Apple, Google, and Microsoft today announced plans to expand support for a passwordless sign-in standard created by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), promising a faster, easier, and more secure sign‑in process.
The expanded standards-based capabilities will give websites and apps the ability to offer an end-to-end passwordless sign-in option, according to the announcement. Instead of entering a password, users will sign in through the same action that they take multiple times each day to unlock their devices, such as Face ID on the iPhone.
The new approach is described as "radically more secure" compared to passwords and legacy multi-factor technologies, such as one-time passcodes sent over SMS.
Apple, Google, and Microsoft already support FIDO Alliance standards across their platforms, but expanded support will give users two new capabilities for more seamless and secure passwordless sign-ins, as outlined in the announcement:
1. Allow users to automatically access their FIDO sign-in credentials (referred to by some as a "passkey") on many of their devices, even new ones, without having to reenroll every account. 2. Enable users to use FIDO authentication on their mobile device to sign in to an app or website on a nearby device, regardless of the OS platform or browser they are running.
These new capabilities are expected to become available across Apple, Google, and Microsoft platforms over the coming year, the announcement said.
"Working with the industry to establish new, more secure sign-in methods that offer better protection and eliminate the vulnerabilities of passwords is central to our commitment to building products that offer maximum security and a transparent user experience — all with the goal of keeping users' personal information safe," said Kurt Knight, Apple's Senior Director of Platform Product Marketing, in a press release.
The European Union's wide-reaching new regulations to target Apple and other big tech companies will come into effect in early 2023, according to EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager (via TechCrunch).
The EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) could force Apple to make major changes to the App Store, Messages, FaceTime, third-party browsers, and Siri in Europe. For example, it could be forced to allow users to install third-party app stores and sideload apps, give developers the ability to closely interoperate with Apple's own services and promote their offers outside the App Store and use third-party payment systems, and access data gathered by Apple.
One of the more recent additions to the DMA is the requirement to make messaging, voice-calling, and video-calling services interoperable. The interoperability rules theoretically mean that Meta apps like WhatsApp or Messenger could request to interoperate with Apple's iMessage framework, and Apple would be forced to comply.
In a speech at the International Competition Network conference in Berlin, Vestager said that the DMA "will enter into force next spring and we are getting ready for enforcement as soon as the first notifications come in." The DMA was originally supposed to come into effect in October 2022, suggesting that there has been a slight delay in preparing for the new legislation. Vestager also mentioned that the first enforcements could follow soon after the regulation is in place, and discussed the EU's ongoing preparations:
This next chapter is exciting. It means a lot of concrete preparations. It's about setting up new structures within the Commission, pooling resources... based on relevant experience. It's about hiring staff. It's about preparing the IT systems. It's about drafting further legal texts on procedures or notification forms. Our teams are currently busy with all these preparations and we're aiming to come forward with the new structures very soon.
EU lawmakers provisionally approved the DMA in March. The European Parliament and the European Council must give final approval to the legislation before it can come into force. Big tech companies that meet the criteria to be designated a "gatekeeper" must declare their status to the European Commission within three months after the regulation comes into effect, and there is an additional two month period for the EU to confirm a gatekeeper's designation, meaning that it may still be some time before companies face enforcement measures.
Apple is almost certain to be classified as a "gatekeeper," due to the size of its annual turnover in the EU, its ownership and operation of platforms with a large number of active users, and its "entrenched and durable position" due to how long it has met these criteria, and will therefore be subject to the rules set out in the DMA.
Beyond the European Union, Apple's ecosystem is increasingly coming under intense scrutiny by governments around the world, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and more, with a clear appetite from global regulators to explore requirements around app sideloading and interoperability. Vestager suggested that a significant level of cooperation is already occurring as part of preparations for the DMA, and urged national competition authorities around the world to closely cooperate:
For that next chapter, close cooperation with competition authorities, both inside and outside the EU will be crucial. This is irrespective of whether they apply traditional enforcement tools or have developed their own specific regulatory instruments, like the German digital regulation. Close cooperation will be necessary because we will not be short of work and we will not be short of novel services or practices to look at. And the efforts needed at a global scale are enormous. So we will need to work together more than ever.
