Apple will be required to include a power adapter with every iPhone sold in São Paulo, Brazil, the state's consumer protection agency has declared.
The public agency Procon-SP contacted Apple in October and asked the company to explain why it was no longer providing charging accessories with its new iPhones.
Apple responded by touting the environmental benefits of no longer including a power adapter with iPhones, noting that many users already have spare chargers, plus the move reduces carbon emissions and avoids the mining and use of rare-earth elements.
However, in a press release on Wednesday, the Procon-SP said that a power adapter was an "essential part" for the use of the product, and selling the iPhone without it is against the Brazilian Consumer Defense Code.
Moreover, the agency said that Apple had not sufficiently demonstrated evidence of the environmental benefits of removing the charger from the box, and failed to make it clear in marketing materials that one is no longer included. Apple's conduct will now be reviewed by the agency's supervisory board and this may result in a fine.
Although the decision is exclusive to the state of São Paulo, Brazil's federal government is also said to be looking at forcing Apple to sell the iPhones with the power adapter included in the box nationwide.
Apple faced a similar situation in France this year, where it is required to include EarPods in the box of every iPhone due to legal obligations.
The inclusion of earphones there is due to national legislation that requires all smartphones to include a "handsfree kit" to protect children under 14 from the potential risk of electromagnetic radio waves.
As was rumored before Apple officially unveiled the iPhone 12, all four models ship without EarPods or a power adapter in the box in other countries around the world. In addition, the iPhone 11, iPhone XR, and iPhone SE no longer include these accessories either.
Ecobee has updated its SmartCamera to support Apple's HomeKit Secure Video, which allows the cameras to capture and store recordings securely in iCloud.
The firmware update means SmartCamera owners have another option aside from Ecobee's $5-a-month subscription for video recording and movement notifications.
With HomeKit Secure Video, video footage is encrypted and stored in iCloud rather than on servers handled by Ecobee. Footage can be viewed in the Home app, and all motion and people detection is done on-device for privacy purposes.
Using HomeKit Secure Video requires an upgraded iCloud storage plan. Apple's 200GB plan supports one HomeKit Secure Video camera, while the 1TB plan supports up to five cameras.
Users with the 200GB plan can store 10 days of recordings from one camera in iCloud at no extra cost, while those with a 2TB plan can store 10 days of recordings from up to five cameras. HomeKit Secure Video recordings do not count towards a user's iCloud storage usage.
HomeKit Secure Video requires an iPad, HomePod, or Apple TV in the house to serve as a home hub for connecting the cameras to the Internet.
As The Verge points out, if you're thinking of switching from Ecobee's $5-a-month video recording subscription to HomeKit Secure Video, it's worth noting that, like other HomeKit-compatible cameras, Apple's Home app doesn't support the camera's ability to pan and tilt.
As spotted by iMore, the redesigned site is made up of four broad sections that showcase many of the accessibility features across Apple's product range, with new categories covering vision, mobility, hearing, and cognitive features.
The vision section covers several iOS features such as the Magnifier, Zoom, Larger Text, Voiceover + Braille, and Spoken Content, while the hearing covers using Sound Recognition, Headphone Accommodations, Sensory Alerts, Live Listen, and many more useful tools.
Meanwhile, over on the Apple Support YouTube channel, Apple has added new how-to videos to its Accessibility playlist on using the Magnifier, the BackTap feature, and specific Voice Control usage scenarios, including how to take a selfie.
Apple's Accessibility Engineering Lead for iOS Chris Fleizach and Senior Director of Global Accessibility, Policy, and Initiatives Sarah Herrlinger also did an interview with TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino to discuss the newest accessibility technology from Apple.
Germany's largest TV provider Vodafone has announced that its GigaTV service is now available bundled with an Apple TV 4K, which is on loan to customers for the duration of their contractual period (via Macerkopf.de).
Both new and existing Vodafone Deutschland customers will receive the Apple TV 4K, and Apple's single sign-on process for GigaTV extends to iPhone and iPad, allowing users to get access to GigaTV content from their other Apple devices.
In addition to the GigaTV app, Vodafone customers will also have access to all the usual Apple TV apps and functions. Vodafone customers will also benefit from free access to Apple TV+ for one year.
