hit by the problem need to have their network settings reset before a Wi-Fi hotspot can be connected again.

To perform the reset, open the Settings app, tap General -> Reset, then tap Reset Network Settings and confirm the request at the prompt.

The Fox Now app has removed support for the third-generation Apple TV, with the app now only compatible with fourth-generation and later models of Apple's set-top box.

Existing installs of Fox Now on third-gen Apple TVs no longer work, and the app has been removed from home screens, preventing users on the older hardware from accessing Fox live and on-demand content like TV shows and sports.

First spotted by Appleosophy, the change follows a Fox Now announcement in May that it would no longer support the third-gen box from June 17. Similar moves to drop third-gen support have been made by other streaming apps this year, including YouTube and CBS All Access.

While native third-gen ‌Apple TV‌ support has dropped, the Fox Now app is still available on iPhone and iPad, which means anyone with one of these iOS devices can still AirPlay Fox Now content to their ‌Apple TV‌ for watching, albeit indirectly.

The Apple news cycle started to move beyond WWDC this week, but that doesn't mean there still wasn't a lot to talk about, led by the official debut of the much-leaked Beats Studio Buds that might give us a hint of what to expect for the second-generation AirPods Pro.

With no hardware announcements at WWDC, we also took a look at when we might finally see the long-rumored redesigned MacBook Pro models, while Apple this week launched its annual Back to School promo in the U.S. and Canada. Other major news stories this week included Apple Watch rumors, YouTube starting to officially roll out picture-in-picture support on iOS, and more, so read on for all of the details!

Apple Announces Beats Studio Buds

Following a few months of rumors, Apple unveiled new Beats Studio Buds earbuds this week with a truly wireless design like the AirPods Pro, but at a lower price point and with some differences in features. Check out our hands-on review for a closer look at the Beats Studio Buds.

While news was quieter on the software front after last week's WWDC extravaganza, this week did mark the release of the third betas of iOS 14.7 and macOS 11.5, along with Apple Podcasts Subscriptions. And just in time for the summer months, Apple has some new iPhone 12 cases.

When Can We Expect the Redesigned MacBook Pros Now?

While there was some hope that Apple would announce a new MacBook Pro at WWDC last week, no new hardware was unveiled. (Here's everything that was announced at WWDC in just nine minutes.)

With Apple's annual developers conference now in the rearview mirror, we've outlined when to expect the new MacBook Pro models to arrive, and recapped key new features that have been rumored, including a major redesign.

YouTube Says iOS Picture-in-Picture Coming to All US Users

Ever since the launch of support for picture-in-picture (PiP) video in iOS 14, there have been calls for YouTube to support the feature to allow users to continue watching videos in a small window while multitasking in other apps.

After several fits and starts, YouTube now says that it is officially starting to roll out PiP support on iOS for YouTube Premium users, with a rollout to all iOS users in the United States to follow.

Apple Watch Series 7 Expected to Feature Thinner Screen Bezels and More

While we're likely still around three months away from Apple unveiling the Apple Watch Series 7, rumors have already started surfacing about key new features, including design changes such as thinner bezels around the display and possibly flat edges.

In a report this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu also outlined when we can expect more health sensors for measuring body temperature and monitoring blood glucose levels on future Apple Watch models.

Apple Launches 2021 Back to School Promotion Offering Free AirPods With Select Purchases

Apple this week launched its annual Back to School promotion for the upcoming school year in the U.S. and Canada, offering students free AirPods with the purchase of select new devices.

During checkout on Apple's online store, customers can upgrade the complimentary ‌AirPods‌ to include a wireless charging case for just $40 or upgrade to the AirPods Pro for $90. Check out the list of devices eligible for free AirPods.

iOS 15 Lets You Drag and Drop Images and Text Across Apps

One smaller but useful new feature introduced in iOS 15 is the ability to drag and drop images, text, files, and more across apps on an iPhone, and we've shared a demo of the feature in action.

The first beta of iOS 15 was seeded to developers last week, and the software update should be released for all compatible iPhones in September. Check out our iOS 15 roundup for an overview of key new features.

