Blender today announced that Apple has joined the Blender Development Fund to support continued development of the free open source 3D graphics tool.
Alongside a contribution to the Development Fund, Apple will provide engineering expertise and additional resources to Blender and its broader development community to help support Blender artists and developers, according to the announcement.
Blender CEO Ton Roosendaal said the announcement means that "macOS will be back as a complete supported Blender platform."
First official patch submitted by Apple: Metal backend for Cycles GPU rendering on macOS. https://t.co/DdHP6u8znp
— Ton Roosendaal (@tonroosendaal) October 14, 2021
Blender said its Development Fund accepts donations "to support activities to provide free and open accessible services for all Blender contributors," including bug fixing, code reviews, technical documentation, and onboarding.
The fund will also provide grants and subsidies to developers on generic and widely agreed development projects, according to Blender.
Florida plans to make a digital ID app available to residents on the App Store in mid-November, and the state is working with Apple to also make the digital IDs available in the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, according to Florida Politics.
Last month, Apple revealed the first U.S. states that will be rolling out the ability for residents to add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app, including Arizona, Georgia, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah. Florida was not included in the list, but this week's report claims the state's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has now exchanged info with Apple in hopes of becoming a partner.
In the meantime, Florida will be offering a Smart ID app that residents can use to provide proof of identity or age. It will not replace a physical driver's license, which will still need to be carried when operating a vehicle, according to the state.
After downloading and authenticating, Florida motorists will simply launch their Florida Smart ID app, select the type of verification needed, and display the QR/barcode on their smart device to be scanned for verification. The smart device does not need to leave the owner's hand when being verified by a retailer or by law enforcement, making Florida Smart ID a contact-free and convenient way to display proof of identity or age.
iOS 15 will gain support for digital IDs in the Wallet app in "late 2021," according to Apple, but the timeframe for each state adopting the feature is unclear. Last month, Apple confirmed it was in discussions with many more U.S. states as part of its plan to offer digital IDs in the Wallet app nationwide in the future, but no timeframe was provided.
Apple said select TSA security checkpoints in participating U.S. airports will be the first locations where customers can present their digital driver's license or state ID in the Wallet app. The company said participating states and the TSA will share more information at a later date in regards to when and where the feature will be supported.
Once a participating state begins offering this capability, residents will be able to tap the plus sign at the top of the Wallet app to begin adding their driver's license or ID to the app, and then simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch on an identity reader at a TSA checkpoint, without needing to take out their physical card.
Apple said the feature is designed with privacy and security in mind. When adding a driver's license or state ID card to the Wallet app, customers will be required to take a photo of their face, which Apple said will be securely provided to the issuing state for verification. As an additional measure, Apple said users will be prompted to complete a series of facial and head movements during the setup process.
Upon tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch on an identity reader, customers will see a prompt on their device displaying the specific information being requested by the TSA. Only after authorizing with Face ID or Touch ID is the requested identity information released from their device, according to Apple. Users do not need to unlock, show, or hand over their device to a TSA security officer to present their ID, the company added.
Apple said its implementation supports the ISO 18013-5 standard, which sets clear privacy guidelines for presenting an ID through a mobile device.
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Sale prices have been applied automatically, so you won't need a coupon code to see the discounts. Besides MagSafe deals, we're also tracking markdowns on Apple's AirTag accessories, like the AirTag Loop and AirTag Leather Keyring.
For the charging accessories, AT&T's prices on the MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger are not as good as the deals currently offered by Verizon, so you'll find those sales listed below among AT&T's offers. However, the price on the 20W USB-C Power Adapter at AT&T is among the best online.
With Apple's redesigned MacBook Pro believed to be just days away from being announced at Apple's "Unleashed" event, we have compiled all of the coherent rumors from our news coverage to build a full picture of the features and upgrades coming to the company's highly-anticipated new laptops.
It is worth noting that the rumors below are aggregated from our coverage from a wide range of sources, including leakers, analysts, and publications. The reliability of each source varies, so some of the rumored features may need to be taken with a pinch of salt.