GigaTV offers customers up to 120 TV channels in SD and HD quality as well as on-demand access to up to 69 content categories via Apple TV. The bundle costs 9.99 euros per month for the first six months of the 24-month contract period and then 19.99 euros a month.
A one-time fee of €49.99 is charged for installation, and a two-month trial of Vodafone Premium is included in the offer. The premium pay TV package can be reserved for €9.99 per month and includes 21 additional HD channels. More details available on the GigaTV website.
Google has updated its 2FA Authenticator app for iOS with a new account transfer feature that makes it much easier to transfer two-factor authentication codes to a new iPhone.
2FA adds an extra layer of security to your online accounts by requiring a randomly generated six-digit code after you've entered your password. Google's app generates codes for your accounts on the fly, but until now the process of transferring accounts to a new iPhone was time-consuming and involved multiple steps.
Thankfully, that's no longer the case, and you can now select which accounts to export by tapping the three dots in the top-right corner of the app and choosing Export accounts.
After you've chosen which accounts to export (you can export up to 10 accounts at a time), the Authenticator app will generate a QR code. Scan this code using the Authenticator app on your new device, and the chosen accounts will be automatically transferred.
In addition to 2FA export, the latest update to the app also adds a refreshed interface and Dark Mode support, which respects your systemwide settings.
Remember, if you buy a new iPhone to replace your existing one and you use the Google Authenticator app, you should transfer those accounts to your new phone as soon as possible, because without the 2FA codes close at hand, you could find yourself locked out of your online accounts.
Google Authenticator is a free download for iPhone available on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Since Apple launched the iPhone 12 in October, an increasing number of users of the new smartphone have been reporting persistent drops in cellular coverage.
Multiple reports of dropped 5G and LTE connectivity have appeared on Reddit, on Apple's support forums, and on the MacRumors forums, with many people suffering issues when walking or in transit and some seeing the same problem when stationary.
Several users report suddenly losing all reception bars and seeing a "no service" message on their iPhone 12, despite being in an area of network coverage and seeing no connectivity issues on other devices, and iOS version doesn't seem to be a factor.
Several users have been in touch with Apple technical support or their operator, and there's some suggestion that the issue may be related to how the iPhone 12 switches between cellular towers. Affected iPhones reportedly pass all of Apple's diagnostic tests, while toggling Airplane mode on and off seems to correct the lost signal reception for some, but not all users.
iPhone 12 users in various countries have relayed their experience with the problem, and it doesn't appear to be related to any one network carrier, with reports from users across Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Verizon is said to be aware of the issue.
Have you seen similar sudden dropped connections on your iPhone 12 for no apparent reason? Let us know in the comments below.
As 2020 comes to a close, Apple has been sharing top lists for podcasts, the App Store, and now, Apple Music. Apple today announced the top song and album of 2020, along with top 100 charts of the most popular songs during the year.
The top song of 2020 was "The Box" by Roddy Ricch, with 13.7 million plays worldwide during its debut week alone. "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd was the number two most popular song, followed by "Dance Monkey" from Tones And I and "ROCKSTAR" from DaBaby.
The top album was Roddy Ricch's "Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial," and the second most streamed album was Lil Baby's "My Turn." "Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon" from Pop Smoke took the third spot, Lil Uzi Vert's "LUV vs. World 2" was number four, and Summer Walker's album "Over It" was the number five top album of 2020.
"Dance Monkey" from Tones And I was the most Shazamed song of 2020, while "WAP" by Cardi B had the lyrics that were most often looked up. "Roses" from SAiNt JHN, "Blinding Lights" from the Weeknd, "Breaking Me" from Topic & A&S, and "Ride It" were the other most Shazamed songs of the year.
Apple also shared some interesting data on locations where songs where first Shazamed. The 20 most streamed songs of the year were initially Shazamed in 19 different cities and 11 countries, and the top 100 songs were first tagged in 70 different markets worldwide and 29 countries.
The Apple Music app has full charts that include the top 100 global songs of 2020, the top 100 most read lyrics, and the top 100 most Shazamed songs for those who are interested in delving deeper into the Apple Music trends of 2020. The latter two charts are new this year, and there are also song breakdowns by country.
Apple Music users can see their own top songs and albums of 2020 through the Apple Music Replay feature, which is available on the web.