Many of you will be watching the roll out of the DMA with great interest. This will be a mutual learning experience. The EU has worked hard to find the right balance, and I think we have come up with something that is tough but also very fair. It goes without saying that the more we, as an international competition community, are able to harmonize our approach, the less opportunity there will be for global tech giants to exploit enforcement gaps between our jurisdictions.
The DMA says that gatekeepers who ignore the rules will face fines of up to 10 percent of the company's total worldwide annual turnover, or 20 percent in the event of repeated infringements, as well as periodic penalties of up to 5 percent of the company's total worldwide annual turnover. Where gatekeepers perpetrate "systematic infringements," the European Commission will be able to impose additional sanctions, such as obliging a gatekeeper to sell a business or parts of it, including units, assets, intellectual property rights, or brands, or banning a gatekeeper from acquiring any company that provides services in the digital sector.
So far, Apple has heavily resisted attempts by governments to enforce changes to its operating systems and services. For example, Apple simply chose to pay a $5.5 million fine every week for ten weeks in the Netherlands instead of obey orders from the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) to allow third-party payment systems in Dutch dating apps. Earlier this week, the ACM announced that Apple's rules surrounding Dutch dating apps remain insufficient.
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.
Apple has agreed to settle a long-lasting six-year class-action lawsuit that accused it of knowingly slowing down iPhone 4S devices following the iOS 9 update in 2015, agreeing to pay some iPhone 4S owners who had experienced poor performance $15 each for their claims.
The class-action lawsuit was initially filed in December 2015 by plaintiffs representing a group of iPhone 4S customers from New York and New Jersey. The lawsuit accused Apple of falsely marketing the iOS 9 update as providing enhanced performance on devices it supports, including the iPhone 4S.
Plaintiffs collectively filed the operative Complaint in this action alleging that the Class was harmed when consumers downloaded iOS 9 onto their iPhone 4S devices after being exposed to Apple’s allegedly false description of the new operating system. Plaintiffs contend that Apple misrepresented that iOS 9 was compatible with the iPhone 4S and would improve or “enhance performance” for its customers that downloaded the software update. Instead, Plaintiffs contend, iOS 9 significantly slowed down the performance of their iPhone 4S devices.
Apple marketed iOS 9 with the tagline "The most advanced mobile experience. Now even more so." The update included proactive Siri Suggestions, Slide Over, Split View, Picture in Picture on iPad, etc. On the iPhone, Apple promised "under-the-hood refinements [that] bring you more responsive performance." The class-action lawsuit argues that the claim was false marketing for the iPhone 4S, the oldest iPhone iOS 9 supported.
Apple claiming iOS 9 offers faster performance for supported devices, including the iPhone 4S
Under the settlement, Apple allocated $20 million to compensate iPhone 4S owners in New York and New Jersey who experienced poor performance after updating to iOS 9. Customers who believe they are entitled to the $15 must "submit a declaration under the penalty of perjury that, to the best of their knowledge, they downloaded iOS 9, or any version thereof, onto their iPhone 4S... their iPhone 4S experienced a significant decline in performance as a result, are entitled to a payment of $15 per applicable device."
A website will be created where customers who believe they are entitled to the settlement will be able to submit a form, providing their name, email, iPhone 4S serial number (if possible), and mailing address. See the full motion here.
Feral today released Total War: Warhammer III, an Apple silicon optimized version of the latest part in the Total War series based on Games Workshop's Warhammer fantasy fictional universe.
Like other titles in the Total War series, the game features turn-based strategy and real-time tactics in which players move armies around the map and manage settlements, engaging in diplomacy with, and fighting against, computer-controlled factions or other gamers online in multiplayer battles.
