MacRumors

Apple Music on Android devices will not include Dolby Atmos support when Apple launches Spatial Audio on the streaming service in June. That's the claim from MySmartPrice, which says it received confirmation from Apple India that the sound technology would not be crossing the divide between Apple and Android ecosystems.

apple music android listen now
For anyone confused by all the audio nomenclature that's been bandied about since the ‌Apple Music‌ announcement on Monday, Dolby Atmos is based on surround sound technology that first appeared in cinemas but is now found in many home cinema setups.

It improves on standard 5.1 and 7.1 channel setups by adding extra channels that sound as if they're coming from overhead, resulting in a more immersive experience. The virtualized technology has since been used by sound engineers to enrich the recordings of both original and remixed music tracks.

Spatial Audio, based on Dolby Atmos, is basically Apple's way of delivering a similar immersive three-dimensional audio to listeners through Apple hardware. Spatial Audio takes Dolby Atmos signals and applies its own directional audio filters to make sounds appear to be coming from all around you. However, as mentioned, it only works on Apple devices and Apple headphones like AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, and there's no dynamic head tracking for Spatial Audio music like there is for movie soundtracks.

It's not clear exactly why Dolby Atmos won't be available for ‌Apple Music‌ users on Android when it launches, but it could be due to the lack of control Apple has over the handset and tablet hardware used, or perhaps rollout could come later. On the flip side, however, the higher quality Lossless audio streaming tier that Apple announced this week will be available on Apple Music for Android.

As part of the iOS and iPadOS 14.6 RC update that was released yesterday, Apple has introduced a new Shazam App Clip, which now allows users to find and identify a song using the new iOS 14 feature, instead of being redirected to the Shazam website or app.

shazam app clip ios 14
Apple introduced App Clips with iOS 14 in June of last year as a small, mini-app that can run on a device, without a user needing to download an app from the App Store. There are multiple ways to activate an App Clip, including a specially designed App Clip QR code, an NFC tag, or even websites. Developers must, however, support the feature first.

As 9to5mac reports, Apple is now beginning to implement the feature with its own apps. With iOS 14.2, Apple added a direct Shazam toggle into Control Center, allowing users to not only identify a song playing from their device but be able to identify any song playing around them without having to download the Shazam app. Apple is now extending functionality even further, not requiring users to have the Shazam app at all, or even visit the website thanks to App Clips.

The process works the same; tap the Shazam toggle in Control Center, which can be added in Settings, wait a few moments for your iPhone or iPad to identify a song, and then the App Clip appears. From the App Clip, users can choose to share the song, hear a short preview, and open it in Apple Music to be saved for later.

Tag: Shazam

Volume production of the redesigned 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple silicon and a mini-LED display is set to begin in the first quarter of 2022, while mass production of the smaller and new 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ will begin in the fourth quarter of this year, according to industry sources cited in a paywalled DigiTimes report.

Flat 2021 MacBook Pro Mockup Feature 1
Yesterday, DigiTimes posted a preview of a story reporting that the launch of the redesigned MacBook Pros could be delayed until next year. Now, the full report offers more context, including the fact that Apple suppliers are feeling constrained by the launch of the new mini-LED 12.9-inch iPad Pro, hindering production for the Mac.

Volume production of Apple's miniLED-backlit MacBook Pro series may have to be postponed to fourth-quarter of 2021 or first-quarter 2022 if the sudden surge in the number of COVID infections in Taiwan continues to worsen, according to industry sources.

Having launched its miniLED-backlit 12.9-inch iPad Pro in late April, Apple plans to release two miniLED-backlit MacBook Pro products - one having a 14-inch display and the other a 16-inch display - in the second half of 2021, said the sources.

‌DigiTimes‌ still reports that Apple plans to release the new MacBook Pros in the second half of this year, but implies that much like the new M1 ‌iPad Pro‌ and iMac, they may not be widely available for purchase until a few weeks after their initial announcement. Apple announced the new ‌iPad Pro‌ and ‌iMac‌ at an event on April 20, yet neither product officially ships and launches to customers until the second half of May, most likely this week on May 21.

Apple may opt to take a similar approach with the new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros, announcing them to the public but not make them available until sufficient production is underway. However, ‌DigiTimes‌ also notes that a minimal number of 14-inch MacBook Pros will be produced in the third quarter of this year, likely hinting that supply will be tight, despite reasonably high demand.

