Apple's plan to add a body temperature sensor to the Apple Watch Series 8 is looking increasingly unlikely, based on recent comments made by well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.
Apple is believed to have originally considered adding a body temperature sensor to last year's Apple Watch Series 7, but that didn't happen, with Bloomberg reporting in June that it would likely be introduced in the 2022 update instead. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also previously expressed optimism that body temperature sensing would be an Apple Watch Series 8 feature.
However, discussing rumored body temperature, blood pressure and blood sugar sensors for Apple Watch in his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman advises: "Don't expect any of these soon."
Body temperature was on this year's roadmap, but chatter about it has slowed down recently. Blood pressure is at least two to three years away, while I wouldn't be surprised if glucose monitoring doesn't land until later in the second half of the decade.
Whenever it does arrive, a body temperature measuring function for Apple Watch would be useful for fertility tracking and keeping track of sleep, and in the future, it could also detect when a user has a fever.
Apple is rumored to be working on a method for non-invasively monitoring blood glucose levels using optical sensors as well, potentially offering sufferers of diabetes a way to manage their condition that would be much easier, as it wouldn't require puncturing the skin.
Earlier this year, Apple was revealed to be the largest customer of the British electronics start-up Rockley Photonics, which develops non-invasive optical sensors for detecting multiple blood-related health metrics, including blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood alcohol levels.
Rockley's disclosure that its biggest client is Apple came about as the company prepared to go public in New York. Given the growth of Rockley Photonics and the scale of Apple's partnership with the company, it seems to be virtually inevitable that the company's health sensor technology will be coming to the Apple Watch at some stage, just not this year.
For everything we know so far about the upcoming Apple Watch Series 8, check out our dedicated guide.
Major EU mobile operators are reportedly looking for Apple's iCloud Private Relay service to be outlawed because it allegedly infringes upon EU "digital sovereignty," according to a report from The Telegraph.
iCloud Private Relay was a feature announced with iOS 15 that encrypts data so that neither Apple nor a third-party can see users' browsing activity in Safari. With iCloud Private Rely enabled, a user's internet requests are sent through two separate internet relays, with the first relay being operated by Apple.
The second relay, operated by a third-party company, means no-one, including Apple, can see what website a user visits. More information on how iCloud Private Relay works can be found on Apple's website.
In August 2021, less than two months after iCloud Private Relay was announced, Vodafone, Telefonica, Orange, and T-Mobile sent a joint letter to the European Commission regarding their concerns over the service. As per the report:
Mobile operators have become locked in a power struggle with Apple after urging regulators to outlaw the iPhone maker's encryption technology over claims it will undermine "digital sovereignty." Some of Europe's biggest mobile operators want the European Commission to stop Apple using "private relay" on the grounds that it will also prevent them from managing their networks.
In the letter seen by The Telegraph, the operators said that while iCloud Private Relay "purports to enhance users' privacy when connecting to and browsing the internet by encrypting and redirecting traffic," it also cuts off "networks and servers from accessing vital network data and metadata, including those operators in charge of the connectivity."
The letter claimed that iCloud Private Relay will have "significant consequences in terms of undermining European digital sovereignty."
In the letter, the operators also called upon the European Commission to label Apple as a "digital gatekeeper" under the EU Digital Markets Act. According to the report, such a label "has the potential to stop services such as Private Relay."
Outside the EU, some network operators in the UK are also concerned. In its own letter, TalkTalk claimed that iCloud Private Relay would "make it more difficult to block dangerous content." In a statement to The Telegraph, TalkTalk said it is "assessing how to respond to this shift and maintain our commitments to keeping our customers safe."
iCloud Private Relay is currently available in beta form for users on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, and it's still unclear when Apple plans to bring it out of beta. According to The Telegraph, the European Commission has not responded to the letter from the EU's largest mobile operators. We've reached out to Apple to comment on the concerns raised in the letter.
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.