WARHAMMER III plunges players into a cataclysmic power struggle between mortals and daemons with each aiming to save or exploit the power of a dying god. Featuring seven diverse playable races - including the video-game debuts of Grand Cathay and Kislev - alongside ground-breaking new features such as the Realm of Chaos campaign, eight-player multiplayer, and the customizable RPG-like Daemon Prince Legendary Lord.
In addition to the above lands, the game features a Prologue campaign, which promises a new Total War experience designed for both new players and those requiring a refresher course on the game's mechanics. In this narrative-driven mode, players learn basic and advanced techniques of tactical warfare before going on to engage in the main Warhammer III campaign, which takes place within the Realm of Chaos, said to be the source of all magic in the Warhammer Fantasy setting.
Total War: Warhammer III was originally released on Windows PC in February 2022, so this port from Feral is not too far behind. To play Total War: Warhammer III requires macOS 12.0.1 or later and a Mac powered by Apple's M1 chip (8-core CPU/7-core GPU) or better, 8GB of RAM, and 125GB of storage space. The game can be purchase directly from the developers at the Total War: Warhammer IIIstore or on Steam.
Google plans to soon launch the "Pixel Buds Pro," a high-end version of its Pixel Buds line that it hopes will compete with the likes of Apple's AirPods Pro and Samsung's Galaxy Buds Pro.
Leaker Jon Prossersaid in a tweet this week that the Pixel Buds Pro were slated to launch "soon," and come in four colors: Real Red, Carbon, Limoncello, and Fog. While not disclosing a specific date, Prosser's tweet comes just a week before Google plans to hold Google I/O, its version of Apple's WWDC conference where it's expected to announce a new low-end Pixel 6 and an all-new Pixel Watch.
Beyond the “Pro” name, rumors have yet to surface about what design and features the Pixel Buds Pro will include to rival Apple’s popular AirPods Pro. The current Pixel Buds, the Pixel Buds A-Series, feature silicone ear-tips and cost $99 compared to the $249 for the AirPods Pro or $179 for the newest low-end AirPods 3. The A-Series buds, however, lack features typically attributed to a "Pro" earbud, such as Active Noise Cancelation.
In typical Google fashion, the Pixel Buds Pro can also be expected to feature the Google Assistant built-in with intelligent features, such as Adaptive Sound that adjusts volume level depending on your surroundings and touch controls. For a comparison of how Google's previous-generation Pixel Buds stacks up to the AirPods Pro, be sure to check out our video.
Retail packaging images of Sony's highly anticipated next-generation WH-1000XM5 headphones have leaked online, confirming the recently rumored new design and suggesting a launch might not be far away.
Originally shared on a Sony subreddit, the photos show the pictures on the box corroborate the rumored redesign, replacing the shrouded arms that swivel on the 1000XM4's with an exposed arm that has a single contact point at the earcups, which look slightly bigger than on the previous generation.
The images however put one aspect of the rumor in doubt. Last month, Germany-based TechnikNewsreported that an anonymous retail source suggested the WH-1000XM5's will have a battery life of up to 40 hours with active noise cancelation on, which is 10 hours longer than the XM4's. Details on the box list though 30 hours of battery life.
One possible explanation is that the 30 hours relates to noise cancelation on when Sony's Hi-Res LDAC audio coding technology is enabled, and this increases to 40 hours when LDAC isn't active, but that's just speculation. Alternately, Sony may have chosen to reduce the battery capacity to reduce overall weight while maintaining battery life due to more efficient components, but again, we won't know for sure until the product launches.
When that will happen isn't clear, but given that the retail packaging appears to be finalized with possible units already in the wild suggests that they could become available sooner rather than later. The short term confidentiality date on the headphones' FCC filings is said to end on August 8, but the XM5's could always debut earlier. For reference, Sony announced the XM4's in June 2021.