These new MacBook Pros will offer the biggest redesign to Apple's Pro portable Mac lineup since 2016. According to Bloomberg and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple plans to abandon the Touch Bar with the new MacBook Pros, bring back MagSafe charging technology, and more ports, including an HDMI port. These new MacBook Pros will also feature an all-new mini-LED display and a more powerful Apple silicon chip.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Caution)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Update: The early unboxing video was taken down, but other unboxing and first impression videos are now available.


The new 24-inch iMac doesn't officially launch until this Friday, May 21, but an early unboxing of the machine has been shared on YouTube.

iMac

The ‌iMac‌ unboxing video was made private subsequent to this story.

The video from Gadget Guy is in Cantonese, but it offers an up-close look at the yellow version of the ‌iMac‌ including how the machine and its color-matched accessories are packed in the box, how the magnetic power cord attaches to the rear of the ‌iMac‌, and the Touch ID button on the Magic Keyboard.

Additional topics include a look at using the Globe key to change between keyboard languages, installing iOS apps on the M1-powered ‌iMac‌, the side-oriented headphone jack, some quick benchmarks using Geekbench and Cinebench that show essentially the same performance as other M1 Macs, disk speed tests approaching 3000 MB/s for both read and write, and more.

Customers who placed early ‌M1‌ ‌iMac‌ orders have seen their orders begin shipping ahead of Friday's targeted launch date, but we should be seeing press reviews hitting as soon as Tuesday morning.

(Thanks, aaronchow!)

Update: Video has been made private but has been mirrored here.

Update 2: The mirror has now also been made private.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Neutral)
Related Forum: iMac

Earlier today, we confirmed that AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max will not support lossless audio over Bluetooth because of Bluetooth limitations, and it turns out there's no direct wired lossless option for the ‌AirPods Max‌ either.

airpods max ear cushions finished
Apple's ‌AirPods Max‌ headphones are equipped with a Lightning port, but it is limited to analog sources and will not natively support digital audio formats in wired mode.

Apple told The Verge that when a 24-bit/48 kHz Apple Music lossless track is played to an iPhone into the ‌AirPods Max‌ using a Lightning cable and a Lightning-to-3.5mm dongle, the audio is converted to analog and then re-digitized to 24-bit/48 kHz. The re-digitization is not an identical match to the source and Apple is not able to say that it's lossless audio.

Apple has confirmed that lossless audio can be listened to on an ‌iPhone‌, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV, but the higher quality audio is not available on AirPods, AirPods Pro, or ‌AirPods Max‌. Apple lossless is also not available on the HomePod.

Listening to lossless audio on an iOS device will require wired headphones compatible with the ALAC format, and possibly a digital to analog converter. That the $549 ‌AirPods Max‌ do not work with Apple lossless is sure to upset some fans, but there is debate about whether most people can even tell the difference between standard and lossless audio formats.

Though the ‌AirPods Max‌ headphones do not support lossless audio, they are compatible with Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, another new feature that Apple is bringing to ‌Apple Music‌. Spatial Audio will allow artists to create multidimensional music that sounds like it's coming from all around you, and this feature is available on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip.

Related Roundup: AirPods Max
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Max (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Apple has been making concessions on privacy and security in order to continue building and selling its devices in China, according to an in-depth report from The New York Times.

China iCloud Feature 2
The focal point of the report is Apple's decision to comply with a 2016 law that requires all personal information and data collected in China to be kept in China, which has led Apple to build a China data center and relocate Chinese customers' iCloud data to China, managed by a Chinese company.

Apple fought against China's efforts to gain more control over customer data, but given China's leverage over Apple, Apple had no choice but to comply. There were initially disagreements over the digital keys that can unlock iCloud encryption. Apple wanted to keep them in the United States, while Chinese officials wanted them in China.

Ultimately, the encryption keys ended up in China, a decision that "surprised" two unnamed Apple executives who worked on the negotiations and who said that the decision could potentially endanger customer data. There is no evidence that the Chinese government has access to the data, but security experts have said that China could demand data or simply take it without asking Apple, especially given compromises in encryption key storage and the fact that a third-party company manages customer data on Apple's behalf.

"The Chinese are serial iPhone breakers," said Ross J. Anderson, a University of Cambridge cybersecurity researcher who reviewed the documents. "I'm convinced that they will have the ability to break into the servers."