"Ted Lasso" was also nominated for the "Best Television Series" award but was beaten by HBO Max comedy drama "Hacks." Other "Ted Lasso" actors including Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein were nominated for "Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series," but fell short of bagging an award on the night.
This is the second time running that Sudeikis has won a Golden Globe in the "Best Television Actor" category for his performance on "Ted Lasso." The third season of the popular series is reportedly under production and will premiere on Apple TV+ sometime this year.
Users of Virgin Mobile and O2 networks based in the UK will not face EU roaming charges when traveling abroad, the company that owns both networks has announced (via BBC News).
Based on an analysis of rates from other provides, Virgin Media O2 said a family of four going abroad for two weeks could see an extra £100 on their bill. As such, the company said it would not be re-introducing EU roaming charges, post-Brexit.
"We're starting the year by giving our customers some certainty: we will not be reintroducing roaming fees in Europe for customers on O2 or Virgin Mobile," said Gareth Turpin, chief commercial officer.
"With many Brits now looking to plan a trip abroad, we've got our customers covered and extra roaming charges will be one less thing to worry about."
In 2021, Three, EE, and Vodafone announced the return of roaming charges to come into effect later this year.
Before the U.K. formally exited the European Union, mobile customers generally didn't have to worry about roaming charges when using their phone in the EU, with most phone tariffs counting calls, texts, and data used in EU countries as equivalent to domestic use.
When the UK-EU trade deal was signed in December 2020, mobile operators were once again able to charge customers when traveling in Europe with "transparent and reasonable rates."
Originally, EE, Three, and Vodafone stated they had no plans to reintroduce roaming charges after Brexit, but all have since announced changes, some under a "fair use" clause.
The upcoming high-end iPhone 14 is expected to come with a pill-shaped cutout rather than the notch that's been present on the iPhone in some form since 2017. While we're still months away from the next iPhone, we already have a solid idea of what a pill-shaped cutout would look like in practical use.
A mockup on Twitter by developer Jeff Grossman shows, at least on the Home Screen, what a pill-shaped cutout on an iPhone would look like. The cutout, rather than being continuous with the device's bezel like a notch, is centered slightly below the bezel while being shorter in length and height, offering significantly more screen real estate on either side.
Apple made the notch smaller with the iPhone 13, but the extra space can't be utilized. For example, users still can't show the battery percentage in the status bar but must instead swipe down into Control Center. One would think that with a pill-shaped cutout, Apple may let users display more information in the status bar rather than let it remain unused screen real estate.
If you're interested in trying out the experience of a pill-shaped cutout on your own iPhone, Jeff has shared the screenshot used in his original image. View the image on your iPhone, lock your screen rotation, and turn your iPhone upside down to experience, more or less, what an iPhone 14 Pro may look like in your hand.
A pill-shaped cutout would mark a significant design shift from the notch that's been a hallmark of the iPhone design language since the iPhone X. A pill-shaped cutout would require Apple to fit several sensors and the TrueDepth camera system in a smaller footprint. Rumors so far suggest that only the high-end iPhone 14 models will feature a pill-shaped cutout, while the lower-end variants will continue with the full-sized notch, although that could always turn out not to be the case.
Spotify users waiting to learn when the service's delayed "HiFi" premium audio service will materialize currently remain none the wiser, after the company responded noncommittally to requests for more information on its user community forums.
Back in February, Spotify announced plans to introduce a "HiFi" premium tier by the end of 2021. According to Spotify, the feature will offer CD-quality music that will let fans experience more depth and clarity in their favorite tracks.
However, 2021 came and went with no sign of the high-bandwidth audio experience on Spotify and no update from the company on when it would launch. Understandably, Spotify users recently took to the service's community forums to ask for more details, to which Spotify responded:
We know that HiFi quality audio is important to you. We feel the same, and we're excited to deliver a Spotify HiFi experience to Premium users in the future. But we don't have timing details to share yet.