Notably, a post over on the Korean Naver blog doubles down on the new headphones' improved noise cancelation function and sonics, and suggests that supply chain issues could see a higher price than the XM4's, which retail at $349. Either way, we should know all the details fairly soon and learn just how they stack up compared to what will be their main rival, Apple's $549 AirPods Max.
Update: "Yep," tweeted Jon Prosser in response to this article. The YouTube leaker claims the XM5 headphones have a 30-hour battery, and Sony will announce them on May 12 with a $399 price tag.
Meta, still better known as Facebook, plans to hire fewer new employees for the remainder of 2022 than previously planned, the company's chief financial officer, David Wehner, said in an internal memo obtained by Business Insider that partly blamed Apple.
In the letter to Meta employees, Wehner said that the company needs to "take another look at our priorities and make some tough decisions about what projects we go after in both the short and medium-term." Due to slower than expected revenue growth for the last quarter, which Wehner partly blames on Apple's ATT (App Tracking Transparency) framework, Meta will hire fewer employees for the rest of 2022.
Wehner said this change "will affect almost every team in the company," adding "this will be an opportunity to reprioritize work to make sure we're all focused on the most important things." Wehner remains optimistic, however, about what's to come despite a turbulent last few quarters.
Most notably, Wehner said that Meta hopes its incorporation of AI into its ad business will help mitigate losses caused by Apple's ATT framework. The ATT framework, launched in 2020, gives users a choice on whether they wish to be tracked or not across apps and websites owned by other companies. More than any other company, Meta was and continues to be vocal against giving users that choice.
When users first open an app on iOS 14.5 and later, they can choose "Allow Tracking" or "Ask App Not to Track." With the latter, that app no longer has access to a critical piece of information known as IDFA, or Identifier for Advertisers, which makes it harder to target personalized ads to that user.
In December 2020, Meta took out a full-page ad in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post calling Apple's privacy changes bad for small businesses. Meta said in the ad that "limiting how personalized ads can be used does impact larger companies like us," adding Apple's "forced software update" will "limit businesses' ability to run personalized ads and reach their customers effectively."
Over a month later, Apple's CEO Tim Cooksaid in a speech that Apple has long championed user privacy and that ATT is a step in the right direction. "ATT responds to a very real issue," Cook said. "Technology does not need vast troves of personal data, stitched together across dozens of websites and apps, in order to succeed. Advertising existed and thrived for decades without it. And we're here today because the path of least resistance is rarely the path of wisdom."
Referencing data brokers and ill-intended companies, Cook added, "it has never been so clear how it degrades our fundamental right to privacy first, and our social fabric by consequence." Zuckerberg said that Apple's privacy features are targeted at changing how Meta operates, claiming the changes are only self-serving to Apple.
Cook said in a tweet that even with ATT, Meta can "continue to track users across apps and websites as before" but that thanks to ATT, users now simply have a choice.
Ulysses today reached version 26, and this update brings a few more welcome feature additions and improvements to the popular writing app for Mac and iOS.
For almost as long as it's existed, Ulysses has included a Dashboard sidebar that can be revealed to show, amongst other things, writing progress statistics for the current sheet in the editor, such as average reading time and character and word count.
However, the developers have recognized that sometimes it's very useful to be able to have a particular stat permanently in view as you're writing, without having to have the Dashboard open with its mine of information taking up valuable editing space. As such, in the latest version of Ulysses for Mac, a single stat can now be displayed right within the editor, in the top-right corner of the window.
Clicking on the new "Editor counter" allows users to select which statistic they want to see updated in real time as they write, with options for reading time and counters for words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences, average words per sentence, paragraphs, lines, and pages.
Elsewhere in version 26 for Mac and iOS, the developers have optimized the publishing flow by adding dedicated buttons for quick access to publishing and separating out the publishing preview. In addition, there's added support for more blogs, and the setup process for Wordpress accounts has been simplified using the modern REST API.
This update also fixes a crash when sharing a sheet from Ulysses and a potential delay when opening the editor, as well as a crash that occurred when sharing a sheet from Mac to iPad when using Universal Control.
