Sami Fathi

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

Sami Fathi's Articles

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Tim Cook Calls for a 'Durable and Hopeful Future For All' in Wall Street Journal Op-Ed

Friday March 19, 2021 3:12 am PDT by
Apple CEO Tim Cook has penned an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, calling for more action to be taken against systemic racism and the need to speak up in light of the disproportionate impact that the pandemic has had on communities. Cook's piece highlights how the pandemic has impacted various communities differently and draws on his personal experience of growing up during the civil...
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Apple's Latest Employment Figures Reveal Increasing Diversity

Thursday March 18, 2021 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple today provided updated figures on the diversity of its workforce over the last two years, indicating that its promise to be more inclusive has resulted in a steady increase in representation amongst its employees. The last time Apple provided figures on its workforce was in 2018, so this is the first time since than that the company has provided a breakdown of the different races,...
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Facebook for iOS and Android Gains Hardware Security Key Support

Thursday March 18, 2021 7:44 am PDT by
Facebook has announced that starting today, users on iOS and Android will have the ability to log into their account with a hardware security key, bringing a more than three-year-old feature for the desktop to mobile devices. Since 2017, Facebook has allowed users to use a hardware security key to access their accounts on desktops. Mobile users, however, have remained limited to protecting ...
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WhatsApp Ends Support for iOS 9, Now Requires iPhone 5 or Later to Work

Thursday March 18, 2021 2:55 am PDT by
As indicated in a newly published support document, WhatsApp has ended support for iOS 9 and earlier versions of Apple's mobile operating system, requiring all users to be running at least iOS 10, released in 2016. Up until now, iOS 9 users – who will have been mainly iPhone 4s owners – were able to use the encrypted chat service. Going forward, however, iOS 10 is required, meaning users ...
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Kuo: iPad Air to Adopt OLED in 2022, Mini-LED to Remain Exclusive to iPad Pro Models

Thursday March 18, 2021 1:59 am PDT by
Apple will transition the iPad Air to OLED displays in the second half of next year, while mini-LED display technology will remain exclusive to upcoming higher-end iPad Pro models, according to a new report from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple is expected to be just weeks away from launching a mini-LED ‌iPad Pro‌, the first Apple device to feature the newer technology. In Kuo's latest...
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Kuo: Mini-LED 12.9-inch iPad Pro to Enter Mass Production in 'Mid-to-Late April'

Thursday March 18, 2021 1:38 am PDT by
Apple's new 12.9-inch mini-LED iPad Pro will enter mass production in the second half of April, according to a new note by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The prediction adds further credence to a Bloomberg report just yesterday that said next month would be the earliest time we should expect the new models to appear. In an investors note obtained by MacRumors, Kuo says that mass production for...
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Former 'I'm a Mac' Actor Justin Long Throws Shade at M1 Apple Silicon in New Intel Ad Campaign

Wednesday March 17, 2021 5:10 am PDT by
Intel has called on the services of former "I'm a Mac" actor Justin Long in a series of new ads in which Apple's latest custom-made M1 processors are cast as inferior to newer laptops powered by Intel processors. Well known for his role in Apple's popular "Get a Mac" TV ad campaign from the 2000s, Long stars in a series of ads called "Justin Gets Real" on Intel's YouTube channel, beginning...
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Samsung Says It May Skip Galaxy Note Release This Year Due To Global Chip Shortage

Wednesday March 17, 2021 4:06 am PDT by
Samsung is ringing the alarm bells, signaling that it may skip releasing a new Galaxy Note device this year due to the fallout from a global semiconductor shortage. As Bloomberg reports, Samsung's co-CEO Koh Dong-jin said during an annual shareholder meeting that there's a "serious imbalance in supply and demand of chips in the IT sector globally." Specifically, D J Koh said the Galaxy Note...
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DigiTimes: 12.9-Inch iPad Pro With Mini-LED Display No Longer Expected to Ship Until At Least April

Wednesday March 17, 2021 2:44 am PDT by
Apple will not launch a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a mini-LED display until at least the second quarter of the year, which begins on April 1, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes. From today's report: Epistar has become the exclusive supplier of miniLED chips to be used in 12.9-inch miniLED-backlit ‌iPad Pro‌, with nearly 50% of the corresponding production capacity booked up for...
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Apple Touts Progress of $4.7 Billion Clean Energy Investment

Wednesday March 17, 2021 2:09 am PDT by
In a press release today, Apple touted the significant progress it has made as part of its $4.7 billion Green Bond. Thanks to the bond, Apple has generated more than 1.2 gigawatts of clean power, removing an average of 921,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually. In 2016, Apple issued its first bond of $1.5 billion towards the project, followed by $1 billion in 2017. In 2019, Apple...
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Instagram Announces New Tools to 'Protect Young People' on the Platform

