MacRumors

Apple is exploring methods to bring user authentication to AirPods, a newly published Apple patent application shows.

In a patent application titled "User Identification Using Headphones," filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and spotted by Patently Apple, Apple explains how it can authenticate AirPods users using other nearby devices, ultrasonic signals, voice recognition, and even a wearer's gait.

The filing seeks to address the issue of AirPods being unable to determine whether a wearer is the authorized user of a connected device. Apple suggests that this can be a problem since any user can place headphones into their ear while they are connected to a device belonging to another person, which risks the connected device releasing personal information, such as via notifications announced by Siri.

The system is able to bypass the need for Face ID, Touch ID, or any other kind of biometric authentication on a separate device, instead using a "similarity score" to verify a user's identity. This similarity score may be based on multiple variables, such as the proximity of other nearby devices belonging to the connected device's owner. Nevertheless, Apple says that biometrics could still be used to increase the accuracy of the similarity score. To authenticate a user based on biometrics with AirPods themselves, Apple proposes playing and receiving ultrasonic sounds inside the headphones:

For example, various characteristics of the user's ear provide an echo of the ultrasonic signal which is unique to the user. Variations in the surface of the user's ear canal may cause the ultrasonic signal to reflect off the surface and generate an echo having a signature that is associated with the user. For example, a user having a larger ear canal may result in an echo having a longer reverberation time than a user having a smaller ear canal.

Apple adds that AirPods could also use information gathered about a user's gait and voice from the AirPods' gyroscopes, accelerometers, and microphones to determine if they are the owner of the connected device. Collectively, these various data points provide an overall similarity score that could authenticate users if it reaches the required threshold.

Apple often adds new features to existing AirPods devices using firmware updates, such as support for the Find My network, Conversation Boost, and Spatial Audio, so seems it plausible that AirPods user authentication could theoretically be added in a future update. Patent filings are not representative of Apple's immediate plans, but they do show some of the company's specific areas of research and development.

Other recent Apple patent filings included designs for all-glass iPhones and Apple Watches, a removable MacBook key that works as a mouse, and a hydration sensor for the Apple Watch.

Today you can get the Beats Studio Buds for $109.95, down from $149.95 on Amazon. Only the white color option is available at this price, and as of writing only Amazon is offering the discount.

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

This price is about $10 higher when compared to the record low price that we saw over the holidays. That discount was rare and has yet to return to any retailer, so if you missed out Amazon's offer today is a good second-best price.

If you're shopping for AirPods, be sure to check out our post from earlier this week. All of these deals are still live, and you can save up to $100 on AirPods Max, AirPods 2, and AirPods Pro. Our full Deals Roundup has more Apple-related discounts as well.

Apple released iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 on Wednesday with several security fixes, and we have since learned that the software updates also resolve an issue with HomeKit camera thumbnails failing to refresh for some users in the Home app.

HomeKit Secure Video cameras added to the Home app each have a thumbnail that provides a still view of recent footage, and normally these thumbnails automatically refresh periodically. In recent weeks, however, some iPhone and iPad users had experienced an issue with the thumbnails failing to refresh and showing outdated footage.

As alerted to us by reader Collin A. Zimmerman and others, users who have updated to iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 are reporting that the bug has been fixed, with HomeKit camera thumbnails now behaving properly in the Home app.

iOS 15.3, iPadOS 15.3, and macOS 12.2 are relatively minor updates in terms of new features. Apple still has a few new features promised for early 2022, including Universal Control and the ability to add an ID to the Wallet app in participating U.S. states, and those features could potentially arrive with the next round of updates.

Apple is working on a new payments service that will allow iPhones to accept payments directly on device with no additional hardware, reports Bloomberg. Right now, iPhones can accept credit cards with add-ons like the Square Reader, but Apple's new technology will eliminate the need for a third-party product.

Individuals and small businesses will be able to accept payments with the tap of a debit or credit card on the iPhone, a feature that is likely to use the NFC chip that's already built into Apple's devices.

Apple started developing the hardware-free credit card payment option back in 2020, when it purchased Mobeewave for approximately $100 million. Mobeewave was a startup that created technology for smartphones to accept payments using NFC.

At the time, Mobeewave's website said that sending payments with the Mobeewave app was as simple as inputting a transaction amount and tapping an NFC-enabled card on the back of a smartphone, and Apple's built-in payment feature is likely to work in a similar way.

Bloomberg says it's not yet clear if the payment service will be bundled into Apple Pay, though the team working on the feature has been working within Apple's payments division.