Ulysses can be downloaded for free on the App Store, with version 26 rolling out to existing users today. After a 14-day trial period, a subscription is required to unlock the app on all devices. A monthly subscription costs $5.99, while a yearly subscription is $49.99.
Students can use Ulysses at a discounted price of $10.99 per six months. The discount is granted from within the app. Ulysses is also included in Setapp, the subscription-based service for Mac applications created by MacPaw.
Apple last week announced the launch of a new Self Repair program, which is designed to allow iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE owners to repair their devices on their own using manuals, tools, and replacement parts sourced directly from Apple.
We were curious how the Self Service Repair program works and how it compares to the simplicity of bringing a product in to Apple for repair, so we had MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera order up a repair kit to replace the battery of his iPhone 12 mini.
Dan describes himself as the opposite of a handyman and he's never done an iPhone repair before, so we thought he'd be the perfect representation of the average consumer who just wants to save some money by doing DIY repairs.
To start out with, we ordered a kit and components on the day that the program went live, and received it not too long after, so the turnaround time for what we needed was fairly quick. It's worth noting that for most of the repairs, you need the parts and Apple's repair kit. The repair kit comes in two separate packages, and the two boxes weigh in at a whopping 79 pounds. You get it for a week before you need to send it back via UPS, or else Apple charges you $1300.
It's inconvenient to have to deal with one 40 pound repair kit and a second 30 pound repair kit, so that's a negative right off the bat. It costs $49 to get the kit and $70.99 for the iPhone 12 mini battery bundle, though you get $24.15 back for sending in old parts.
That means it costs a total of $95.84 to do a battery swap on the iPhone 12 mini, and comparatively, it's $69 to have Apple swap it out, so it's not really cost effective to do that repair on your own.
Note that you can order the parts alone without the tool kit, but Apple's repair manual instructs users to use tools in the kit that they wouldn't otherwise have on hand, such as an Apple-designed battery press.
You can purchase all of the tools individually so you have them on hand for repairs, but Apple's components are expensive. A battery press is $115, a torque driver is $99, a heated display removal pocket is $116, and a display press is $216, and all of these are needed for battery removal according to Apple's repair manual.
It is not cost effective for someone who wants to make a single repair to use anything but the rental kit, though some of the individual part purchases will make sense for repair outlets who want to get their hands on Apple-designed tools.
As for the actual repair process, Dan found it to be difficult, even with Apple's instructions and tools. It was frustrating to get into, and there were components missing from the kit that were required by the manual, such as tweezers and heat protective gloves.
Dan needed to go to the store on two separate occasions to get more supplies, and because of this, the repair took the better part of the day. Dealing with adhesive was time consuming and almost put a stop to the self repair.
Overall, for the layperson, it's probably better to take your phone to a professional for repair rather than attempting to fix it yourself. This is especially true of repairs for things like the battery and the display, which are generally cheaper to have Apple replace.
If you're feeling brave, you can save some cash if you need a camera, Taptic Engine, or speaker repair, but make sure to study the manual and know what you're getting into. It's well worth watching Dan's full video up above to get a complete picture of the repair process and what's involved.
Popular smart speaker manufacturer Sonos is planning to introduce a voice assistant service that will compete with Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and other voice-based personal assistants, reports The Verge.
Sonos Voice will allow Sonos users to play and control playback on Sonos speakers. Sonos speakers already support Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and Sonos Voice will be able to be used in lieu of these services. Sonos speakers do not support Siri, but a limited number of Siri voice commands can be used with Sonos products that support AirPlay 2.
When it comes out, Sonos Voice will be compatible with Apple Music, so Sonos users will be able to ask the voice assistant to play Apple Music content. It will also work with Amazon Music, Pandora, and Deezer, but Spotify and YouTube Music won't be compatible.
As with all voice assistants, Sonos Voice will have a wake word, so users can say "Hey Sonos" to activate the feature for playing music. Activation and voice recognition will be on device for privacy reasons, and audio commands will not be uploaded to the cloud for processing.
