Sami Fathi

Sami was an editor and news reporter at MacRumors from February 2021 until January 2023.

Sami Fathi's Articles

homepod mini homepod

HomePod and HomePod mini to Gain Support For Apple Music Lossless Audio in Future Software Update

Friday May 21, 2021 11:20 pm PDT by
The HomePod and HomePod mini will gain support for playing back Apple Music Lossless audio in a future software update, according to a newly published Apple Support document. At launch, the ‌HomePod‌ and ‌HomePod mini‌ will not support ‌Apple Music‌ Lossless but will instead feature support for Dolby Atmos for ‌Apple Music‌. Dolby Atmos, otherwise known as Spatial Audio, creates an immersive...
2nd Generation iPad Obsolete Feature

iPad 2 Now Considered Obsolete Worldwide

Friday May 21, 2021 10:07 am PDT by
The 2nd generation iPad, introduced by Steve Jobs in March of 2011, has officially been marked as an obsolete product worldwide. Released less than a year after the launch of the original ‌‌iPad‌‌, the second-generation ‌‌iPad‌‌ marked a breakthrough for the product line and set the groundwork for years to come. Apple added the ‌iPad‌ 2 to its "vintage and obsolete" product list in May of 2019,...
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YouTube Enables 4K Video Playback at 60FPS on New Apple TV 4K

Friday May 21, 2021 8:16 am PDT by
Enabled by the new and more powerful Apple TV 4K, YouTube has enabled 4K video playback at 60 frames per second for its ‌Apple TV‌ app, rather than the previously capped 30 frames per second. YouTube rolled out 4K support for its ‌Apple TV‌ app in October; however, to much disappointment to users, playback was limited to only 30 frames per second. Thanks to the new powerful A12 Bionic...
spotify offline playback apple watch

Spotify Announces Downloads and Offline Playback on Apple Watch for Premium Subscribers

Friday May 21, 2021 6:41 am PDT by
Spotify has announced it will finally allow users to download and play back songs, albums, playlists, and podcasts on their Apple Watch. So far, Spotify users have been unable to download songs to their Apple Watch, always requiring an internet connection to play back songs. Now, requiring a premium subscription and watchOS 7 or later, Spotify will allow customers to download songs right on ...
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Prosser: Apple Watch Series 7 to Feature Flat-Edged Design, New Green Color Option

Wednesday May 19, 2021 10:49 am PDT by
The upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 will feature a flat-edged design, similar to the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, and the addition of a new green case color option, according to Apple leaker Jon Prosser. In a video, Prosser explains that Apple is looking to redesign the Apple Watch, which has featured the same design since its launch, with the Series 7 later this year. One of the most striking ...
2021 Magic Keyboard Older iPad

New 12.9-inch iPad Pro 'Works Perfect' With Previous Generation Magic Keyboard, But Fit is a 'Little Bit Snug'

Wednesday May 19, 2021 7:03 am PDT by
When Apple first introduced the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a report said that the new iPad wouldn't be compatible with the previous generation Magic Keyboard due to an increase in thickness. Apple later confirmed that the older Magic Keyboard might not close properly when paired with the new ‌iPad Pro‌. Now, however, reviews of the new M1-powered ‌iPad‌ have been published, revealing that the...
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Apple Seeks Early Motion to Reject Epic's Claim It's Being Denied iOS Access

Wednesday May 19, 2021 4:03 am PDT by
As part of the Apple vs. Epic Games legal battle, Apple has filed a motion asking for a judge ruling on one of the ten claims that ‌Epic Games‌ had made against it. Specifically, Apple is seeking a partial judgment on the claim that iOS is an "essential facility" and denies Epic's claim that it has been unlawfully barred from accessing it through the App Store. The claim, specified in court...
Android 12 vs iOS 14 Feature

Google Previews Android 12 With Deeper Customization and iOS 14-Inspired Privacy Protections

Tuesday May 18, 2021 1:15 pm PDT by
During its Google I/O developers conference today, Google previewed Android 12, the next version of Android that will ship to millions of Android devices around the world later this year. Google is mainly targeting customization as the theme for this year's new release and a new design language that it's calling "Material You." Google says this new design language brings a "humanistic...
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Next MacBook Air Will Feature Faster Apple Silicon Chip With Up to 10 Graphics Cores

Tuesday May 18, 2021 6:44 am PDT by
Apple is working on a high-end version of the MacBook Air that will feature an improved iteration of the current M1 Apple silicon chip, featuring improved graphics, but the same number of high efficiency, and high performance cores, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple updated its 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ alongside the 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini with the ‌M1‌ Apple silicon chip in...
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Bloomberg: Apple Silicon Mac Pro May Feature Up to 32 High Performance Cores, 128 Core Option for Graphics