Because current iPhones already have NFC technology, this is not a feature that will be tied to a hardware update. Apple is planning to roll out on-iPhone card payments in the coming months, perhaps including it in the iOS 15.4 update that could launch in the spring.

Apple appears to have fixed an ongoing iCloud server issue that was causing some apps that have implemented ‌iCloud‌ support to fail to sync properly. The bug has persisted since November, and app developers were becoming increasingly upset with Apple's lack of effort to address the problem.

According to YarnBuddy developer Becky Hansmeyer, Apple said that it has managed to address the issue that was causing sync failures.

Users of apps with ‌iCloud‌ issues were seeing 503 error messages such as "Request failed with http status code 503," but multiple developers have confirmed that the error messages appear to have gone away over the course of the last couple of days.

Tweetbot developer Paul Haddad said that he has received "basically 0" ‌iCloud‌ Sync reports over the past couple days, and Craig Grannell, who wrote about the ‌iCloud‌ problems, said that he is no longer seeing issues with the Cloud Battery or Transloader apps he uses.

The ‌iCloud‌ syncing bug appears to have been introduced sometime around late November or early December, and it was a major headache for developers. App users experiencing ‌iCloud‌ syncing issues don't know that it's a problem on Apple's end, causing developers to be blamed. Some app developers even went as far as building ‌iCloud‌ status dashboards into their apps so end users would have a better idea of when there were issues with the way ‌iCloud‌ was working.

While most developers have said that the syncing issue has been largely resolved, there are still a few complaints about ongoing problems, so Apple may have a few kinks to work out.

It's worth noting that this ‌iCloud‌ sync issue is an ongoing problem that developers were dealing with for months, and it is separate from the current two-day iCloud outage that is affecting ‌iCloud‌ services.

Amazon today has Apple's 2020 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air for $539.00, from $599.00. This sale is available in Green and Sky Blue, but Green has the faster shipping options with delivery as soon as this Friday for United States residences.

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.

Besides the same deal appearing earlier in January, we haven't seen many discounts on the iPad Air line since around August and September 2021. Compared to previous sales, today's offer is a second-best price and so far the best deal we've tracked in 2022.

There are a few other noteworthy iPad deals happening on Amazon this week. You can get the 10.2-inch iPad (256GB Wi-Fi) for $449.00, down from $479.00. The iPad mini 6 (64GB cellular) is on sale for $629.00, down from $649.00. Both of these sales are lowest-ever prices.

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.

Apple today released macOS Monterey 12.2, the second major update to the macOS Monterey update that launched in October. macOS Monterey 12.2 comes over a month after the release of the 12.1 update, which brought SharePlay support.

The ‌‌‌macOS Monterey 12.2‌‌ update can be downloaded on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences. Apple has also released a macOS Big Sur 11.6.3 update for those still running macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina Security Update 2022-001 for those on Catalina.

macOS Monterey 12.2 is a bug fix update, and Apple's release notes have no information other than generic bug fix information. We don't yet have a full list of security updates, but we do know that macOS Monterey 12.2 addresses a Safari bug that could cause your recent browsing history and details about your identity to be leaked to malicious entities.

A full list of security fixes that are in the update will be available from Apple's security update support document.

Apple today released iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3, the third major updates to the iOS and iPadOS 15 operating systems that were released in September 2021. iOS and iPadOS 15.3 come almost two weeks after the release of iOS and iPadOS 15.2.1, minor bug fix updates.

The iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 updates can be downloaded for free and the software is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the new software, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

According to Apple's release notes, iOS 15.3 includes "bug fixes and security updates for your iPhone," with Apple recommending the software for all users.

Apple will have a full list of security updates on its website, but today's iOS and iPadOS 15.3 updates specifically address a recently publicized Safari exploit.

In iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, there is an issue with the WebKit implementation of the IndexedDB JavaScript API. Websites that use IndexedDB can access the names of IndexedDB databases generated by other websites during the same browsing session, which essentially allows a malicious website to spy on other websites that a Safari user visits.

iOS 15.3, iPadOS 15.3, and macOS Monterey 12.2 fix this Safari bug, which also impacted Chrome and other browsers on iOS devices. With the fix, the vulnerability can no longer be used to glean recent browsing history and identity details from Safari users.

Apple today released watchOS 8.4, the third major update to the watchOS 8 operating system that launched in September. watchOS 8.4 comes over a month after the release of watchOS 8.3, an update that added support for the Apple Music Voice Plan.