That being said, this year's MacBook Pro rumors have been very consistent, with sources including Ming-Chi Kuo, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and "Dylandkt," as well as MacRumors' own findings, presenting a very similar picture of the new machines.
14-inch and 16-inch models with the same performance across both machines.
Six ports, including two Thunderbolt ports and a MagSafe charging porton the left side of the machine, and an HDMI port, a Thunderbolt port, and SD-card readeron the right side of the machine. This means that there are three Thunderbolt ports expected, one less than on current high-end MacBook Pros.
Improved thermal design for the 14-inch model, mirroring the improvements that came to the 16-inch model in 2019, including a larger heat pipe and heat sink, as well as added thermal pads.
High-Power Mode to optionally boost performance when not connected to power.
16GB of RAM and 512GB of storageas standard with the base configurations.
Larger batteryfor the 14-inch model and a slightly smaller battery for the 16-inch model, relative to the current models.
The overall view of the redesigned MacBook Pro rumors gives a good idea of many of the upcoming upgrades and what users can largely expect from the new machines when they are officially revealed. Apple's "Unleashed" special event takes place on Monday, October 18, where the new MacBook Pro models are widely expected to be announced. For more detailed information about the redesigned MacBook Pro models, see our comprehensive "Everything We Know" guide.
Update October 15: Updated to include mention of a last-minute rumor of a display notch.
Walmart today has a rare deal on Apple's HomePod mini, priced at $74.17, down from $99.00. This sale is only available in the White color.
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The HomePod mini is shipped and sold directly by Walmart, and it's in stock and ready to ship today. This sale is now the lowest we've ever seen the HomePod mini go, surpassing a previous discount to around $90 earlier this year.
Since its launch in 2007, the price of the iPhone has gone up more than 80% around the world, according to a new study that looked at iPhone prices all over the world and their increase and decrease over the years.
According to the study conducted by Self, since its launch in 2007 and subsequent annual upgrades, the price of iPhones has increased more than 80%, now costing over $400 more on average to buy in countries around the world compared to the original iPhone.
Since its US launch in 2007 and subsequent years in other countries, iPhone prices have increased by 81% across the globe. This means that in 2021, the latest flagship iPhone model costs $437 more to buy in each of the 38 countries it's available in than it used to.
While the price increase comes alongside more advanced technology and increases in production costs, the increase also comes as a result of inflation and Apple having to sometimes increase prices to counter economic growth.
However, many countries have experienced inflation and growth in purchasing power in the years between, and our research shows that Apple have risen iPhone prices 26% higher than local inflation rates. This means that local affordability for a flagship iPhone costs people around the world $154 more in real terms than the first models they could purchase.
As part of its research, Self has created an interactive map that highlights the changes in iPhone prices in real-world terms as a percentage of GDP over the last 14 years in more than 30 countries around the world. According to that map, the United Arab Emirates has witnessed the largest increase in the price of the iPhone, with the latest model costing more than double what it did when it originally launched.
The Apple Watch Series 7 officially hits the shelves and starts arriving with customers worldwide tomorrow. While we have seen media reviews of the new watch, we've yet to see a clear real-world comparison to last year's Apple Watch Series 6 until now.
Apple says the new Apple Watch Series 7 features a 20% larger screen than the Series 6, primarily thanks to reduced bezels that allow the screen to slightly curve at the edges. Apple has a side-by-side comparison of the Series 7 to the Series 6 on its website, but for an apparent, real-world look, an image has now been shared on Twitter.
The image clearly shows the Apple Watch Series 7 featuring a noticeably larger display than the Series 6, despite the case size only increasingly slightly. To take advantage of the larger display, Apple has updated watchOS's user interface to include larger buttons, as well as a full on-screen QWERTY keyboard.
Alongside its larger display, the Apple Watch Series 7 also features faster charging and improved durability. Learn everything you need to know about the Series 7 using our guide.
Back in October of 2020, Apple introduced a service program to address AirPods Pro issues that could cause them to experience static, crackling sounds, or problems with Active Noise Cancellation. At the time, Apple said the program would cover the AirPods Pro for two years after the retail sale of the unit.