Apple recently released the HomePod mini, a new $99 version of the original HomePod that's smaller, cuter, and, most importantly, competitively priced. At $99, the HomePod mini can better compete with affordable smart speakers from companies like Google and Amazon.
The HomePod mini has been praised for its high-quality sound at its price point, so we thought we'd compare it to Google's Nest Audio and Amazon's Echo to see how it measures up in terms of sound quality, design, and smarts. In the video and the photos below, the HomePod mini is the white speaker, the Amazon Echo is the black speaker, and the Google Nest Audio is the gray speaker that's taller in size.
First and foremost, the Nest Audio is priced at $99.99, and the Amazon Echo has an MSRP of $99.99, but it's currently on sale for $70, so all three speakers are available at about the same price points. We may not see the HomePod mini drop in price to Echo level anytime soon given that it was just released, so Amazon has an edge when it comes to pricing.
The Nest and the Echo are larger than the HomePod mini, but all three have a similar mesh fabric design. The Nest Audio has a tall, flat design, while the Echo and HomePod mini have a round shape.
The Echo has easy to use physical buttons, while the Nest Audio has capacitive touch controls that aren't exactly intuitive when you're first starting to use it. The HomePod mini has a little touch area at the top that supports touch gestures and lets you know when Siri's been activated.
There is no built-in microphone muting function on the HomePod mini, while both the Nest and Echo have mute switches so you can prevent them from listening to conversations if desired. The Echo has a 3.5mm headphone jack that can connect to other devices, something lacking on the HomePod mini and the Nest.
When it comes to power, the HomePod mini is the only one of the bunch that has a USB-C connector and a separate power adapter, which means it theoretically can be run off of a battery pack with a USB-C port.
As for sound quality, there's not as much difference as you might think and all three sound close to the same. At similar volumes, the HomePod mini has a more balanced sound with nothing blown out, but the Echo and the Nest deliver more bass (perhaps a little too much) and can reach higher volumes due to their larger sizes. Audio equipment inside each speaker is listed below.
Amazon Echo: 76mm woofer and two 20mm tweeters.
Nest Audio: 75mm woofer and one 19mm tweeter.
HomePod mini: Full range driver and dual passive radiators.
The Nest Audio and the Amazon Echo win out over the HomePod mini if you're looking for volume because they can better fill a room with sound. You can pair two HomePod minis together to ramp up the volume, but that requires another $99 investment. Even with a much smaller form factor, the HomePod mini isn't too far off from the larger speakers, and the HomePod mini's sound continues to be impressive for such a tiny device.
All of the speakers are considered smart speakers and work with Siri (HomePod mini), Google Assistant (Nest Audio), and Alexa (Amazon Echo). The speakers can be used to control smart home devices, answer questions, place calls, get news updates, check calendars, and more, so for the most part, regardless of speaker, it's going to do what most people want in a smart speaker.
The HomePod mini is limited to controlling HomeKit-enabled devices and it is not as open or compatible with as many devices as the Amazon Echo or the Google Nest. If you don't have a significant HomeKit setup, the smart home features of the HomePod mini are going to be useless.
Alexa and Google Assistant can do more than Siri and have long been considered to be better at answering queries and completing tasks than Siri. Alexa in particular is great for custom home automation workflows, but Apple's Siri is the most privacy-focused of the bunch, which is worth considering. If you just want basic smart functionality, though, any of the three speakers works well.
Amazon's Echo works with almost all music services, including Apple Music and Spotify, while the Nest Audio works with Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora, and Deezer. The HomePod mini is designed to work with Apple Music primarily, but Apple has implemented support for third-party music services. Spotify does not work natively on the HomePod mini as of yet, but that functionality may be coming, and Amazon Music and iHeartRadio are adding support.
Right now, the HomePod mini works with Pandora as a third-party music app, and other music services need to be AirPlayed to the speaker using an iOS device.
All in all, these speakers are all fairly similar when it comes to sound and performance. Choosing between them mostly comes down to ecosystem preference. If you already have Alexa-enabled devices, the Amazon Echo is a better choice. Similarly, if you use Google Assistant, it makes sense to pick up a Nest Audio. For those in the Apple ecosystem, especially those who use Apple Music and have HomeKit setups, the HomePod mini is an ideal choice.
Which smart speaker do you prefer? Let us know in the comments.