The Sonos Voice feature is set to launch on June 1 in the United States, with an international rollout to follow soon after.
Coinciding with the release of his new book titled Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making, former Apple executive Tony Fadell went on the Decoder podcast with The Verge's editor-in-chief Nilay Patel to discuss cultural differences between Apple and Google, the early days of the iPhone and iPod, and other topics.
Fadell joined Apple in 2001 and led the teams that created the original iPod and iPhone. In 2010, he left Apple to cofound the company that created the Nest smart thermostat, and he now serves as the principal at an investment firm called Future Shape.
Reflecting on Google's acquisition of Nest for $3.2 billion in 2014, Fadell said that Google was not as passionate as Apple was under Steve Jobs:
They just saw it more as dollars, at least from the finance side. People inside the company were just like, "Oh, it's yet another project we are trying." At Apple, every single thing that was tried — at least under Steve — needed to ship because it was existential. You couldn't not make the iPhone successful because you were cannibalizing the iPod business. It had to be successful, and everyone needed to be on it. If you were on something that was distracting from it, you needed to move to it and work on it.
That was not the culture at Google. Obviously they are successful, with many smart people, and that works for them. It is very different when you live and die each day by your vision, your mission, your dream. You do not want to just run to another project because it is just safe and easy; you are trying to do something hard. At that time, that was not how Google thought.
Fadell dismissed any notion that Apple is no longer innovative and said that the company simply takes its time to advance technologies. For example, after acquiring semiconductor firm P.A. Semi in 2008, Apple spent over a decade creating its own iPhone and iPad chips before announcing the Mac's highly successful transition to Apple silicon in 2020.
People are faulting them because they think there is not enough innovation. Well, you just said it: M1 processors. We didn't start the M1 project, but we did start the Apple processor thing together when we bought P.A. Semi back around 2008. That was getting us on that path.
It takes years to be able to best the processor guys in the business, but they did it. To me, that is innovation. It is a lot of risk to make that switch over. Maybe they could have done it a little bit faster, but no one else did it. Now, everyone is trying to copy them and say, "We are going to make our own processors."
Fadell also recounted the "war" at Apple during the iPhone's creation:
Jon Rubinstein [senior VP of the iPod division at Apple] and Steve Sakoman [hardware engineer and executive at Apple] at the time said, "Mac OS will never work on iPhone because it is too big. So we are going to go off and build a new team to make an embedded Linux version of this next generation thing."
Then Avie Tevanian [chief software technology officer at Apple] said, "Oh, we are going to scale down Mac OS and make it work." I sat there in the middle between Avie and Jon as they were doing their software things. I am here with the team, looking at building the iPhone hardware processor, and these two guys are going to war with each other.
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T-Mobile today announced the launch of a new internet "Test Drive" program that's designed to allow users to try out 5G T-Mobile internet in their homes. T-Mobile will send users a gateway to try out for a 15 day period at no cost, with users able to keep their existing internet during the testing program.
To encourage customers to switch to T-Mobile Home Internet, T-Mobile is paying up to $500 in termination fees for customers who cancel their existing plans.
According to T-Mobile, subscribers see typical download speeds of 33 to 182Mb/s, which it says is adequate for streaming video, surfing the web, and most types of online gaming. Upload speeds are between 6 and 23Mb/s.
As for costs, T-Mobile Home Internet is priced at $50 per month, and T-Mobile says it comes with a permanent "Price Lock" feature that will not see prices increase over the years with no additional fees.
Customers who have a family plan with T-Mobile can get discounted home internet access. Magenta Max family subscribers will pay $30 per month for broadband as part of their family plans.
All customers who subscribe to T-Mobile Home Internet will have access to T-Mobile Tuesday deals. Next week, that will include a free TV streaming device valued at up to $50 (Chromecast, Fire TV, or Roku) and 50 percent off a YouTube TV plan.