First reports that Spotify was working on a lossless audio version of its streaming service appeared almost five years ago, when the company started testing the option with a small group of users.
Back then, promotional screens pitched the "Spotify Hi-Fi" tier as a $5-$10 upgrade to a standard Spotify subscription. However, based on the wording of its latest update, Spotify looks unlikely to offer it as a paid-for upgrade when it does launch, especially given that Apple Music includes lossless listening options as part of its standard subscription price.
Add to that the fact that Amazon has since stopped charging extra for its own lossless music library, bundling its "HD" tier into all standard Amazon Music Unlimited subscriptions instead, which makes the idea of Spotify asking users to pay more for a similar service seem like a non-starter.
In May, a tantalizing hint emerged that Spotify was on the cusp of launching its lossless plan after a glitch in the Spotify app briefly surfaced a hidden HiFi media playback menu.
However, Spotify's unintentional teaser last year came to nothing, and users of the streaming service remain as much in the dark now as they did then about when the surface will eventually appear.
Apple supplier BOE recently converted one of its factories in China in order to manufacture larger OLED displays for devices beyond smartphones, including tablets and computers, according to Korean website The Elec.
The report claims that BOE is likely aiming to supply OLED displays for future iPads, after becoming a supplier of iPhone 13 displays last year. The repurposed factory will be able to manufacture up to 15-inch displays, but it remains to be seen if Apple ever releases a 15-inch iPad. In June 2021, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple had explored the idea of iPads with larger displays, but he said a release if any would be years away.
The factory will have the ability to manufacture OLED displays with two layers of red, green, and blue emission layers, the report added, which could lead to future iPads having significantly brighter displays. However, it remains to be seen whether BOE would succeed in commercializing these panels due to the complexity of the technology.
Apple currently sources OLED displays for iPhones from Samsung and LG, but it frequently attempts to diversify its supply chain to reduce the risk of relying on a single supplier and to secure competitive pricing.
In January 2020, a man who identified himself as an Apple parts manager informed Japanese auto supplier Sanden that Apple wanted to make electric vehicles, and presented schematics of an electric vehicle and air conditioner parts, according to Nikkei Asia.
Sanden is a leading manufacturer of air conditioner parts for vehicles, and Apple and Sanden went on to discuss specific parts requirements, the report claims. However, due to financial struggles worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanden filed for debt restructuring with its creditors in June 2020 and the Apple Car talks apparently faded.
While the report does not provide any further details about the talks between the two companies, it lends further credence to Apple's long-rumored electric vehicle ambitions.
In November 2021, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple was accelerating its work on the project and aiming for an electric vehicle with full self-driving capabilities. Gurman said Apple was targeting a 2025 launch, but the project has faced numerous setbacks and key departures over the years, so the timeframe is not certain.
Today is January 9, which means it's been 15 years since Apple CEO Steve Jobs stood on stage at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, California and gave the world its first look at the iPhone, a device that would go on to change everything.
The original iPhone was a tiny little thing with a 3.5-inch LCD display, a plain old Home button, a thick chassis, huge bezels, a Samsung processor, and a 2-megapixel camera, but it was still unlike anything else that was on the market at the time.
Smartphones at the time relied on limited display area, hardware-based keyboards, and styluses for screen interaction, but the iPhone stood apart because it a limited number of physical buttons and instead relied on a multi-touch display, which was more intimate and interactive.
Jobs described the iPhone as three revolutionary products in one: an iPod with touch controls, a phone, and a breakthrough internet communications device. "Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone," Jobs famously said, and he couldn't have been more right.
Since 2007, Apple has led mobile phone design, dictating the features and capabilities that are must-haves for smartphones and inspiring other manufacturers to follow in its footsteps. Features like Touch ID, Face ID, sleek designs, and incredible camera technology have kept Apple competitive, as have other improvements over the years. Earlier this week, we highlighted 15 changes that Apple has made since introducing the original iPhone.
