Joe Rossignol

Starting early next week, Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers will gain access to a new AirPods Firmware Updater diagnostic tool for updating AirPods Pro to the latest firmware, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors. The tool will allow technicians with access to Apple Service Toolkit 2 to download the latest firmware on a customer's AirPods Pro during repair...

Apple Music is now available to stream on Google Assistant-enabled devices like the Nest Mini and Nest Audio in five more countries, including Australia, Canada, India, Mexico, and South Korea, according to a recently updated Apple support document. Apple Music first became available on Nest speakers and displays in the United States, UK, France, Germany, and Japan late last year. Just...

iOS 15.2 is expected to be released to all users as early as next week, and one of the software update's key new features is the Apple Music Voice Plan, which is designed to let users access Apple Music exclusively through Siri. Ahead of iOS 15.2 being released, we're able to provide a first look at the Voice Plan, courtesy of MacRumors contributor Steve Moser. Users will be able to...

Multiple component suppliers in Apple's supply chain are gearing up for shipments of a third-generation iPhone SE, slated for launch in the first half of 2022, according to industry sources cited by Taiwanese publication DigiTimes. The full report has yet to be released, but a paywalled preview reads as follows:VCM suppliers see no cutback in orders for new iPhones: VCM (voice coil motor)...

Apple on Tuesday seeded the macOS Monterey 12.1 Release Candidate to developers for testing, and according to the release notes, the update resolves an issue with the notch obscuring "menu bar extras" on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. "Menu bar extras" are the tiny icons that appear on the right side of the menu bar, providing users with convenient access to app-specific controls....

Apple is now providing customers who have faced a costly out-of-pocket repair for an iPhone or Mac with a second chance to purchase AppleCare+ coverage for the device, although there are some strings attached to the policy. In an internal memo this week, obtained by MacRumors, Apple said customers who had an iPhone or Mac repaired at an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider are...

In celebration of Computer Science Education Week, Apple today announced it has launched a new program that will allow tens of thousands of students at Boys & Girls Clubs in more than a dozen U.S. cities to learn how to code. Using iPads donated by Apple, students at select Boys & Girls Clubs will be able to access Apple's free Everyone Can Code curriculum alongside educators, allowing them...

Apple has notified at least nine U.S. Department of State employees that they may have been targeted by state-sponsored spyware created by Israeli company NSO Group, according to a Reuters report citing four people familiar with the matter. A spokesperson for NSO Group told Reuters that it will investigate and take legal action against customers using its tools illegally if necessary."If our ...

Amazon today announced that its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service is now offering a "preview" of M1 Mac mini instances in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) regions of U.S. East and U.S. West, with other regions to be available when the instances are fully released. An "instance" is a virtual server available for rent through Amazon's EC2 service for running apps on AWS infrastructure....

Apple's chipmaking partner TSMC has kicked off pilot production of chips built on its 3nm process, known as N3, according to Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes. The report, citing unnamed industry sources, claims that TSMC will move the process to volume production by the fourth quarter of 2022 and start shipping 3nm chips to customers like Apple and Intel in the first quarter of...

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of macOS Monterey 12.1 to developers for testing, and while the much-anticipated Universal Control feature is still not enabled, the latest beta does appear to resolve an issue with the "Tap to Click" trackpad gesture. Since the release of macOS Monterey earlier this year, some users have reported that the "Tap to Click" trackpad gesture would...

Apple released macOS Monterey in late October, but we are still waiting on several promised features such as SharePlay and Universal Control to be made available through subsequent software updates like macOS 12.1, which is currently in beta testing. The first macOS 12.1 beta enabled SharePlay on the Mac, allowing developers to prepare their apps to support the feature. SharePlay, which is...

In an internal memo obtained by MacRumors, Apple said it will be adding the iPhone 6 Plus to its vintage products list on December 31, meaning that more than five years have passed since Apple stopped distributing the device for sale. Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers continue to offer repairs for vintage products for up to seven years, subject to parts availability....

Apple today announced new limited-edition Beats Studio Buds in collaboration with clothing store Union, in celebration of the retailer's 30th anniversary. The limited-edition Beats Studio Buds feature a red, black, and green design, which draws inspiration from the Pan-African flag and pays tribute to Union's roots as a Black-owned business, according to Apple. The charging case also...

Apple plans to release a third-generation iPhone SE in the first quarter of 2022, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce. If this timeframe proves to be accurate, we can expect the device to be released by the end of March. As previously rumored, TrendForce said the new iPhone SE will remain a mid-range smartphone with added support for 5G:In terms of product development, Apple is...

In what has become an annual tradition, select Apple Store locations are now displaying a red Apple logo in support of World AIDS Day on December 1, such as Apple Nanjing East in Shanghai and Apple Ginza in Tokyo, with other locations likely to follow. Photo shared by Shanghai Daily via Storeller Apple has also announced that, now through December 6, it will donate $1 for every purchase made...

Synaptics today released a new beta version of DisplayLink Manager for macOS with long-awaited support for external display rotation on M1 Macs. A company representative said a final release is planned by late December provided that beta testing is successful. DisplayLink adapters have proven popular with M1 models of the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, as they allow for multiple...

Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is now underway in the United States and select other countries, with customers able to receive a free Apple gift card with the purchase of select products through November 29. Participating countries include the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany,...

Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event has begun in Australia and New Zealand, with customers able to receive a free Apple gift card with the purchase of select products through November 29. The promotion is available on Apple's online store, in the Apple Store app, and at Apple Store locations in Australia. As usual, refurbished products are not eligible...

Shazam, the popular music recognition service that Apple acquired in 2018, updated its iPhone and iPad app today with the ability to find more songs by analyzing the audio that is playing for a longer period before offering a result. Shazam users can take advantage of the improved functionality by updating to version 15.0 of the app, which is available now on the App Store. Shazam is also...