Tuesday March 16, 2021 7:06 am PDT by
Instagram today announced several new tools and changes coming to the platform with the aim of "protecting young people." Amongst the changes will be the inability for adults to DM teenagers (users under 18 years old) who don't follow them. Instagram says it has partnered with The Child Mind Institute and the non-profit group ConnectSafely to publish a new Parents Guide in the U.S. The new...
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Apple Agrees to Offer Government-Approved Pre-Installed Apps for Devices in Russia

Tuesday March 16, 2021 5:35 am PDT by
Apple has reportedly agreed to show users a prompt when first setting up a device in Russia to pre-install government-approved apps, in compliance with a new law from the Ministry of Digital Affairs, according to a report from Vedomosti. According to the report, citing a source within the Ministry, Apple struck a deal with the government that will show users a prompt when first configuring ...
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Tim Cook Attending Chinese Development Conference Later This Month

Monday March 15, 2021 7:38 am PDT by
Apple CEO Tim Cook will be one of the 100-plus high-profile CEOs and executives in attendance at this year's China Development Forum (CDF) being held Saturday, March 20 through Monday, March 22, Global Times reports. The CDF is an annual conference organized and led by the Development Research Center of the State Council, to gather the world's most prominent executives and CEOs to discuss...
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iOS 14.5: Apple Maps Could Feature Real-Time Crowd Data for Points of Interest

Monday March 15, 2021 5:02 am PDT by
With iOS and iPadOS 14.5 scheduled for an early spring release, Apple has begun testing a new feature that could provide Apple Maps users with real-time crowd data for points of interest, similar to Google Maps. In the iOS and iPadOS 14.5 beta, an updated section in the "Location Services" menu of Apple's Privacy settings states that Apple will collect data from users, such as when a...
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Apple Promotes iPhone 12 'Ceramic Shield' Display In New 'Cook' Ad

Saturday March 13, 2021 9:04 am PST by
In a new ad on its YouTube channel, Apple is promoting the durability and water resistance of the iPhone 12 and the performance of the "Ceramic Shield" display. The ad, named "Cook," showcases a chef putting an ‌iPhone‌ 12‌ through its paces by splashing it with liquids and flour, plus dropping it on its screen multiple times. The ad aims to highlight the "Ceramic Shield" display on the...
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Adobe Says Photoshop on M1 Runs 50% Faster Than 2019 Intel-Based MacBook

Friday March 12, 2021 10:48 am PST by
This week, Adobe updated Photoshop with official support for Apple silicon, offering customers native support on Apple's latest M1-powered Mac computers. In an interview with Computerworld, Photoshop Product Manager Mark Dahm promoted official Apple silicon support, saying that Photoshop runs 50% faster on an M1 MacBook compared to last year's Intel-based MacBook. Speaking to the team's...
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Original Film 'Cherry' Out Now on Apple TV+, Starring Tom Holland

Friday March 12, 2021 12:40 am PST by
"Cherry," an original film starring Tom Holland about a troubled Iraq war veteran, is now available exclusively on Apple TV+. "Cherry" follows Walker (Tom Holland), an unhinged army medic who becomes traumatized during his time serving in Iraq, leading to PTSD. Walker's treatment for PTSD eventually leads to heroin addiction, causing bank robberies and broken relationships along the way. 'C...
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Notability's New Mac Catalyst App Adds Shape Detection, Apple Pencil Support for Sidecar, and More

Thursday March 11, 2021 5:58 am PST by
The developers behind the popular note-taking app Notability today announced a brand-new version of Notability for macOS, based on Apple's Mac Catalyst technology. The latest version will bring popular features from Notability on the iPad to the Mac. Now, Notability on macOS supports shape detection, paper backgrounds, Apple Pencil for ‌iPad‌ when using Sidecar, and more. Marc Provost, the...
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Space Gray HomePod Currently Unavailable From Apple in the United States

Thursday March 11, 2021 4:48 am PST by
The full-size Space Gray HomePod is currently unavailable from Apple in the United States for purchase and delivery, as first spotted by French site Consomac. The White model of the ‌HomePod‌ remains available for purchase and delivery, indicating this is likely simply a shortage of the Space Gray model, rather than an indication of an imminent product refresh. Furthermore, the Space Gray...
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Australia Eyes Consumer Impact of Google's Default Search Engine Deal With Apple

Thursday March 11, 2021 4:04 am PST by
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission watchdog is eyeing a potential probe into pre-installed software and pre-defined "default" choices on mobile devices, including Google being set as the default search engine on Apple devices. In a press release (via ZDNet), the agency is asking for consumer and industry feedback on the state of default settings, pre-installed web browsers,...