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Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

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With iOS 15 and macOS Monterey, Apple is adding several quality of life improvements, which are designed to address some of the complaints that people have had with these operating systems for years now.

In our latest YouTube video, we're highlighting some of our favorite "fix" features that address long-running problems in iOS and macOS or that bring significant improvements to the usage experience.

Some of these major improvements include an option to erase a Mac without having to reinstall the operating system, connecting to a Mac using AirPlay, requesting refunds for in-app purchases directly within an app, getting an alert if you leave your phone behind, automatically removing expired passes from Wallet, and more. We've even thrown in a couple bonus tvOS features.

What are your favorite quality of life improvements in iOS 15 and macOS Monterey? Let us know in the comments.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Ampere to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a pair of Dusk sunglasses. The Dusk sunglasses aren't your standard pair of sunglasses -- they have adjustable electrochromic lenses.

You can use an accompanying app or a control on the sunglasses themselves to adjust the tint level, plus these are smart sunglasses with integrated speaker and microphone so you can also listen to music and take phone calls.

Like many sunglasses that play music, the Dusk sunglasses use an open ear audio feature that lets you listen to music without disturbing those around you. The built-in battery gives you four hours of playtime before needing to be recharged, but it lasts for seven days when you're just using tint control.

Listening to music with an open ear design keeps you aware of what's going on around you, so these sunglasses are ideal for commuters who walk or ride bikes and need to keep tabs on traffic. Ampere has also added in Siri integration, so you can access ‌Siri‌ with the tap of a button.

With a classic wayfarer design and a matte black finish, the Dusk sunglasses have universal appeal, and the polarized lenses are able to transition from light to dark to suit your preferences. These are not transitional lenses that react to light -- you have full control over the tint level. There are pre-set tint levels loaded on the frame that can be accessed with a button, and you can create your own preferred tints using the Ampere app.

When you change the tint of the Dusk sunglasses, it takes just a fraction of a second to update, and the polarized lenses block 100 percent of UVA/UVB rays in addition to reducing glare and increasing sharpness, regardless of tint level. Weighing in at 26 grams, the Dusk sunglasses are comfortable for all-day wear.

The Dusk sunglasses come with a matching carrying case that has a little slot for an Apple AirTag, so as long as you're diligent about returning them to the case after using them, they'll be trackable should they go missing. You can also use the Ampere app to play a sound should the sunglasses go missing in the house.

Since the Dusk sunglasses offer IP65 dust and water resistance, you can wear them at the pool, on the beach, and in other situations where they might be exposed to moisture.

There's an optional charging case that can be purchased, which provides up to 40 hours of listening time, and for those who already have earbuds, there's also a more affordable Dusk Lite. The standard Dusk sunglasses offer tint adjustment, speakers, and a microphone for music and calls, while the Lite version just has the tint feature.

Ampere is offering two Dusk prize packs to MacRumors readers, which include a set of Dusk Smart Sunglasses, a Wireless Charging Carry Case with ‌AirTag‌ Holder, a microfiber cleaning cloth, and a Sidekick Tech Sling with ‌AirTag‌ Holder for storage. To enter to win, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (June 18) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on June 25. The winners will be chosen randomly on June 25 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

The Dusk sunglasses are available for pre-order right now for $250 and will be shipping out in August, but Ampere has a special deal for MacRumors readers who want to pick up a pair. MacRumors readers who preorder can get the Dusk sunglasses for $225, with a free Tech Sling included.

In iOS 15, the Photos app has been given a significant update that includes a richer Info pane to view information about a photo in your library, such as the camera, lens, and shutter speed used, the file size of the image, and where the image came from if it was saved from within another app.

In another notable addition, you can also edit the date and time when a photo was taken. Here's how it's done in the latest ‌iOS 15‌ developer beta, a version of which will be available to the public in July.

1. Launch the Photos app and tap a photo to select it.
2. Tap the info button (the encircled "i" icon) below the image.
3. Tap Adjust next to the date and time.
4. Use the calendar and the time dial to choose a new date and time, then tap Done.

Elsewhere in ‌Photos‌, iOS 15 features a considerable update to Photo Memories, which now feature a new design, integration with Apple Music, a more interactive interface, and more intelligent memory types, such as improved pet memories, including the ability to recognize individual dogs and cats.