‌‌watchOS ‌8.4 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌.

The watchOS 8.4 update is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 3 and later like all ‌watchOS 8‌ updates.

According to Apple's release notes, watchOS 8.4 fixes a bug that could cause some Apple Watch chargers not to work as expected with the Apple Watch.

Since the watchOS 8.3 update, there have been complaints from Apple Watch Series 7 users who have noticed that their third-party chargers (and in some cases, Apple-branded chargers) are not able to charge their Apple Watches.

In some situations, the Apple Watch would not charge at all with an affected charger, and in other cases, it would charge for a few minutes and then stop. Today's update should fix both issues.

Alongside iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3, Apple today released a new 15.3 update that's available for the HomePod and the HomePod mini.

As with iOS 15.3, the ‌HomePod‌ 15.3 software is a minor update that focuses on bug fixes rather than new features. According to Apple's release notes, the update adds Siri voice recognition support for up to six users in a home in English (India) and Italian (Italy). It also includes performance and stability improvements.

‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ software is installed automatically on the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌ unless the feature is disabled‌‌‌‌, but the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ can also be manually updated in the Home app by following the instructions in our HomePod‌‌ update how to.

Apple today released tvOS 15.3, the third major update to the tvOS operating system that first launched in September 2021. tvOS 15.3 comes more than a month after the launch of tvOS 15.2, an update that added support for Photos Memories, Apple Music Voice Plan, and new screen savers.

tvOS 15.3 can be downloaded over the air on the Apple TV through the Settings app by going to System > Software Update. ‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌ owners who have automatic software updates enabled will be upgraded to tvOS 15.3 automatically.

Apple's tvOS updates are typically more minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes, performance updates, and small tweaks rather than major outward-facing changes. There were no new features discovered in tvOS 15.3 during the beta testing process, so it's not yet clear what's included in the update.

Apple does not provide detailed release notes for its tvOS updates, but the company does offer some tvOS information through the tvOS support document.

Some of Apple's iCloud services appear to be experiencing an outage, based on a multitude of reports that MacRumors has received and hundreds of complaints on Twitter.

According to the Apple System Status page, there are issues with ‌iCloud‌ Backup, ‌iCloud‌ Mail, ‌iCloud‌ Storage Upgrades, iCloud.com, iMessage, and Game Center. Some users are unable to log into the ‌iCloud‌ website, and others are having trouble with app-specific passwords or are seeing a message about an issue with connecting to Apple ID servers.

There are reports about the ‌iCloud‌ issues from multiple countries, though it is not clear if all users are affected at this time. The ‌iCloud‌ outage has been ongoing since yesterday afternoon.

Apple earlier this morning said that the ‌iCloud‌ outage had been fixed and the company updated the System Status page, but after continued complaints from users and ongoing connectivity problems, Apple again changed the System Status page to note several issues. We'll update this article when Apple is able to address the ‌iCloud‌ outage.

Benchmark results have started to surface for MSI's new GE76 Raider, one of the first laptops to be powered by Intel's new 12th-generation Core i9 processor.

Intel previously said that its new high-end Core i9 processor is faster than Apple's M1 Max chip in the 16-inch MacBook Pro and, as noted by Macworld, early Geekbench 5 results do appear to confirm this claim, but there are several caveats as usual.

Geekbench 5 results show that the GE76 Raider with the Core i9-12900HK processor has an average multi-core score of 12,707, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Max chip has an average multi-core score of 12,244. This means the Core i9 processor is around 4% faster than the M1 Max chip in this particular comparison.

One of the biggest caveats is power efficiency. PCWorld measured the new GE76 Raider's power draw from the wall while running a CPU-only Cinebench R23 benchmark and found the Core i9 was consistently in the 100-watts range, and even briefly spiked to 140 watts. By comparison, when running the same Cinebench R23 benchmark on the 16-inch MacBook Pro, AnandTech found the M1 Max chip's power draw from the wall to be around 40 watts.

With the Core i9 consuming much more power, battery life takes a considerable hit, with PCWorld finding the new GE76 Raider achieved nearly six hours of offline video playback. Apple advertises the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro as getting up to 21 hours of battery life for offline video playback. Even with potential differences in display brightness and other factors, the 16-inch MacBook Pro clearly runs longer on battery.

Design is also a factor, with the GE76 Raider being a 17-inch gaming laptop that is just over an inch thick and weighs nearly 6.5 pounds. By comparison, the new 16-inch MacBook Pro is 0.66 inches thick and weighs 4.8 pounds.