In a statement, Apple told The New York Times that it "never compromised" the security of users or user data in China "or anywhere we operate." Apple says that it still controls the keys that protect the data of Chinese customers, and the China data center is using the most advanced encryption technology available, which is more advanced than what Apple uses in other countries.

Apple has also been removing apps from the App Store in China at the request of the Chinese government after China began requiring an official license to release an app. Apple told The New York Times that it has done so to comply with Chinese laws.

"These decisions are not always easy, and we may not agree with the laws that shape them," the company said. "But our priority remains creating the best user experience without violating the rules we are obligated to follow."

The New York Times' report goes into much more detail on the compromises that Apple has made in China, and it is well worth reading in full.

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.

Tag: China

Apple Music will be gaining support for two new audio formats in June, including Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio, but MacRumors has received confirmation that the HomePod and HomePod mini will not support Lossless Audio.

Apple's website does indicate that the HomePod will support Spatial Audio, but it's unclear if this includes the HomePod mini.

homepod feature purple
Spatial Audio, based on Dolby Atmos, is an immersive three-dimensional audio format that enables musicians to mix music so it sounds like the instruments are all around you in space. On the other hand, Lossless Audio refers to audio recordings that have been compressed without any reduction in the overall quality of the audio, which can result in an improved listening experience, although the difference is not always obvious.

Apple Music will have two tiers of lossless audio, including standard "Lossless" audio up to 48kHz and "Hi-Res Lossless" audio that ranges from 48kHz to 192kHz. Apple said "Hi-Res Lossless" will require external equipment like a USB digital-to-analog converter.

Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio will be available in June for all Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost on devices running iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, macOS 11.4, and tvOS 14.6 or later, according to Apple. Presumably, there will also be a companion HomePod software update that enables Spatial Audio support in time for the feature's launch.

Spatial Audio will be available for thousands of tracks at launch, with more to be added regularly. Lossless audio will be available for 20 million tracks at launch, and this will rise to 75 million by the end of the year.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Neutral)

Apple is working to build a dedicated Developer Center on its Apple Park campus, Apple Fellow Phil Schiller said today during his testimony in the ongoing Epic v. Apple trial.

apple park drone june 2018 2
Schiller did not provide additional detail on the Developer Center, and it has not previously been announced by Apple, so little information is available at this time.

In the past, Apple had Developer Compatibility Labs for Mac OS X developers, and it's possible that the new Developer Center will offer similar functionality. Developer Compatibility Labs offered developers access to Apple facilities in Cupertino, California or Tokyo, Japan to test their software or hardware products with a wide range of Apple devices to ensure compatibility.

The Developer Compatibility Labs, which have since been discontinued, were priced at $99 and supported up to 10 people, with 500 different hardware configurations available.

The new ‌Apple Park‌ Developer Center will presumably allow developers to visit ‌Apple Park‌ to test apps and work with Apple engineers to fix bugs and implement new features. We've asked Apple for more information and will update when we hear back.

Today marked the kickoff of the third week of the Epic Games v. Apple trial, and this week is notable because Epic has finished with its witnesses and we're now transitioning to Apple witnesses, including notable Apple executives.

fortnite apple featured
Apple Fellow and former marketing chief Phil Schiller, who is in charge of the App Store, took the stand today. Schiller will testify for up to nine hours, and will see the most questioning out of all of Apple's witnesses.

Schiller's hours of commentary will see him explaining just how the ‌App Store‌ works, the value of the ‌App Store‌ and Apple's SDKs, and why it's important that the judge side with Apple to maintain security and privacy for customers.

Questioning today started with the history of the iPhone, where Schiller made sure to say that security and privacy were the "most important" considerations when developing the ‌iPhone‌. "This new computing device in your pocket means it's capable of new things," he said. "It's going to store information around our lives that we aren't used to having in our pocket."

Schiller covered how the ‌App Store‌ was set up from the beginning. The ‌iPhone‌'s software is "part of the product" that Apple creates, which is very different from Android, which is licensed to device makers. This licensing model "reduces quality" and the "speed of innovation," Schiller said in defense of Apple's setup.

Early questioning covered the transition from Apple-only apps on ‌iPhone‌ to third-party app support, and the security and privacy risks that Apple had to contend with. After the launch of the ‌iPhone‌, Apple heard from developers that they wanted to create native apps, which Apple viewed as the first "demand for quality and security" on ‌iPhone‌.