For more information on iOS 15, check out our dedicated roundup. Apple will make ‌iOS 15‌ available for general release this fall.

After a long wait, YouTube for iOS is officially gaining picture-in-picture support, allowing all users, non-premium and premium subscribers, to close the YouTube app and continue watching their video in a small pop-up window.

In a statement to MacRumors, YouTube says that picture-in-picture is currently rolling out to all premium subscribers on iOS and that a larger rollout to all US iOS users will take place soon. It's worth noting, again, that this feature will be available to all users, despite some speculation that YouTube may have limited picture-in-picture support for only paying subscribers.

Picture-in-Picture (PiP) allows users to watch YouTube videos in a small mini player while simultaneously browsing outside of the YouTube app on their mobile device. We’re starting to roll out PiP for YouTube Premium members on iOS and plan to launch PiP for all US iOS users as well.

YouTube picture-in-picture has been a constant back and forth game, with it sometimes working via the YouTube website on Safari. Some users have found creative workarounds utilizing Shortcuts to turn off built-in parameters on the YouTube site that disables picture-in-picture. Now, though, with official support rolling out and soon to be more widespread, those workarounds will no longer be needed.

Apple this week stopped selling its Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 accessories for the Mac in a Space Gray color, around three months after discontinuing the iMac Pro, which also came in Space Gray.

Last month, Apple listed the Space Gray accessories as available while supplies last, and the company has now removed the product pages from its website entirely, as spotted by Appleosophy. The accessories remain available in Silver, but keep in mind they have not been updated since October 2015.

The new iMac with the M1 chip is available with colorful new Magic accessories, including a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, but Apple has not yet made these accessories available for purchase on a standalone basis.

Apple supplier TSMC is preparing to produce 3nm chips in the second half of 2022, and in the coming months, the supplier will begin production of 4nm chips, according to a new report from DigiTimes.

Apple had previously booked the initial capacity of TSMC's 4nm chip production for future Macs and more recently ordered TSMC to begin production of the A15 chip for the upcoming iPhone 13, based on an enhanced 5nm process.

Today's report outlines a more long-term plan for TSMC, stating that the new ‌3nm‌ chip process will offer 15% performance boost alongside 30% improved energy efficiency and will enter mass production late next year.

TSMC has claimed its N3 technology will be the world's most advanced technology when it begins volume production in the second half of 2022. Relying on the proven FinFET transistor architecture for the best performance, power efficiency, and cost effectiveness, N3 will offer up to 15% speed gain or consume up to 30% less power than N5, and provide up to 70% logic density gain.

While the report doesn't offer any detail of how the new ‌3nm‌ chip can be implemented into Apple products, it's safe to assume its still years away. Apple's 14 chip, currently in the ‌iPhone‌ 12 series and iPad Air, is based on the 5nm process. The M1 Apple silicon also shares the same 5nm architecture.

The smaller process provides improved performance and energy efficiency and offer more freedom with product design, thanks to their smaller overall footprint.

Apple has released updates for iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor, introducing a handful of new features such as enhanced media search and notifications for encoding batches, as well as bug fixes.

iMovie 10.2.4 brings sixteen new solid and textured backgrounds with adjustable colors, the ability to import projects created with iMovie for iOS (version 2.3), and general stability improvements.

Final Cut Pro 10.5.3 allows users to create and save custom column arrangements in the browser, and edit them with the Column Set Editor. The update also enhances the browser search with expanded criteria including clip text, markers, and notes. Users can quickly search for clips by media type. There is the option to search for original, proxy, or optimized media, as well as missing media.

Motion 5.2.2 fixes a large number of issues with 3D object rendering brightness on M1 Macs and emojis rendering incorrectly in HDR, as well as unexpected quitting when closing a project after export, closing the HUD, adjusting the opacity of a gradient, or when dragging media or an object into a USDZ.

Compressor 4.5.3 brings notifications for completed, failed, and canceled encoding batches, embedded audio descriptions when encoding a variety of video file formats including MOV, MP4, M4V, and MXF, and stability improvements.