No other smartphone maker has been able to match Apple's deep integration of hardware and software or its unparalleled chip designs, and that's why iPhones continue to be the smartphone of choice for a huge number of people worldwide.
Every year, Apple manages to make us excited about an iteration on a 15-year-old product. There are promising updates in store for the iPhone 14, including the first notchless design that will see Apple adopting a hole-punch display that will provide more available screen space.
We're also expecting faster performance than ever with the A16, improvements to 5G, and innovative safety features like car crash detection and satellite support for reporting emergencies when cellular signal is unavailable.
Apple is exploring the future beyond the iPhone as well, preparing for the day when the smartphone might be obsolete. The first AR/VR headset is could be unveiled in 2022, and while it will be bulky, expensive, and focused on VR experiences, we can expect Apple to iterate and improve on the headset experience until some kind of head-worn wearable becomes indispensable.
We don't know what the iPhone will look like when Apple's 30th iPhone anniversary rolls around, but we at MacRumors will be here to tell you all about it. What do you think Apple has in store for the distant future? Let us know in the comments.
Apple's first event of 2022 will likely take place in March or April, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said today in his "Power On" newsletter. Gurman said a new iPhone SE with support for 5G and a faster chip is likely to be among the announcements at the event.
"Apple's first virtual event of 2022 is coming up in just a few short months and is likely to take place in either March or April, I'm told," wrote Gurman.
Last year, Apple held an event on April 20 to unveil its AirTag item tracker, new iPad Pro and 24-inch iMac models powered by the M1 chip, the second-generation Apple TV 4K, and a new purple color option for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.
In 2020, Apple did not hold a spring event, likely due to COVID-19 being declared a worldwide pandemic in March of that year. Apple still announced several new products with press releases on its website that spring, including updated MacBook Air and iPad Pro models on March 18 and the second-generation iPhone SE on April 15.
Gurman also said that he is near certain that WWDC will remain a fully virtual event this year, shortly after it was announced that the E3 video game conference normally held in person in June will be an online-only event again this year.
While it has been rumored that the Apple Watch Series 8 will gain a body temperature sensor, Gurman said "chatter about it has slowed down recently," so it is unclear if this feature is still on track to launch in 2022 or will be pushed back.
Apple has been testing Swedish language support for Siri on the HomePod mini for at least two months, according to Macradion, suggesting that the HomePod mini will be released in Sweden at some point this year.
In addition to Sweden, the HomePod mini will likely launch in at least four more countries in 2022, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Russia, as the speaker gained support for languages spoken in those countries with a software update in December:
Dutch
Dutch (Belgium) (Referred to as Flemish by Apple)
French (Belgium)
French (Switzerland)
German (Switzerland)
Italian (Switzerland)
Russian
Swedish is still not a publicly supported language on the HomePod mini, but Macradion reported that Apple has enlisted a third-party company to send special HomePod minis with Swedish support to select individuals for testing purposes.
First released in October 2020, the HomePod mini is currently available in the United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
Happy New Year 2022! With calendars turning over to the new year, it's a great opportunity to look ahead at expectations for 2022 and there has been no shortage of rumors on that front already.
This week saw rumors about the iPhone 14 Pro, AirPods Pro 2, the next iPhone SE, and more, while we wrapped up 2021 and kicked off 2022 with the first two episodes of our new podcast, The MacRumors Show, so read on below for all of the details!
iPhone 14 Pro Rumored to Feature Pill-Shaped Camera Cutout With Face ID Under the Display
Instead of a notch, the leaker claimed that iPhone 14 Pro models will feature a pill-shaped camera cutout at the top of the display, rather than a circular hole-punch cutout that was originally rumored. The above image is a mockup of what this new design could look like.