Apple has always been concerned about jailbroken apps and rogue app developers creating content without documented APIs, which could lead to "unreliable, unstable devices." He pointed out the importance of protecting users from malware to keep devices functioning. "This is your phone in your pocket that needs to work reliably," he said.

Schiller has also been speaking about Apple's ‌App Store‌ policy to treat developers large and small the same, and his testimony has included some interesting little tidbits. Apple wanted to charge $99 for the ‌App Store‌ developer program to prove that an app that's being worked on is "important" and that developers are "serious about making a quality app."

Notably, Schiller said that it costs Apple $50 million for every Worldwide Developers Conference event that it puts on annually, which was used as evidence that Apple's ‌App Store‌ profit margins are not as high as ‌Epic Games‌ has implied.

Schiller also said that 17 percent of the hundreds of thousands of games on the ‌App Store‌ use the freemium model, which was another interesting tidibt that was shared. 75 percent of games are free to download, and six percent require a payment.

On the topic of physical goods, Schiller said that in 2019, the ‌App Store‌ drove $400 billion+ in transactions like food delivery, Amazon purchases, Uber, and more, which are not subject to a 30 percent cut. According to Schiller, Apple does not take a cut of physical purchases because Apple can't guarantee they will actually arrive.

We'll undoubtedly hear additional interesting details from Schiller as his testimony continues, and later this week or early next week Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to take the stand.

Apple is working on new wire-free in-ear Beats-branded earbuds, according to images in the tvOS 14.6 and iOS 14.6 betas that were found by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser.

Beats Studio Buds feature 3
The Beats Studio Buds are unlike any prior Beats headphones that Apple has released as there is no ear wrap as with the Powerbeats Pro or a wire like the Powerbeats. The Beats Studio Buds are tiny in design and are similar to in-ear earbuds from companies like Samsung and Google. The images indicate multiple color options will be available, including black, white, and red, and there will be a matching oval-shaped charging case.


This small and simple design of the Beats Studio Buds appears to be similar to what we're expecting to see from the second-generation AirPods Pro. Rumors suggest that the next AirPods Pro will have a rounded, compact design that's also stemless.


There is no word on when the Beats Studio Buds might be released, but given that images are popping up in the current betas, we could see a debut shortly after the launch of iOS 14.6.

Tag: Beats

Apple today announced that starting in June, Apple Music songs will be available to stream in Lossless and Hi-Resolution Lossless formats, but lossless audio won't be supported on the AirPods, AirPods Max, or AirPods Pro.

AirPods Lineup Not Lossless Feature
Apple's Lossless Audio is encoded as Apple Lossless Audio Codec files, with lossless quality ranging from 16-bit 44.1 kHz playback to 24-bit 48 kHz playback and Hi-Res Lossless offering 24-bit 192 kHz quality.

AirPods, AirPods Pro, and ‌AirPods Max‌ are limited to the Bluetooth AAC codec when paired with an iPhone, and won't be able to stream ‌Apple Music‌ lossless files, Apple confirmed to T3.

Apple did not mention AirPods compatibility in its press release announcing the new functionality, and on its website, Apple confirms that lossless audio can be listened to on an ‌iPhone‌, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV, and T3 also says that HomePod is compatible even though it wasn't listed in Apple's announcement.

Apple's lossless audio is less compressed and offers up a more accurate version of the studio recording process, for music that sounds as it was intended by the artist. Lossless audio provides a wider dynamic range to bring out the detail and realism in music.

Hi-Res Lossless will require a USB digital to analog converter or similar equipment, but will provide the best sound experience. Listening to lossless audio on an ‌iPhone‌ will require wired headphones and it's possible an additional dongle will be needed to get the best sound quality. ‌AirPods Max‌ will also not support lossless audio over the Lightning cable, Apple told Micah Singleton.

While the AirPods, ‌AirPods Max‌, and AirPods Pro do not support lossless audio, they do support Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, and by default, ‌Apple Music‌ will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip.

With Spatial Audio support, artists will be able to create immersive experiences that provide fans with multidimensional sound and clarity.

Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio are being added to ‌Apple Music‌ at no charge, so both new and current subscribers will get these features for the standard $9.99 per month (individual), $4.99 per month (student), or $14.99 per month (family) pricing.