Intel may see its market share fall to a new low next year, in large part thanks to Apple's decision to move away from using Intel processors in its Mac computers and instead use Apple silicon.

Apple announced last year that it would embark on a two-year-long journey to transition all of its Mac computers, both desktops, and laptops, to use its own in-house processors. Apple is expected to complete the transition next year and has so far only released four Macs with the first iteration of Apple silicon, M1.

As a result of the four Macs with ‌M1‌ and upcoming releases, Intel this year will lose 50% of its orders from Apple, and eventually, losing all orders from the Cupertino tech giant will lead to Intel's market share falling below 80% in 2023, according to DigiTimes.

However, Apple's in-house developed Arm-based processor series is expected to play the key role in taking a major chunk from Intel's share in the upcoming year, the sources said.

Intel is expected to lose nearly 50% of its orders from Apple in 2021 and will eventually obtain no orders from the client. Losing Apple's 10% market share and seeing AMD staying firmly with another 10%, Intel's share in the notebook market is likely to slip below 80% in 2023, the sources noted.

Intel is seemingly aware of the impact that Apple silicon will have on its business as it has run multiple marketing campaigns against Macs, touting the view that laptops powered by Intel processors are superior compared to Apple silicon Macs. Bloomberg reported that Apple is testing high-end Apple silicon chips with as many as 32 high performance cores and 128 core options for graphics for future Mac releases.

In honor of International Surfing Day, we're teaming up with Nomad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an Apple Watch Series 6 and a $200 Nomad gift card. Nomad is celebrating International Surfing Day by highlighting just how useful the Apple Watch is when surfing. In fact, Nomad believes that the Apple Watch is the ultimate surf watch.

The Apple Watch is highly water resistant, and it's more than durable enough to stand up to sand and sea water. It can be worn in the water while surfing, especially when you have the right band, but make sure to rinse your Apple Watch with fresh water after it's been exposed to salt water.

Nomad had big wave surfer Matt Bromley wear the Apple Watch and a Nomad Rugged Strap while surfing huge waves at Jaws Surf Break in Maui and Mavericks in California. He found that the watch was resilient to wipeouts, even when he was pushed into deep water.

Apple offers a native surfing Workout option on Apple Watch, but there are also useful third-party surfing apps like Dawn Patrol. Dawn Patrol is able to track number of waves caught, wave speed, distance paddled, time spent riding waves, and surfing session length.

Dawn Patrol also provides custom watch faces that can tell surfers swell height, direction, period, tide, water temperature, and more, plus with the watch's GPS, location is synced so swell forecasts update for the closest breaks.

The Apple Watch is, of course, tracking activity data like movement and heart rate, plus it also has other uses for surfers. An LTE Apple Watch lets surfers communicate while out on the water, plus in an emergency, it can be used to contact emergency services with the built-in SOS feature.

Nomad has a series of Apple Watch bands that are perfect for activities like surfing, including the black rubber $60 Rugged Strap, the $80 Active Strap Pro with waterproof leather, and the sleeker $60 Sport Strap, all of which are great for water sports and sweaty workouts thanks to their waterproofing. Make sure to check out Nomad's site if you need a durable Apple Watch band that also looks great.

If you want to try surfing with the Apple Watch, Nomad is providing an aluminum Apple Watch Series 6 and a $200 gift card to one lucky MacRumors reader, with the winner to pick the color and size. The gift card can be used to purchase any of Nomad's Apple Watch bands to go along with the watch.

To enter to win, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (June 17) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on June 24. The winner will be chosen randomly on June 24 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

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

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed the ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is built on the new Safari 15 update included in macOS Monterey, and as such, it includes several Safari 15 features. There's a new streamlined tab bar with support for Tab Groups to organize tabs, along with improved support for Safari Web Extensions.

Live Text allows users to select and interact with text in images on the web, but the macOS Monterey beta and an M1 Mac is required. There's also Quick Notes support for adding links and Safari highlights to remember important information and ideas.

Other updates include WebGL 2 and new HTML, CSS, and JavaScript features.

The new ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available for both macOS Big Sur and macOS Monterey, the newest version of the Mac operating system that's set to release this fall.

The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple's aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.