Apple recently started selling a 3-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable through its online store, as spotted by French website MacGeneration. The cable can be used to connect a Mac equipped with Thunderbolt ports to Apple's new Studio Display and other peripherals.
Priced at $159 in the United States, the 3-meter cable provides users with a longer option than the 1-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable that Apple includes with the Studio Display. Apple also sells a 1.8-meter version of the cable for $129.
Featuring a black braided design, the cable supports Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB 4 data transfer at up to 40Gb/s, USB 3.1 Gen 2 data transfer at up to 10Gb/s, DisplayPort video output (HBR3), and USB-C Power Delivery at up to 100W.
The cable can also be used with Apple's Pro Display XDR, USB-C and Thunderbolt docks, external storage drives, and more.
Today we're tracking a few solid discounts on the 10.2-inch iPad from 2021, including both the 64GB and 256GB Wi-Fi models. Both of these deals can be found on Amazon.
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.
Starting with the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad, this tablet is on sale for $309.00, down from $329.00. This sale is available in Silver and Space Gray, but Silver is seeing a slight shipping delay of just over a week.
We've seen this iPad at a cheaper price in the past, but for anyone shopping for the new iPad in May, this is a solid second-best price on the entry-level tablet. It's shipped and sold directly by Amazon as well.
For more storage, the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad is on sale for $429.00, down from $479.00. Again, both colors are on sale, but you'll find a 4-5 day long shipping delay for the tablets.
Compared to past sales, this is an all-time low price on the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad, and only Amazon has this steep of a deal right now.
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.
Roughly 24 hours after saying it would ramp up hiring and incentives for new employees, Foxconn, Apple's main iPhone supplier, said today it would abruptly stop hiring new workers for its plant in Zhengzhou, China, after new COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions were imposed on the city of nearly 11 million residents.
Just yesterday, Foxconn was signaling it wanted to hire more workers to meet increased consumer demand, on top of additional demand caused by supply chain constraints for the upcoming iPhone 14 series. Now, South China Morning Post reports that Foxconn has suspended hiring of new workers, saying it could "complicate" production for the iPhone 14 lineup slated to launch in the fall.
The suspension came on the heels of the Taiwanese company's plans earlier this week to boost recruitment by offering higher cash bonuses, the agencies said in posts on Tencent Holdings platform WeChat and ByteDance-owned Douyin, the Chinese version of global hit short video app TikTok.
The move to suspend the hiring of new assembly line workers could complicate the iPhone 14 production schedule of Foxconn, which has run its smartphone and components production in Zhengzhou under a “closed-loop” system that confines employees within its campus.
So far, Apple is not expected to drastically delay the launch of the iPhone 14 series, as it did for the iPhone 12. Unlike the normal timetable, Apple was forced to delay the launch of the iPhone 12 till October 2020, rather than September. DigiTimes has speculated that Apple's supply chain woes could result in a similar scenario this year.
Some parts of Apple's supply chain are on the mend, however. Quanta, Apple's supplier for the MacBook Pro, this week resumed production at its plant in China following some disruptions caused by new lockdowns and restrictions. During its earnings call last week, Apple said it expects supply chain constraints to continue into the next quarter. Tim Cook said that Apple has done a "reasonable job" navigating the supply chain roadblocks.
Intel is considering manufacturing its 14th Gen Core "Meteor Lake" CPUs at least partly using TSMC's 5nm process to mirror Apple's M1 series of chips, DigiTimes reports.
Announced last year, Intel's Meteor Lake chips will be its first multi-chiplet design to integrate an application processor, graphics processing unit, and connection chips into a single Intel Foveros advanced package.
Intel initially said that the Meteor Lake CPUs would be manufactured with its own 7nm process, which it calls "Intel 4." At its most recent earnings call, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said that Meteor Lake would be the first Intel product made using Intel 4 and that prototypes had already successfully booted Windows, Chrome, and Linux.