The MacRumors Show: Mark Gurman Talks Through Everything Apple is Expected to Announce in 2022
Gurman also shared his expectations for Apple in 2022 in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, including iPhone 14 Pro models without a notch, a redesigned MacBook Air with an M2 chip, a new iPad Pro with wireless charging, an AR/VR headset barring any further delays, and more.
Apple Testing Multiple Foldable iPhone Prototypes, But Has Some Concerns
Another rumor from leaker @dylandkt this week claimed that Apple is testing multiple foldable iPhone prototypes, but he said that Apple has concerns over the quality of foldable display technology and whether there is a long-term market for foldable smartphones.
2022 iPhone SE to Feature 5G, Major Update Coming in 2024
Apple is widely expected to release a third-generation iPhone SE in the first quarter of 2022. The device is expected to have the same external design as the current iPhone SE, with key new features being 5G support and a faster A15 chip.
Like the third-generation AirPods released in October, it is also likely that the next AirPods Pro will have improved battery life and a water-resistant charging case.
Intel Says New Core i9 Processor for Laptops is Faster Than Apple's M1 Max Chip
Intel this week unveiled new 12th-generation Core processors for laptops, and as part of the announcement, it claimed that the new Core i9 is not only faster than Apple's M1 Max chip in the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but is the fastest mobile processor ever.
Of course, we'll have to wait to see how the 12th-generation Core processors perform in real-world testing for a true comparison with the M1 Max chip.
MacRumors Newsletter
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.
Ever since Apple removed the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 in 2016, rumors have swirled that Apple eventually aims to ditch the Lightning port next for a completely portless design. Indeed, analysts originally predicted that the highest-end iPhone 13 would offer a "completely wireless experience." Of course, that didn't happen, but a portless iPhone 14 in 2022 looks just as unlikely, for the following reasons.
Apple's longtime goal has been to design an iPhone with no external ports or buttons for a clean, streamlined device, but significant hurdles still remain if it intends to provide a completely wireless charging and data transfer solution. As far as data is concerned, Apple would need to look beyond Bluetooth because of its bandwidth limitations and rely on a faster wireless protocol that allows iPhone data transfer at a speed that either matches or exceeds Lightning, otherwise the loss of the port would be seen as a backward step.
In fact, Apple has already developed such a protocol. MacRumors recently discovered that Apple Watch Series 7 models are equipped with a module that enables 60.5GHz wireless data transfer when placed on a proprietary magnetic dock with a corresponding 60.5GHz module. Apple probably doesn't advertise this capability because it's for internal use only. For example, Apple Store staff may use the dock to wirelessly restore an Apple Watch. It's unclear how fast its wireless data transfer is, but our understanding is that USB 2.0 speeds up to 480 Mbps might be possible. In other words, Lightning speed.
However, it's not just data transfer that would need to be achieved wirelessly. With no Lightning port, you wouldn't be able to physically connect your iPhone directly to a computer to reset an unresponsive iPhone through recovery mode. Unless Apple came up with an alternative at-home solution – a second iteration of MagSafe with high-speed data transfer capabilities, perhaps – the iPhone would have to go back to the Apple Store every time an over-air update or full device restore failed and borked the device, meaning more irritation and inconvenience for end users.
For argument's sake, let's say Apple introduced "MagSafe 2.0" alongside a portless iPhone 14 and solved these data/recovery issues. The existing MagSafe Charger provides up to 15W of peak power delivery (or 12W on the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini) and charges a compatible iPhone less than half as fast as a wired 20W USB-C charger, so any new version of MagSafe would have to ramp up the juice considerably in order to come close to existing cable speeds.
Admittedly, Apple could probably pull off this feat (assuming it has shaken off its AirPower woes). You only have to look at its rivals to see what's already possible. Both the Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro support up to 21W and 23W wireless charging speeds, respectively, while the OnePlus 9 Pro boasts 50W wireless charging speeds thanks to its next-generation Warp charger, which is capable of charging a dead phone to full power in 43 minutes. That's faster than an iPhone plugged directly into a 20W charger. Xiaomi is another leader in the field – the 5000mAh battery in its Mi 11 Ultra phone can be charged from 0% to 100% inside 30 minutes, wirelessly.