Apple has now extended the program, quietly updating the accompanying support document back at the beginning of October. As noted on Reddit, the "Additional Information" section of the page now notes that the program will cover affected AirPods Pro for three years after the first retail sale of the unit, up from the initial two years.
Customers who purchased AirPods at launch in 2019 will now be covered until October 2022 should this issue pop up, and those who bought in 2020 before the repaired version in October 2020 came out can get repairs until 2023.
Faulty AirPods Pro that are in need of repair exhibit the following problems:
Crackling or static sounds that increase in loud environments, with exercise or while talking on the phone
Active Noise Cancellation not working as expected, such as a loss of bass sound, or an increase in background sounds, such as street or airplane noise
Affected AirPods were manufactured before October 2020, and those who have AirPods Pro experiencing issues can bring them to Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider for service free of charge. Apple says that the AirPods Pro will be examined prior to service to verify that they're eligible for the program. AirPods Pro earbuds demonstrating the issue (left, right, or both) will be replaced.
The program applies only to the AirPods Pro and not the AirPods or the AirPods Max.
Astropad today announced the launch of new software for the Luna Display, with the 5.0 update introducing support for Windows PCs.
The Luna Display is a little dongle that's designed to allow an iPad or a Mac to be used as a secondary display for a main Mac machine. It's similar to Sidecar, but works with both Macs and iPads.
Luna Display users who own a USB-C version of the dongle can upgrade to the new software to use the device interchangeably between Macs and PCs. That means Mac users who have a Luna Display can also now use it with PCs, connecting a secondary iPad to a PC to serve as an extra display.
The Luna Display apps have been rearchitected to support both PCs and Macs, and the update also introduces a faster setup flow for M1 Macs. The Luna Display can be purchased from the Astropad website.
We've teamed up with Speck to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win one of Apple's new iPhone 13 models and a set of cases to go along with it. For those unfamiliar with Speck, the company makes a wide range of high-quality cases and accessories for Apple devices.
Speck has several MagSafe-compatible cases designed for Apple's iPhone 13 models, including the Presidio Perfect-Clear, the Presidio2 Grip, and Presidio2 Pro, all of which are slim, protective, and attractive.
Priced at $49.95, the Presidio Perfect-Clear is the perfect case to get if you want protection while also letting the design of the iPhone 13 to shine through. We often cover our iPhones in cases that obscure the natural color of the device, but with a clear case, you can see the iPhone as Apple designed it without sacrificing protection.
The Presidio Perfect-Clear does have a circle-shaped opaque spot that houses the magnets that allow it to work with MagSafe technology. It's got a dual-layer design with clear coating for clarity, and it's made with Microban to cut down on germs. There's a raised screen bezel to protect it from drops and scratches when face down, along with a raised ring for the camera.
For those who want slim protection and prefer a more standard case, Speck has the $54.95 Presidio2 Pro, which is also compatible with MagSafe. Available in blue/black, black/white, and rosy pink/white, the Presidio2 Pro offers 13-foot drop protection while avoiding the unnecessary bulk of some other case options.
It features a pleasant soft-touch coating and the same Microban antimicrobial protection provided with other Speck cases. The design uses Armor Cloud Technology, which works on the same principle as an airbag to cushion the iPhone in the event of a fall. It has reinforced corners for durability, covered buttons, accessible ports, and a raised bezel to protect the screen should the iPhone fall face down in an accident.
Speck also has the Presidio2 Grip case, which has been designed to be 20 percent slimmer than prior Presidio Grip case options. Priced at $54.95, the Grip Case has inverted no-slip grip grooves along both sides to make it easier to hold onto when using the iPhone 13.
The Presidio2 Grip works with MagSafe chargers and has all of the features that come with Speck cases like Armor Cloud technology, Microban for bacterial resistance, raised bezels around the display and camera for protection purposes, responsive buttons, port access, and the ability to survive drops as high as 13 feet. The Presidio2 Grip comes in graphite/black, black/white, and blue/black.