Amazon is in exclusive talks with podcast startup Wondery about a potential acquisition, reports The Wall Street Journal. Rumors earlier this month suggested that Wondery had also held talks with Apple and Sony Music Entertainment as it shopped for a buyer.
Wondery is said to be looking for $300 to $400 million, and it is known for popular true crime podcasts that include "Dirty John," "Over My Dead Body," "Dr. Death." Apple's discussions were in the early stages in November, but if Wondery is in exclusive talks with Amazon, Apple is likely out of the running.
A Wondery purchase would have provided Apple with a library of original content along with a source for ideas that could be turned into TV shows in the future. Wondery is already working on TV shows based on podcasts, including a WeWork series that will premiere on Apple TV+.
It's possible that Wondery's price tag was too high for Apple, but if Wondery is purchased by Amazon, Amazon will be another serious competitor in the podcasting space alongside Spotify. According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon is aiming to push further into podcasts.
Apple too has been aiming to better compete with Spotify when it comes to podcasts, and rumors have suggested that Apple is looking to buy original podcasts. Apple has been looking for podcasts that could be adapted into Apple TV+ content, and it also plans to create podcasts that will augmnet its TV shows.
Apple has already purchased podcasting companies. In 2017, it bought Pop Up Archive to improve search, and in early 2020, it bought podcasting service Scout FM, which turns podcast shows into radio-style stations.
Hulu in May began testing a new Watch Party feature that's designed to allow up to eight people to watch TV shows and movies together through the Hulu website, chatting with one another while the content is playing.
The feature was limited to some Hulu users, but Hulu today announced that Watch Party is now available for all on-demand Hulu subscribers.
Today, we're officially launching Hulu Watch Party for Hulu and Hulu (No Ads) subscribers on Hulu.com. Viewers can now safely connect with their friends and family from the comfort of their homes to watch thousands of titles from Hulu's on-demand streaming library.
Creating a Watch Party can be done by choosing the "Watch Party" option on a title's detail page, which provides a link that viewers can share with up to seven other Hulu subscribers. Once everyone has joined, the host can start the show.
Participants need to be logged into Hulu and watchers must have a Hulu subscription. It's also limited to those who are 18 years of age and older. All participants who use Watch Party can react in real time through the chat function in addition to controlling their own playback.
"Ted Lasso," a TV show that came to Apple TV+ in August, has proven to be popular with viewers thanks to its humor and uplifting positivity.
In the series, Jason Sudeikis plays the titular character, who is a small-time college football coach from Kansas that's hired to coach a professional soccer team in England. Sudeikis this week did an interview with Variety where he discussed the origins of the character.
Ted Lasso predates the Apple TV+ series and was a character conceptualized by Sudeikis for the 2013 NBC Sports English Premier League coverage. According to Sudeikis, Ted Lasso was inspired by Robin Williams' mentor roles in films like "Dead Poets Society," "Aladdin" and "Good Will Hunting." Obi-Wan Kenobi was also an inspiration, as was Mr. Miyagi.
"(The character) is rooted in these teachers here, and mentors, these Obi-Wan Kenobi types that see more in you than you can see in yourself, and that optimism. Having played athletics through college I would say the greatest coach influence was one I never had but a fellow named John Wooden who was a great basketball coach from UCLA and his teachings were things I really took to when it came time for me to stop playing sports and focus on the arts. [...]
Just these men leading men to be better than society needs them to be and calling upon themselves and I find the ability to do that and to be vulnerable in that experience and not just, you know, what do they say? hair dryer? like a coach that just yells all the time. That's a style, but I just never really gravitated towards that and I never responded to it really as an athlete.
We wanted someone that when they spoke, you know intelligently from a high EQ (emotional quotient) and then sort of celebrated the divine feminine like it was a little bit more empathetic and a little bit more seeing something invisible that they can unlock within that person within the relationship between the two.
On the topic of the show's success amid the ongoing pandemic, Sudeikis said that he's heard "quite a bit" from people who said Ted Lasso was just want they needed during the difficult year.
I'm flattered that anyone is watching it at all, if they're getting something medicinal from it, that's delightful, but you know, I also feel like a buzzkill to say that I would prefer that our kids be able to go to school and hang out with their friends and be able to go on date nights and people being able to hang out and pubs versus it being the perfect sort of setting for the sadness and sort of sequestered life for this show to land into.