Yet despite these speed gains in wireless charging, an oft-overlooked problem is its generally poor energy efficiency. In 2020, Eric Ravenscraft of Debugger found that wireless charging uses around 47% more power than wired charging for the same amount of power. Unless Apple surprised us with a new version of MagSafe boasting unprecedented energy efficiency, ditching the Lightning port would surely run counter to its much-touted environmental policy.
And that's not the only eco-problem Apple would be inviting upon itself by going portless. Speaking out in 2020 against EU deliberations on requiring a universal port across all mobile devices, Apple said that removing the Lightning port from the iPhone would "create an unprecedented amount of electronic waste." It's not hard to see how this line of argument could be turned against Apple if it launched a portless iPhone in 2022. It would make millions of existing Lightning cables, charging docks, and other adapters in the wild obsolete overnight and ready for the trash.
Of course, Apple could perhaps satisfy the European Commission by adopting USB-C, but that would just be swapping out one connector for another, committing the company to another cable standard for longer. Apple would effectively be kicking its vision of a portless iPhone further into the long grass. Indeed, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts Apple will retain the Lightning connector on the iPhone for the "foreseeable future," and has no intention of switching to USB-C, which has a lower water specification than Lightning. As Kuo rightly notes, such a move would also be detrimental to Apple's profitable MFi business, which is why he believes Apple is more likely to switch directly to a portless model rather than first change to USB-C.
Given these interlacing obstacles, in spite of some iPhone 14 rumors, we expect Apple's next smartphone to continue to use Lightning ports with the option of MagSafe, until a more viable wireless charging solution comes along that allows for a portless iPhone design without the attendant disadvantages. So when could that be? Frankly, it's hard to say.
Back in 2016, Apple was rumored to be partnering with Energous to deliver a "true wireless charging" solution, but nothing has come from it so far. Apple is still believed to be researching new wireless charging technologies, and with the advent of MagSafe, the company is clearly still interested in innovating new ways to power devices without the mess of cables. How long we'll have to wait for one that powers a portless iPhone remains unknown.
Sunday will mark the 15th anniversary of Steve Jobs introducing the original iPhone at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, and while the device revolutionized the smartphone industry, it's easy to forget how much the iPhone has improved since then.
To celebrate the upcoming occasion, we've put together a list of 15 features the original iPhone didn't have when it was first announced.
App Store: The original iPhone came with preinstalled apps like Phone, Weather, Notes, Calendar, Photos, and Calculator, but there was no official way to install native third-party apps until the App Store launched in July 2008. Developers were able to offer web-based apps, but this was a subpar experience.
Copy and Paste: It may seem hard to believe, but the ability to copy and paste text was not added to the iPhone until 2009.
Front Camera: While selfies are now ubiquitous, there was no front camera on the original iPhone. In fact, there was no front camera until the iPhone 4 launched in 2010 with new FaceTime video calling.
Video Recording: The original iPhone can only shoot photos, with video recording introduced on the iPhone 3GS in 2009.
Flashlight: With no LED flash on the original iPhone, there was no built-in flashlight. When the App Store launched, some flashlight apps were released that displayed a white screen at max brightness to mimic a flashlight.
Photo Messaging (MMS): The original iPhone supported text messaging via SMS, but there was no ability to send photos. MMS capabilities were introduced with iPhone OS 3.0 in 2009, but only for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.
GPS: While the original iPhone came with a Google Maps app preinstalled, there were no turn-by-turn directions, as the device did not have a GPS. Apple introduced a built-in GPS with the iPhone 3G in 2008.
Home Screen Wallpapers: It was not possible to set a custom Home Screen wallpaper on the iPhone until iOS 4 was released in 2010, and the software update did not support the original iPhone.