All of Speck's cases come with a 30-day money back guarantee and a lifetime warranty against damage, and for those who don't have an iPhone 13, there are also options for many of Apple's older iPhones. Speck also makes cases for AirPods, AirTags, iPads, MacBooks, and more.
We have a 128GB iPhone 13 and a set of the three above-mentioned cases to give away to one lucky MacRumors reader. 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 and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (October 13) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on October 20. The winner will be chosen randomly on October 20 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.
Universal Control, one of the main new features that Apple highlighted for macOS Monterey back in June, has yet to be implemented even in the tenth beta and it is still unclear if it will be available when the software launches.
Though not yet implemented, Universal Control settings can be force enabled with a feature flag, and it is clear that Apple is working on it behind the scenes. In the latest beta update released this morning, Universal Control settings that have been manually enabled have a "Beta" label.
The "Beta" labeling suggests that Apple could be planning to make the feature available to users when macOS Monterey launches, even if all the bugs have not been worked out. Apple did something similar for the iCloud+ Private Relay feature, which is also available in a beta capacity at the current time.
Universal Control, which is an iPadOS 15 and Monterey feature, is designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be operated the same time using the same input devices, so Mac and iPad owners can use a single mouse and keyboard across more than one Mac, more than one iPad, or a mix of Macs and iPads.
Apple is continuing to refine the unpopular Safari design that it introduced in macOS Monterey, and the latest beta tweaks the position of the Favorites bar.
The design initially had Favorites located below the tab bar, a departure from the location in prior versions of macOS, including macOS Big Sur. With the tenth beta, Apple has relocated Favorites and put it back above the Tab bar where it was originally.
Apple has been changing the design of Safari throughout the beta testing process, but for many, the new look continues to be inferior to the previous Safari interface, especially when it comes to the tab bar design.
Apple has also released Safari 15 with the Monterey-style design to macOS Big Sur users, and the same Favorites change may be coming in an update set to be released in the near future.
macOS Monterey is likely nearing a release as we are expecting it to come out right around when new MacBook Pro models launch. Apple is holding an event on Monday, October 18 to introduce the new machines, so we may not have too long to wait until the update launches.
Update: As noted by Daring Fireball's John Gruber, iOS 15.1 beta 4 also includes the same Safari design tweak with the Favorites bar located above the tabs.
Jason Segel is set to star in upcoming Apple TV+ series "Shrinking," Apple announced today. Segel is writing and executive producing the show alongside "Ted Lasso" co-creator Bill Lawrence and "Ted Lasso" star and writer Brett Goldstein, who plays Roy Kent on the series.
The 10-episode comedy series will feature Segel playing a therapist who begins to break the rules and tells his clients what he really thinks of them. "Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people's lives ... including his own," reads the show's description.
Segel is starring in upcoming Apple TV+ movie "The Sky is Everywhere," based on the best-selling young adult novel of the same name, so this is his second Apple TV+ project. He's also somewhat famous at MacRumors as he is a fan and mentioned the site in the DVD commentary for "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." "I love MacRumors.com," he said. "It's tomorrow's Mac news today."
"Shrinking" is a promising upcoming TV+ series as it is coming from some of the team behind "Ted Lasso." "Ted Lasso" has thus far won multiple awards, and it is one of the headline shows on Apple TV+. There is no word yet on when "Shrinking" will debut.
Apple today seeded the fourth betas of upcoming iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1 betas to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the third betas and three weeks after releasing iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 to the public.
iOS and iPadOS 15.1 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.
SharePlay makes a return in iOS 15.1, with Apple once again testing the feature that was removed before the launch of iOS 15. SharePlay is designed to let users call their friends and family and interact by watching movies, watching TV, or listening to music together.
Apple has added features like shared playlists and TV show syncing so everyone sees the same thing at the same time. SharePlay also has a built-in screen sharing feature, and Apple is still working out the bugs.
For iPhone 13 Pro users, the iOS 15.1 beta adds support for ProRes video capture, which is a higher quality professional video format that takes up quite a bit of storage space. For that reason, ProRes capture is limited to 30fps at 1080p on devices with only 128GB of storage, but higher capacity devices can record in 4K. ProRes can be toggled on in the Camera section of the Settings app.