Related Roundups: AirPods 4, AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3
Related Forum: AirPods

Woot today reintroduced its popular sale on Apple's AirPods Pro, marking down the headphones to $189.99, from $249.00. Woot's sale has been the most consistent around online this year, and is currently beating prices seen at Amazon and other retailers.

AirPods Pro Discount Feature YellowNote: 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.

Woot is selling the AirPods Pro in new condition, and they come with a one year Apple warranty. AirPods Pro are Apple's high-end Bluetooth headphones, offering active noise cancellation and many more features. The included charging case also supports Qi wireless charging, so you can recharge the headphones via any compatible Qi mat.

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. If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

Related Roundups: AirPods Pro 3, Apple Deals
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming macOS Big Sur 11.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming two weeks after the release of the third macOS Big Sur 11.4 beta.

macOS Big Sur Feature Purple
Developers can download the ‌‌‌macOS Big Sur‌‌‌ 11.4 beta using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile from the Apple Developer Center.

The macOS Big Sur 11.4 update introduces support for new Apple Music features, including Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio.

Spatial Audio offers an immersive audio experience that makes it sound like music is coming from all around you, while Lossless Audio will provide higher-quality songs that sound exactly like they do when artists record them in the studio. Apple plans to launch these features in June.

Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

Apple today seeded release candidate versions of iOS and iPadOS 14.6 to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming one week after Apple seeded the third iOS and iPadOS 14.6 updates.

14
iOS and iPadOS 14.6 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

iOS and iPadOS 14.6 add support for Apple Music features, including Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio.

iPhone Hi Fi Apple Music Feature
Spatial Audio will provide an immersive audio experience that makes it sound like music is coming from all around you, while Lossless Audio will provide higher-quality music that sounds exactly as it does when artists create it in the studio. At launch, thousands of tracks will feature Spatial Audio support, and more than 20,000 songs will support Lossless Audio. By the end of the year, 75 million songs will support it.

For AirTags, the beta adds a new feature that allows an email address to be entered as a contact method for Lost Mode instead of a phone number. In iOS 14.5, there is no option to use an email, with Apple only allowing for a phone number.

airtag lost mode email address
iOS 14.6 will see the debut of Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, which were first introduced at Apple's April event. With Podcasts subscriptions, Podcasts users can sign up to subscribe to their favorite podcasters, unlocking ad-free listening, bonus episodes, and other perks.

The update also includes new features for marking all Podcasts episodes as played, removing downloads, and recovering episodes, all of which are designed to address complaints that surfaced after the release of the updated Podcasts app in iOS 14.5.

iOS 14.6 lays the groundwork for Apple Card Family, a feature that Apple introduced at its April event. ‌Apple Card‌ Family allows spouses to share a single ‌Apple Card‌ account, with each person serving as a co-owner to build credit.

‌Apple Card‌ Family also lets parents share an ‌Apple Card‌ with their children for making purchases, with optional spending limits and parental controls to help children learn smart financial habits. All spending by the family is tracked with a single monthly bill, and up to five people over 13 can be added to an ‌Apple Card‌ account for sharing purposes.

Apple's full release notes for the update are below:

Apple Card Family
- Apple Card can be shared with up to five people, including anyone 13 years or older in your Family Sharing group
- Apple Card Family adds support for families to track expenses, manage spending with optional limits and controls, and build credit together

Podcasts
- Subscription support for channels and individual shows

AirTag and Find My
- Lost mode option to add an email address instead of a phone number for AirTag and Find My network accessories
- AirTag will show the partially masked phone number of the owner when tapped with an NFC-capable device

Accessibility
- Voice Control users can unlock their iPhone for the first time after a restart using only their voice

This release also fixes the following issues:
- Unlock with Apple Watch may not work after using Lock iPhone on Apple Watch
- Reminders may appear as blank lines
- Call blocking extensions may not appear in Settings
- Bluetooth devices could sometimes disconnect or send audio to a different device during an active call
- iPhone may experience reduced performance during startup

iOS 14.6 is expected to see a May release, with the Apple Music features coming in June.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Apple today seeded a release candidate version of an upcoming tvOS 14.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming one week after Apple seeded the third beta.

apple tv 4k design clue
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 14.5 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ via a profile that's installed using Xcode.