Now, sources speaking to DigiTimes claim that Intel is considering placing orders for all of the chip blocks used in the Meteor Lake CPUs with TSMC, Apple's sole chip supplier. Rather than singularly rely on Intel's in-house 7nm process, the Meteor Lake chip blocks would be contracted out to be manufactured with TSMC's 5nm process, just like Apple's M1 chips for the Mac. The move would reportedly help avoid delays to the CPU's production and launch schedules.
The A14 Bionic, A15 Bionic, M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 Ultra chips, are manufactured using TSMC's 5nm process, and Intel's decision could help Meteor Lake chips to better rival Apple's competitive custom silicon. TSMC is also said to have now received chips orders for the iPhone 14 lineup using its 5nm process.
The sources added that potential orders for Meteor Lake CPUs would be large enough to encourage TSMC to scale up its fabrication capacity for its 5nm chips by the end of the year. Intel's Meteor Lake CPUs are set to launch in 2023.
Apple has virtually cut Chinese display manufacturer BOE out of the iPhone 13's supply chain after discovering design changes to its OLED panels, The Elec reports.
BOE has been supplying OLED display panels for 6.1-inch iPhone models since last year, but the company has only manufactured a "meager amount" of OLED panels for the iPhone since February, according to The Elec. Panel production volume is said to have "plummeted over the past four months."
The initial reason for a dip in production output was a shortage of display driver Integrated Circuits (ICs), since IC supplier LX Semicon prioritized LG Display's orders. More significantly, BOE reportedly changed the design of its OLED panels by expanding the circuit width of thin-film transistors. The Elec claims that when Apple discovered the change, it told BOE to halt production.
Nevertheless, BOE is unlikely to be excluded from Apple's OLED panel supply chain going forward because its presence puts pressure on Samsung Display and LG Display to be more competitive and cut prices. BOE's factory in Sichuan is said to still be operational, and it is possible that BOE is currently working on a workaround to meet Apple's requirements.
BOE has manufactured OLED panels for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 at two factories in China, accounting for just 10 percent of all iPhone displays in 2021, but the company has been planning a significant expansion to overtake LG Display as one of Apple's main suppliers of iPhone displays in 2023.
In celebration of Star Wars Day, Apple today shared a "Behind the Mac" film featuring Skywalker Sound, the sound effects division of Lucasfilm known for films like Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Skywalker Sound uses 130 Mac Pro racks, 50 iMac, 50 MacBook Pro, and 50 Mac mini computers running Pro Tools, all of which remotely connect to a central machine room. The studio also uses a fleet of iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV devices to aid its production process. Staff at the ranch even emphasized the role of older equipment such as the Apple PowerBook.
Ben Burtt, the sound designer of the original Star Wars trilogy, the prequel trilogy, and the Indiana Jones franchise, said that his journey started with a Macintosh SE, and urged young people who want to work with sounds in movies to begin building a sound effects collection using "inexpensive applications that you can have access to now on your iPad or your MacBook, that you can actually do all kinds of cutting and sound-mixing at home."
Sound editor and sound designer Al Nelson said that iPhone recordings are "perfectly useable" in a professional context. Seven-time Oscar-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom explained:
You can tell a lot of the story with sound in a way that is less expensive than visuals, usually, and sometimes more emotionally powerful. If you're interested in sound or filmmaking, you can record 4K+ video on your iPhone. There's no excuse. The stuff that's part of our day-to-day lives is the same stuff you need to record sound and make movies. That's the real revolution. Ultimately, it will democratize the whole process.
See Apple's full press release for more information about how Skywalker Sound creates its iconic, cinematic soundscapes.
On Monday, May 9, 2022, Apple will host a unique online Today at Apple session with Skywalker Sound's Leff Lefferts and Apple Music's Eddie Francis, featuring footage from Skywalker Ranch and the opportunity to learn from an Apple Creative Pro how to make vocal effects for a character using their voice, everyday objects, and GarageBand. Participants can sign up at apple.co/skywalker-sound.
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