All in all, it appears that Intel's claim that its new Core i9 processor is faster than the M1 Max chip holds up, but Apple likely has no regrets with switching to its own power-efficient chips for thin-and-light notebooks like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. And with the M2 chip expected later this year, Apple is only just getting started.

Moment is best known for its line of lenses designed for iPhones, but the company also makes all kinds of other accessories that are designed to improve the iPhone experience. With the launch of MagSafe, Moment designed ‌MagSafe‌ friendly cases and accessories that are useful for those who want to use Moment lenses or photography equipment like tripods with their iPhones.

Moment's MagSafe-Compatible iPhone 13 Cases

Moment makes a range of MagSafe-compatible iPhone 13 cases that are both MagSafe-compatible and are able to work with Moment's lineup of lenses. Cases are priced at $50, and are made from a soft touch polycarbonate material.

As a standard ‌MagSafe‌ case, Moment's cases are not my favorite. There is a texture to the case, but it is not as grippy and easy to hold as Apple's own silicone cases and I'm continually worried that it might slip out of my hand.

There is a nice microfiber lining inside, along with protection for the camera area, bottom ports, and a lip for keeping the display safe. Moment says the cases offer six-foot drop protection, and while I'm not going to toss my iPhone on the ground to test it out, that seems about right given the protective features and the case thickness.

Volume and power buttons are covered but are still easy to press, and the mute button and all ports remain accessible. I didn't have a problem using this case with wireless chargers, both Qi and ‌MagSafe‌. There are wrist strap attachment points at the bottom if you want to add a wrist strap for an extra grip when taking photos.

While this isn't my favorite standalone case, it is one of the only cases that's compatible with Moment's lineup of lenses, so if you have Moment lenses, you'll need a Moment case to use them. You will have to pair the Moment case with a Drop-in Lens Mount, which is an extra $4.99. I'm not sure why Moment isn't selling this as an all-in-one bundle or with an option to have the mount already attached in the case, but for now it's standalone.

If you have the case and the lens mount, you basically just need to pop out the standard lens bracket that comes with the case and the pop in the lens mount version. All of the built-in cameras work fine with the lens mount in place, and you can screw in Moment's lenses.

Moment makes a fisheye lens, a wide-angle lens, a telephoto lens, a macro lens, and an anamorphic lens, and all of the M-series lenses work with the case and the mount. It's worth noting that Moment lenses are designed to be used with the wide-angle camera and will block the telephoto lens and the ultra wide lens. This is my first choice case if you have Moment lenses, but I still prefer other ‌MagSafe‌ cases like Apple's if you don't.

Car Vent Mount

The $40 Moment Car Vent Mount is more general use than some of the other Moment accessories. It's simple and straightforward, designed to attach to the vent of a car and stay firmly in place.

In my experience, it worked fine, and the mount stayed attached to my iPhone during multiple car rides, even going over bumps and with sudden stops. I've tried a few other magnetic mounts, and I think that Moment's version has one of the strongest magnets that I've encountered to date. There is no charging, though, so this is strictly for mounting for maps usage and other in-car purposes.

There's a soft grip texture where the mount attaches to an iPhone so you can use it naked or without a case, and the mount itself is made of aluminum. The same is true for all of Moment's mounting options - they feature the same aluminum design with a rubber barrier between the mount and the iPhone.

Wall Mount

Like the vent mount, the $15 Moment Wall Mount is multi-purpose. It has the same circular shape featured with many of Moment's accessories, with a magnet on one side and adhesive on the other.

It's designed to allow you to attach your iPhone to any surface where the mount is stuck, so you can attach it to a wall in the kitchen for viewing recipes, or in an office for FaceTime and other purposes. Using the mount is as simple as peeling off the 3M adhesive and sticking it against a flat surface and then attaching your iPhone to the magnet, which is super strong.

I didn't have an issue with the adhesive in the month that I tested these accessories, but I am concerned about its long term viability. Adhesive can sometimes fail and this mount is relatively heavy, so I am concerned that it could just slip off the wall at some point.

To be clear, that hasn't happened to me, but I'd definitely recommend using the wall mount with a case so should it come unattached from the wall, your iPhone won't suffer damage from a high fall. If you need to reposition the mount, you can do so with the extra adhesive pad that's included. I didn't have wall damage removing it, but it's going to vary based on wall material.