Other than new releases, tvOS updates are often minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. The tvOS 14.6 update adds support for new Apple Music features, including Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio.

Spatial Audio offers an immersive audio experience that makes it sound like music is coming from all around you, while Lossless Audio will provide higher-quality songs that sound exactly like they do when artists record them in the studio.

At launch in June, thousands of tracks will feature Spatial Audio support, and more than 20,000 songs will support Lossless Audio. By the end of the year, 75 million songs will support it.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming watchOS 7.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta approximately a week after the release of the third beta.

applewatchse
To install the ‌watchOS 7.5 beta, developers need to download the proper configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 7.5 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated ‌Apple Watch‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

To update to the new software, the ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌‌.

watchOS 7.5 introduces support for subscription content in the Podcasts app, plus support for Apple Card Family features. In Malaysia and Peru, it enables the ECG app and irregular heart rate rhythm notifications.

The update also includes support for the new Pride faces that are designed to accompany the 2021 Pride bands that Apple released today. There are two new "Pride Woven" faces to choose from in an animated rectangle or circle design.

Related Roundup: watchOS 26
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Apple today released new Pride Edition versions of the Braided Solo Loop and Nike Sport Loop for the Apple Watch, while a matching Pride Woven watch face will be available in a future software update (likely watchOS 7.5, which is currently in beta).

pride band app clip
One interesting tidbit shared in the announcement is that, for the first time, Apple will be including a scannable App Clip code on the packaging of each new Pride band, providing a convenient way for customers to immediately access the new Pride Woven watch face when available. (App Clip codes require an iPhone running iOS 14.3 or later.)

Introduced in iOS 14, an App Clip is a small part of an app that's discoverable at the moment it's needed, even if the app is not installed.

Priced at $99, the Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop weaves together the original rainbow colors with those drawn from various Pride flags, according to Apple. Or, for $49, the Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop features a nylon weave with reflective rainbow yarn inspired by the Pride flag, which Apple says is designed to shimmer when light strikes it.

The Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 4 or later, while the Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop is compatible with Apple Watch Series 3 or later. The new Pride bands are available to order today from Apple.com and the Apple Store app, and will be available at Apple Store locations beginning May 25.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Apple today updated its Platform Security Guide with in-depth security information about the new Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, the ability to unlock an iPhone with an Apple Watch while wearing a mask, and more.

touch id magic keyboard for imac
The updated guide reveals a few interesting tidbits about the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, including that it is compatible with the built-in Touch ID sensor on recent MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models:

Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and built-in Touch ID sensors are compatible. If a finger that was enrolled on a built-in Mac Touch ID sensor is presented on a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, the Secure Enclave in the Mac successfully processes the match—and vice versa.

This compatibility means that, from a technical standpoint, there is nothing stopping Apple from selling the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID on a standalone basis. As we previously reported, the new Magic Keyboard is fully compatible with all M1 Macs, but Apple is currently only offering the keyboard with the new iMac unveiled last month.

Apple has made some previously iMac-exclusive accessories available to purchase separately at a later date in the past. When the iMac Pro launched in December 2017, for example, Space Gray versions of the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad were only available with the iMac Pro, but became available separately in March 2018.

The updated guide also reveals that the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID can be securely paired with only one Mac at a time, but a Mac can maintain secure pairings with up to five
different Magic Keyboard with Touch ID keyboards.

To enroll a new fingerprint, the user must physically confirm their intent to use a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID with the Mac, according to Apple. Physical intent is confirmed by pressing twice on the Mac power button when indicated by the user interface, or by successfully matching a fingerprint that had previously been enrolled with the Mac.

As for unlocking an iPhone with an Apple Watch on iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 or later, the following criteria must be met, according to Apple:

• iPhone must have been unlocked using another method at least once after the
associated Apple Watch was placed on wrist and unlocked.
• Sensors must be able to detect that the nose and mouth are covered.
• Distance measured must be 2–3 meters or less
• Apple Watch must not be in bedtime mode.
• Apple Watch or iPhone must have been unlocked recently, or Apple Watch must have
experienced physical motion indicating that the wearer is active (for example, not
asleep).
• iPhone must have been unlocked at least once in the past 6.5 hours.
• iPhone must be in a state where Face ID is allowed to perform a device unlock.

The updated Platform Security Guide is available on Apple's website, with a document revision history included on page 214.