There's also a new Auto Macro toggle for the iPhone 13 Pro models, which allows users to disable the feature that causes the camera to automatically swap to the Ultra Wide lens for a macro photo when in close proximity to an object.
Paired with the HomePod 15.1 beta (which is invite only), iOS 15.1 adds Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio support to the HomePod and the HomePod mini, bringing Apple's speakers in line with iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
iPhone users who have a health care provider or state record that uses SMART Health Cards can import their COVID-19 vaccination records into the Health app and can then add a vaccine card to the Wallet app. This is an opt-in feature that uses a global specification, but healthcare providers need to implement it.
Right now, Smart Health Cards are or will be available to those in California, Louisiana, New York, Virginia, Hawaii, and some Maryland counties, as well those who were vaccinated at Walmart, Sam's Club, and CVS Health. Healthcare providers like electronic health record vendors like Epic and Cerner also support Smart Health Cards.
The update fixes an Unlock with Apple Watch bug that prevented an authenticated Apple Watch from unlocking an iPhone when the user is wearing a mask. The feature was unable to be toggled on the iPhone 13 Pro, but after the iOS 15.1 update, it is once again functional.
Apple today seeded the tenth developer beta of macOS Monterey, the newest version of the macOS operating system. The tenth beta comes one week after Apple released the ninth macOS Monterey beta.
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.
macOS Monterey will bring Universal Control, a feature that lets a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard be used across multiple Mac or iPad devices, plus there's a new AirPlay to Mac feature. Safari has been redesigned with a new tab bar with a toggle for two different designs and support for Tab Groups, and FaceTime has gained spatial audio, a Portrait Mode on M1 Macs, and Voice Isolation for cutting out background noise. There's also a new SharePlay FaceTime feature that lets Apple users watch TV, listen to music, and share their screens with one another.
Shared With You, a separate feature, keeps track of the music, links, podcasts, news, and photos that people are sent in Messages, highlighting it in the relevant apps. Notes has a new Quick Note feature for jotting down thoughts, and collaboration is easier with mentions and an Activity View.
The Shortcuts app from iOS is now available on the Mac, and Focus helps people stay on task by cutting out background distractions. There's an updated Maps app with a whole slew of new features, and with Live Text, Macs can now detect text in photos or provide details on animals, art, landmarks, plants, and more in images.
Mail Privacy Protection hides IP and prevents tracking through invisible pixels, and iCloud Private Relay keeps Safari browsing protected. There are many other new features in macOS Monterey, with a full rundown available in our macOS Monterey roundup.
Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 8.1 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming one week after the release of the third beta and three weeks after the release of the watchOS 8 update.
To install watchOS 8.1, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, watchOS 8 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update.
To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone.
We don't yet know what's new in watchOS 8.1 and there were no new features found in the first three betas, but we'll update this article should anything new pop up in the fourth beta.
Developers can download the new tvOS 15.1 beta by downloading a profile onto the Apple TV 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. We don't yet know what's included in tvOS 15.1, but we'll update this article should anything be found.
Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.
CCP Games today announced that popular MMORPG Eve Online is now available to play on both Intel and M1 Macs thanks to the launch of a new Mac client.
For those unfamiliar with Eve Online, it's a long-running free-to-play online space-focused game that's massive in scale. It has been free for many years now and monetized through in-app purchases. Mac users will be able to play alongside Windows gamers as Eve Online features one big universe.
Prior to now Eve Online was only available to play on Macs through a compatibility layer like Wine, so gameplay will be faster, more efficient, and hassle-free. The game features improved graphics and visual effects on Mac, along with reduced RAM and power usage. There's also full support for Mac keyboards and mice.
A Mac client has been in testing for some time, and CCP says that user feedback on the test server offered vital assistance as it worked to implement Mac compatibility. Those who install the latest launcher version will be able to migrate from the prior Wine client to the Mac client automatically.
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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.