But then I'm also quick to let people know that it was conceived in 2015 and that maybe even if we would have had the show then we wouldn't be in this predicament. Not that this specific show... but maybe just the repercussions... of you know. The appreciation of this show might have been... there's always room for hope and empathy throughout American history.
For those who have watched the series, the Variety interview, which was done over video, also features members of the cast discussing how their characters progressed over the course of the series.
"Ted Lasso" was renewed for a second season right after it premiered in August, and after it proved to be highly popular with viewers, Apple renewed it for a third season so there are many episodes of "Ted Lasso" to come in the future.
Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 14.3 and iPadOS 14.3 updates to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the second betas and a month after the launch of iOS and iPadOS 14.2.
iOS and iPadOS 14.3 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.
The iOS 14.3 update brings the ProRAW format to the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max. ProRAW is designed for those who prefer to shoot in RAW but also want to take advantage of the Apple image pipeline data like noise reduction and multi-frame exposure adjustments.
The ProRAW feature can be enabled in the Camera section of the Settings app for those who have installed the iOS 14.3 beta on a new iPhone 12 Pro or Pro Max. When enabled, there's a RAW toggle in the upper right side of the camera app that can be tapped to turn it off or on. Photos taken with ProRAW are 25MB in size.
Ecosia, a search engine that plants trees when people conduct searches, can now be set as the default search engine on iPhone and iPad.
Though not a feature, the iOS 14.3 update hints at some future product releases. There's an icon that may reveal the design of the AirPods Studio, along with details on AirTags and the Find My feature that's meant to let third-party devices integrate with the Find My app.
Code in iOS 14.3 suggests Apple is laying the groundwork to add support for third-party item trackers and Bluetooth devices in the Find My app, allowing these devices to be tracked right alongside iPhones and iPads. It's not yet clear which items will support the feature or when support will roll out, but we could be hearing additional information soon.
In iOS 14.3, it's easier than ever to launch apps with custom icons right from the Home Screen, which is great for those who prefer to customize their Home Screens.
When opening an app that has a custom icon created using Shortcuts, it is no longer routed through the Shortcuts app and is instead able to open much more quickly. There's still a banner that pops up, but it's a more streamlined experience than before.
Other new features include pregnancy data in the Health app, third-party app suggestions at setup in certain countries, support for scanning App Clips QR codes with the camera app, an option to update HomeKit products with the Home app, and more, with a full list available in our iOS 14.3 features guide.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.2 beta to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after the release of the second beta and a month after the launch of watchOS 7.1.
To install the watchOS 7.2 beta, developers need to download the proper configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 7.2 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 7.2 adds a Cardio Fitness feature for the Apple Watch, and Apple says that the cardio fitness metric are a "strong indicator of overall health." The feature measures VO2 max, or the maximum amount of oxygen that your body is able to consume during exercise. Measurements are done over time, and the Apple Watch and iPhone are able to send notifications to let you know about fluctuations in your VO2 max.
Cardio Fitness can be accessed through a new trend that's been added to the Activity app, and it can be set up in the Health app on iPhone. Cardio fitness levels are available for users age 20 and above, and are estimated by age.
Cardio Fitness information will vary based on age and sex, and will be categorized into one of four ranges: high, above average, below average, or low. Notifications will let you know if your cardio fitness is at a low level, providing motivation to move more. Apple Watch has previously been able to measure VO2Max, but the new feature includes support for lower ranges that have needed clinical testing in the past.
watchOS 7.2 will also see the release of the Apple Fitness+ service, with a splash screen after installing the beta announcing the inclusion of Apple Fitness+.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 14.3 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after the release of the second beta.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 14.3 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. There's no word yet on what's included in tvOS 14.3 update, but we'll update this article should anything new be found. Nothing new was discovered in the first beta.
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.
The latest beta of messaging app Telegram supports Apple's Announce Messages with Siri feature on AirPods, allowing users to listen and reply to new messages without an iPhone or iPad handy (via The 8-Bit).
Announce Messages with Siri reads an incoming message to a user's headphones when they are connected to an iPhone or iPad and their device is locked. When a new message arrives, Siri plays a tone, announces the sender's name, and reads the message. There is then the option to reply hands-free using Siri.