Tuesday May 18, 2021 5:57 am PDT by
Apple is working on an updated model of its Mac Pro that may feature an Apple silicon chip with as many as 32 high performance cores, and a 128 core option for graphics, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Bloomberg has reported in the past that Apple is working on an updated ‌Mac Pro‌ that will feature an Apple silicon chip rather than an Intel processor. Today's new...
iMac and iPad May 21 Feature Triad

New iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4K Available at Apple Stores Starting May 21

Tuesday May 18, 2021 5:06 am PDT by
Apple today confirmed that the new 24-inch iMac, iPad Pro, and updated Apple TV 4K will be available for customers in Apple Stores and retail locations around the world on Friday, May 21. Pre-orders for the products began earlier last month, and Apple previously said the new products will be available in the second half of May. The new ‌iPad Pro‌ features the M1 Apple silicon chip, first...
shazam app clip ios 14

iOS 14.6 RC Introduces New Shazam App Clip

Tuesday May 18, 2021 1:50 am PDT by
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. 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...
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Redesigned MacBook Pro Models Still on Track for 2021 Launch, But Supplies Likely to Be Constrained into Next Year

Tuesday May 18, 2021 1:12 am PDT by
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. Yesterday, ‌DigiTimes‌ posted a preview of a story reporting that the la...
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Google Planning to Take 'Baby Step' Approach to New Privacy Features for Users

Monday May 17, 2021 8:16 am PDT by
Google is facing internal concerns that implementing an Android equivalent of Apple's ATT or App Tracking Transparency framework, which offers iOS and iPadOS users the ability to opt-out of tracking across apps and websites, will hurt its more than $130 billion annual spending budget for ads, according to a new report from The Information. According to the report that cites sources within...
AirPods Lineup Feature Triad

Apple Music Dolby Atmos Compatible With All AirPods Models and Other Headphones

Monday May 17, 2021 6:54 am PDT by
Apple today announced that starting in June, Apple Music subscribers will have access to higher quality Lossless audio streaming, as well as Dolby Atmos, which replicates an immersive audio experience. Despite Spatial Audio for movies and TV shows being only available on the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, Dolby Atmos for ‌Apple Music‌, which Apple describes as creating an "immersive audio format ...
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Amazon Music Matching Apple by Offering Hi-Fi Tier at No Extra Cost

Monday May 17, 2021 6:26 am PDT by
Moments before Apple announced that it will begin offering Spatial Audio and Lossless audio streaming for Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost, Amazon Music announced that it will also offer its subscribers HiFi quality streaming for free, Billboard reports. From the report: Amazon's high-fidelity streaming service, Amazon Music HD, is now available to Amazon Music Unlimited...
fake airpods cpb

Shipment of Fake AirPods Worth More Than $7 Million Seized By U.S. Authorities

Monday May 17, 2021 4:56 am PDT by
A shipment of more than 36,000 fake AirPods from China to Cincinnati has been seized by Customs and Border Protection after the fake earbuds were found to violate Apple's copyright infringement rules, according to a press release from the agency. The shipment of earbuds were declared seized on May 11 and May 13 after they were found to include not only Apple's logo but also the shape and...
timcookantitrust

Tim Cook 'Practicing for Hours' Ahead of Epic Games Testimony Expected This Week

Monday May 17, 2021 4:17 am PDT by
So far, Apple CEO Tim Cook has taken a backseat in defending Apple as it faces a significant legal battle with Epic Games regarding the App Store. While the CEO has commented on the platform in the past, for the first time this week, ‌Tim Cook‌ will take center stage in his company's battle with ‌Epic Games‌. Apple in March submitted its list of executives that will testify during the trial...
lossless audio badge apple music

Apple Music 'Lossless' Logo Surfaces Amid HiFi Tier Rumors

Monday May 17, 2021 1:42 am PDT by
Amid several rumors about the launch of a new HiFi Apple Music tier, a brand new graphic found within ‌Apple Music‌ on the web has solidified speculation that Apple is planning to announce a new Lossless audio streaming feature for ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers. Discovered by designer Stijn de Vries, a new Lossless logo has been found within ‌Apple Music‌ on the web. There is also a second logo that...
apple music logo

Apple Music Teaser References 'Hi-Res Lossless' and 'Dolby Atmos'

Sunday May 16, 2021 4:04 pm PDT by
Earlier today, Apple Music began teasing a special announcement with the tagline "Get Ready – Music is About to Change Forever." This teaser comes amid a rumor that Apple is preparing to announce the third-generation AirPods alongside a HiFi, or lossless audio streaming tier for ‌Apple Music‌ on Tuesday, May 18. Now, references to "Apple Lossless," "Free Lossless," "Hi-Res Lossless," and...