Verizon Support: AT&T was the exclusive iPhone carrier in the U.S. until Verizon began supporting the device in 2011.
Siri: Apple's voice-based digital assistant launched with the iPhone 4S in 2011.
Touch ID or Face ID: While modern iPhones and iPads are equipped with biometric authentication systems like Face ID or Touch ID, the original iPhone could only be secured with a four-digit passcode. Touch ID arrived with the iPhone 5s in 2013, while Face ID debuted on the iPhone X in 2017.
Lightning Connector: Like many iPods before it, the original iPhone was equipped with a 30-pin dock connector. Apple switched to the smaller Lightning connector with the release of the iPhone 5 in 2012.
Retina Display: Introduced on the iPhone 4 in 2010, the Retina display featured four times as many pixels as the original iPhone and was the highest-resolution display for a smartphone ever at the time.
Wireless Charging: The first iPhones to support wireless charging were the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X released in 2017.
Water Resistance: Water did not play friendly with the original iPhone, but the latest models have IP68-rated water resistance.
CES 2022 is wrapping up today, and while it was a more muted event because of the ongoing pandemic that saw many exhibitors and attendees cancel, there were still plenty of new product announcements. In our latest YouTube video, we rounded up some of the best Apple-related accessories that we saw this year.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus Smart Watch ($450) - Garmin's Venu 2 Plus Smart Watch is an Apple Watch alternative with a 43mm round display. It has all kinds of health tracking features to monitor heart rate, respiration, daily energy levels, stress, blood oxygen level, and sleep, plus the battery lasts for up to nine days. Garmin has also added a microphone so it supports texts and calls using Apple's Siri voice assistant.
Withings Body Scan ($300) - Withings' latest smart scale packs in a whole host of health-related features. It tracks weight, but it also monitors segmental body composition, heart rate, vascular age, and nerve activity. With the built-in handle, it can also take a 6-lead ECG, which is more advanced than the single-lead ECG feature built into the Apple Watch.
Targus Find My Backpack ($150) - Accessory maker Targus updated its Cypress Hero EcoSmart Backpack to add built-in tracking functionality that uses Apple's Find My app. The backpack can be added to the Find My app right alongside other devices and it can be tracked with the Find My Network so it's locatable even out of Bluetooth range.
Hyper Swivel Dock for iMac ($200) - Hyper came out with a turntable dock designed for the 24-inch iMac. It features a 360-degree swivel mechanism that allows the screen to be rotated around as needed. It has a built-in SSD enclosure that supports up to 2TB storage, plus it offers an HDMI port, SD/microSD card slots, a USB-C port, and four USB-A ports.
Eve Outdoor Cam ($250) - Eve's Outdoor Cam combines camera functionality with an outdoor spotlight, and it uses HomeKit Secure Video for iCloud-based storage, privacy, and motion detection. It works at night, has IP55 water and dust resistance, two-way communication, and a wide 157 degree field of view.
Chipolo CARD Spot ($35) - The Chipolo CARD Spot is a Bluetooth device tracker meant to be used in a wallet. It's relatively thin at 2.4mm, and it has built-in Find My integration. It will allow you to make sure you don't leave your wallet behind or lose it, and if it does get lost you can locate it with Apple's Find My network even when it's not in Bluetooth range. The only downside is that there's no replaceable battery, but Chipolo has a replacement program.
Satechi Pro Hub Max ($100) - Satechi built a USB-C hub that's designed to work with the latest MacBook Pro models. It plugs into the side using two USB-C ports, but it adds a 4K HDMI port for dual display functionality that supports up to 60Hz, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB-C ports, a USB-A port, micro/SD card readers, and an audio jack.
Samsung Odyssey Ark - Samsung at CES introduced an absolutely massive curved display called the Arc. It measures in at 55 inches, offers a 4K 16:9 resolution and can be used in either portrait or landscape mode. This isn't coming until later in the year, so there's no price or firm release date.