Despite the feature being available to developers via Apple's Siri API for over a year, Telegram appears to be the first app to implement Announce Messages with Siri. Users on the latest beta of Telegram via TestFlight are able to see an option to enable the feature in Settings.
The feature arrived with iOS 13.2, and it is only supported on Apple's AirPods, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, and Beats Solo Pro.
Apple Watch shipments totaled an impressive 11.8 million units in the third quarter of 2020, up nearly 75% from 6.8 million units shipped in the third quarter of 2019, according to figures shared today by research firm IDC.
11.8 million units appears to be a new quarterly record for the Apple Watch, as Statista shows that shipments of the device have never exceeded 9.2 million in any prior quarter, based on data from research firm Strategy Analytics. The third quarter of 2020 encompassed the launch of the high-end Apple Watch Series 6 and mid-range Apple Watch SE, and the Apple Watch Series 3 remains available, providing customers with several price points.
As usual, the big caveat here is that Apple does not disclose Apple Watch unit sales in its earnings reports, so any figures from research firms are estimates. That said, Apple's wearables category brought in a record $7.9 billion in revenue last quarter, and given that this segment includes products like the Apple Watch and AirPods, there is evidence to suggest that the Apple Watch has been selling quite well as of late.
IDC estimates that the Apple Watch held 21.6% market share among wrist-worn wearables shipped worldwide last quarter, trailing in second behind Xiaomi's estimated 24.5% market share, but this includes everything from high-end smartwatches to basic fitness trackers like Xiaomi's Mi Band, which is priced under $50.
As England's second national lockdown comes to an end today, after four weeks of waiting, many customers enrolled in Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program are finally able to go in-store to complete their upgrade.
England entered a second national lockdown on Thursday, November 5, meaning that Apple stores in England were forced to close, with some converting to a click-and-collect service only.
Unlike the United States, iPhone Upgrade Program customers in the United Kingdom have to attend an in-store appointment to complete their upgrade.
Apple staggered the launch of the iPhone 12 lineup, with the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini launching three weeks later than the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini became available for pre-order on November 6, one day into England's lockdown. This meant that iPhone Upgrade Program customers in England were able to upgrade to the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro if they did so before the second lockdown began, but not the iPhone 12 mini or iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Customers in the UK's other three constituent countries, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, were still able to upgrade as Apple Stores in these territories remained open due to different regional restrictions, albeit belatedly due to the way Apple's retail system operates.
Today, all Apple stores in England are re-opening, so the iPhone Upgrade Program is able to continue. However, as noted by iMore, not all retail stores are resuming normal opening hours.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple plans to release two redesigned MacBook Pros in 2021 and a new MacBook Air in 2022, all with mini-LED displays and Apple Silicon chips, according to TFI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a research note to investors, seen by MacRumors, Kuo explained that two new MacBook Pro models equipped with an all-new form factor design are expected to launch in 2021, and a new "affordable" MacBook Air is expected in 2022, all with Apple Silicon chips and mini-LED displays. This appears to be a clarification of a previous report that simply said redesigned MacBooks would launch in late 2021.
Kuo also believes that Apple will be able to offset the increased cost of using mini-LED panels in Mac devices because the cost of Apple Silicon chips is significantly lower than that of Intel processors.
Upcoming Apple devices with mini-LED displays are also projected to see much higher than expected shipments. TFI Securities has revised its shipment forecasts by 350 percent for 2021 and 450 percent in 2022. Apple is presumed to ship 10 to 12 million mini-LED devices in 2021 and 25 to 28 million mini-LED devices in 2022. Epistar is anticipated to make major gains as a result, with the company now expected to serve as Apple's sole mini-LED supplier.
The reason behind the revised estimates are lower than expected costs for mini-LED components over the next few years and faster adoption of mini-LED panels in MacBook devices.
MacBooks are projected to be the main driver of mini-LED panel shipments since they will purportedly gain mini-LED before the iPad and see faster shipment growth. Kuo has previously said that at least one new iPad model will be released with a mini-LED display in the first half of 2021.
Within the next three years, Kuo's optimistic scenario sees MacBook shipments grow significantly by 100 percent with up to 35 million units per year, thanks to the adoption of Apple Silicon and refreshed designs.