Multi-Threaded Mount

Moment's $40 Multi-Threaded Mount can be affixed to all manner of accessories because it comes with five different female threads in 3/8" and 1/4"-20 sizes. It can be threaded onto tripods, rig mounts, ball heads, and other accessories that you might have.

I tested it with a tripod, and it screwed right in. On the side opposite the threads, there's a magnetic plate that attaches to a ‌MagSafe‌ iPhone. As with ‌MagSafe‌'s other mounts, the magnet is surprisingly strong and I feel confident that my iPhone 13 Pro Max is going to stay secured in place even with a decent amount of movement.

All of the attachment points for this accessory are at the back, and I would have preferred to have one or two connection points on the side, which would make this Multi-Threaded Mount even more versatile.

This is definitely one of Moment's most versatile ‌MagSafe‌ accessories and it's a solid choice if you have a tripod you want to use your iPhone with or another similar accessory that uses one of the standard mount sizes.

Tripod Mount

The $40 Tripod Mount works with any standard 1/4"-20 tripod that you might already have on hand. The mount is made from aluminum (as are all of these Moment mounting options) and it's lightweight but offers a super strong magnetic grip on the iPhone.

There's basically a round magnetic pad that attaches to the iPhone and an arm that can be screwed on to any tripod or handle that you already have, making it a useful way to add ‌MagSafe‌ compatibility to your photography accessories. You can use the Tripod Mount in either portrait or landscape mode, and make subtle adjustments to the angle by just rotating the iPhone on the magnetic attachment. It's simple and effective.

I didn't have the "pro" version with an included cold shoe mount, but that's an option for those who want to add a light or a microphone for filming purposes. The Pro version is $60, so $20 extra.

Prior to ‌MagSafe‌ I used a clamp mount accessory to attach my iPhone to a tripod, but Moment's ‌MagSafe‌ tripod mount is much quicker and easier to use in comparison for portrait shots, long exposure shots, and other situations where a tripod is useful.

Cold Shoe Mount

The $30 Cold Shoe Mount is useful for attaching a light or a microphone to the iPhone. I didn't have a compatible accessory on hand to try, but the design is close to identical to the tripod mount without the arm.

The magnetic pad attaches to the iPhone and then there's an adjustable cold shoe mount at the back. A thumbscrew can be used to lock the cold shoe arm in the position that you want for attaching accessories. This is a great option if you want to add a light or microphone while using your iPhone in handheld mode.

This may be one of the more niche accessories and I'm not sure that most people are going to want a standalone cold shoe mount. The Pro version of the Tripod Mount that comes with a cold shoe mount is more expensive at $60, but it also has the option to attach the iPhone to a tripod.

Bottom Line

Having tested quite a few ‌MagSafe‌ accessories, I was impressed with the magnet strength that Moment has achieved. For all of these mounts, my iPhone 13 Pro Max felt well-secured and I was not worried about it detaching or coming loose when mounted in the car, on a tripod, or on the wall.

I think most people looking for MagSafe-compatible accessories are going to be satisfied with Moment's lineup given the magnetic strength and the affordable price points. As for the cases, I'd recommend them if you need something to use with the Moment lenses that you own.

All of these accessories work with Moment lenses when used with Moment's cases and case mounts, but I do want to point out that you won't want to pick up these accessories if you have Moment lenses and intend to use them with an iPhone 12 mini or iPhone 13 mini. You can't use these accessories and a Moment Lens at the same time on one of Apple's smallest iPhones because of space constraints.

How to Buy

All of the Moment ‌MagSafe‌ accessories can be purchased directly from the Moment website.

Note: Moment provided MacRumors with its ‌MagSafe‌ accessories for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Amazon is offering fresh discounts across the entire Apple Watch Series 7 lineup today, with $50 markdowns across the board on 41mm and 45mm GPS and cellular models. Every model is shipped and sold directly by Amazon, with stock available for shipping today for most devices.

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.

41mm GPS Aluminum

The sales start with the 41mm GPS Apple Watch Series 7 for $349.00, down from $399.00. This version of the Apple Watch has the most colors on sale, and at this price it's just about $10 off from the lowest price we've ever seen on the Apple Watch Series 7.

• (Product)Red with (Product)Red Sport Band - $349.00, down from $399.00
• Green with Clover Sport Band - $349.00, down from $399.00
• Starlight with Starlight Sport Band - $349.00, down from $399.00

45mm GPS Aluminum

You can also get the 45mm GPS Apple Watch Series 7 on sale, available for $379.00, down from $429.00. Similar to the smaller model, this is a second-best price and one of the best prices that we've tracked on the wearable so far in 2022.

• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $379.00, down from $429.00
• Starlight with Starlight Sport Band - $379.00, down from $429.00

41mm Cellular Aluminum

You can also get the Apple Watch Series 7 cellular models on sale this week, with both 41mm and 45mm devices available at $50 off on Amazon. These sales aren't as extensive as the GPS Series 7 models, so you'll only find two colors marked down for the 41mm cellular option.

• Green with Clover Sport Band - $449.00, down from $499.00
• Midnight with Midnight Sport Band - $449.00, down from $499.00

45mm Cellular Aluminum

For the 45mm Cellular option, only the Green Aluminum Apple Watch Series 7 with a Clover Sport Band is available at a discount on Amazon. For all Apple Watch sales listed in this article, only Amazon is currently offering these discounts, so be sure to check out the offers soon if you're interested.

• Green with Clover Sport Band - $479.00, down from $529.00

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Last month, a tipster informed MacRumors that Apple had advised major U.S. carriers to prepare for the launch of eSIM-only smartphones by September 2022, suggesting at least one iPhone 14 model might lack a physical nano-SIM card tray.

GlobalData analyst Emma Mohr-McClune today expressed her belief that Apple will not switch to eSIM-only iPhones entirely right away, but rather offer an eSIM-only variant of an iPhone 14 through its own stores and give carriers an option to sell the eSIM-only model alongside more traditional models with both eSIM and a nano-SIM card tray.

There are still many carriers around the world that do not support eSIM, so Mohr-McClune's prediction about iPhone 14 models with nano-SIM card trays remaining available certainly makes sense. eSIM adoption is expanding rapidly, though, with over 100 carriers offering eSIM service worldwide and more planning to roll out support this year, including Three in the UK and Vodafone in New Zealand.

An eSIM is a digital SIM that allows users to activate a cellular plan without having to use a physical nano-SIM card. Apple first introduced eSIM technology with the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR in 2018.

iPhone 13 models already support multiple eSIM profiles, allowing users to subscribe to several cellular plans digitally and switch between them, and this functionality could pave the way for an eSIM-only variant of an iPhone 14 in at least some markets. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 14 lineup in September as usual.

Apple today announced the Black Unity Braided Solo Loop for the Apple Watch, as well as a new downloadable watch face, to celebrate Black History Month.

Following the launch of the limited edition Black Unity Apple Watch Series 6 and Sport Band in 2021, Apple today launched the Black Unity Braided Solo Loop as part of its celebrations for Black History Month this year.

Apple is launching a special edition Apple Watch Black Unity Braided Solo Loop and matching Unity Lights watch face inspired by Afrofuturism, a philosophy that explores the Black experience through a narrative of science, technology, and self-empowerment. As part of this launch, Apple is supporting organizations focused on advancing inclusion in science and technology for communities of color through its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.

Designed by members and allies of the Black creative community at Apple to celebrate Black history and culture, the Apple Watch Black Unity Braided Solo Loop and matching Unity Lights watch face honors generations of Black people across the African diaspora. This design symbolizes a communal belief in the necessity for a more equitable world. The vibrant red and green colors of the Pan-African flag appear like speckled light across the black band.

To accompany the Black Unity Braided Solo Loop, Apple today released the special edition "Unity Lights" watch face. Like many of Apple's other watch faces, Unity Lights comes in full screen and circular dial versions, and includes a black and white option, tick marks, up to four complications, and a monogram.

The band is complemented by the Unity Lights watch face, which is designed using 2D ray tracing, a technology never before implemented for a watch face. Each pixel on the screen simulates the light and shadow falling across it and the movement of the clock hands simultaneously reveal and hide the light, changing dynamically throughout the day.

The Black Unity Braided Loop is available to order today for $99, and it will be available in select retail store locations starting Tuesday, February 1. The Unity Lights watch face is available to all Apple Watch users with a Series 4 or newer in the Apple Watch app. Apple is also making a range of Afrofuturism-inspired wallpapers for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac available on its website.

The Black Unity Braided Solo Loop and Unity Lights face celebrate Black History Month alongside a number of other events across Apple's services and platforms, including a campaign on Apple Music and ‌Apple Music‌ TV, workouts in Apple Fitness+ and Time to Walk, Apple Podcasts, the App Store, Apple Books, Apple Maps, the Apple TV app, Apple News, and the company's latest Shot on iPhone campaign titled "Our Stories."