NexMonitor ($449) - The NexMonitor is a display with an off-center base that's meant to house a Mac mini. It also has a thick bezel at one side to accommodate an iPhone, so you can have all of your devices right at eye level. The 27-inch display is available with a 2K or 4K resolution and it has a USB-C port, HDMI port, a pair of USB-A ports, a USB-B port, an SD card reader, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
We'll have reviews and additional coverage of some of these products coming in the future, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors and our YouTube channel.
Satechi's 2-in-1 Headphone Stand With Wireless Charger was announced earlier this week, and as the name suggests, it pairs a Qi-based wireless charger with a stand for larger headphones like the AirPods Max. There's a soft padded base for charging an iPhone or AirPods, along with a hook for holding your headphones.
The wireless charging base charges at 7.5W, while an included USB-C port can be used to charge up your AirPods Max or other headphones. It does require a 20W power adapter, which is sold separately.
Just introduced today, the $120 165W GaN Charger has four USB-C ports included and it supports up to 165W for charging multiple devices at once. The maximum power for a single device is 100W, which is enough for all of Apple's MacBook models, but it's not going to charge the new 16-inch machines at top speed.
It supports multiple power configurations and will adjust the power distribution based on what's plugged in, so you can use it to charge iPads, Macs, iPhones, and other devices at the same time.
Satechi is including its $120 3-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand, which is designed for Apple's iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models. It features an upright magnetic charger for the iPhone, a smaller platform at the bottom for charging AirPods, and an Apple Watch charging puck.
The stand is not MagSafe because Apple is still limiting official MagSafe hardware, so it charges an iPhone at up to 7.5W. The Apple Watch charging puck is also not compatible with the Apple Watch Series 7 fast charge feature, but it is still an ideal setup for overnight charging and in other situations where faster charging is not required.
Satechi also has all kinds of other accessories like hubs, adapters, keyboards, mice, chargers, desk stands, and more, all of which are designed with Apple's products in mind.
We have one Satechi prize pack to give away, which includes the three above mentioned accessories and a $200 Satechi gift card. 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 MacRumorsFacebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK 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. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. 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 (January 7) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 14. The winner will be chosen randomly on January 14 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.
Satechi today announced the launch of a 165W USB-C GaN charger that's equipped with a total of four ports, making it an ideal desktop charging option for those with multiple USB-C devices.
The charger is using Gallium Nitride technology that's popular with modern power adapters because it allows for better power efficiency that results in smaller product designs. Satechi has built a power distribution algorithm into the charger so it adjusts the power provided to each port based on what's plugged in.
100W, 100W/60W, 60W/60W/45W or 100W/30W/30W, and 60W/45W/30W/30W splits are available, so if you're charging the maximum number of four devices at one time, you can only get up to 60W for the main device. 165W is available in total, but the maximum charging available is 100W. That should power all of Apple's laptops, though it won't provide the fastest available charging speeds for the M1 Pro/Max 16-inch MacBook Pro machines.
Satechi says that the charger includes CE and ETL certifications for safe charging for all connected devices. It is powered by a single power cord, and has a space gray aluminum finish that compliments many Apple products.
The 165W USB-C 4-Port PD GaN Charger is available from the Satechi website for $120. Until January 13, it can be purchased at a 20 percent discount using the code CES20.
Amazon today has a solid post-holiday deal on Apple's AirPods 2 with Wired Charging Case, priced at $109.99, down from $129.00. These are in stock and sold by Amazon, ready to ship out today with a delivery date between January 10 and January 12.
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.
The AirPods 2 were one of the more popular items on sale this past holiday season, dropping to as low as $90 in the best sale. We likely won't see a similar sale return any time soon, so if you missed out on those holiday deals Amazon's offer today is a good second-best price.
We track sales for every model of the AirPods in our Best AirPods Deals guide, so be sure to bookmark that page while you shop around for the wireless headphones.
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.
