Category: News

  • iOS 16 leak says only these devices will be supported

    iOS 16 leak says only these devices will be supported

    The rumor: Apple is planning to drop support for their oldest devices with iOS 16, according to iPhone Soft.

    Here’s what devices are said to be supported…

    • iPhone 13 Mini
    • iPhone 13
    • iPhone 13 Pro
    • iPhone 13 Pro Max
    • iPhone 12 Mini
    • iPhone 12
    • iPhone 12 Pro
    • iPhone 12 Pro Max
    • iPhone SE 2020
    • iPhone 11
    • iPhone 11 Pro
    • iPhone 11 Pro Max
    • iPhone XS
    • iPhone XS Max
    • iPhone XR
    • iPhone X
    • iPhone 8
    • iPhone 8 Plus
    • iPhone 7
    • iPhone 7 Plus
    • iPad Pro 11/12.9-inch 2021
    • iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2016+)
    • iPad Pro 10.5-inch (2016+)
    • iPad Pro 11-inch (2018+)
    • iPad Air 3
    • iPad Air 4
    • iPad 6
    • iPad 7
    • iPad 8
    • iPad Mini 5
    • iPad Mini 6

    But many older devices didn’t make the cut…

    • iPhone 6s
    • iPhone 6s Plus
    • iPhone SE 2016
    • iPad Mini 4
    • iPad Air 2
    • iPad 5
    • iPad Pro 9.7/12.9-inch 2015

    Our take: Listen, the only reason I’m covering this is because I just don’t believe that Apple will extend support for another year. That being said, iPhone Soft predicted that these same devices wouldn’t be supported on iOS 15 last year, which ultimately turned out to be incorrect. So take this with a grain of salt. But also consider that those devices are from 2015: I think six years of updates for those devices is more than fair, especially considering that Apple will still release security updates for them moving forward.

  • Report: New Apple Silicon is dropping every 18 months

    Report: New Apple Silicon is dropping every 18 months

    The rumor: Apple is planning to release new Apple Silicon every 18 months moving forward, according to the Taiwanese Commercial Times (not yet tracked).

    • “According to supply chain industry sources, Apple Silicon will be updated every 18 months in the future” the report says. “In the second half of 2022, Apple will first launch the M2 processor code-named Staten, and in the first half of 2023, it will launch the new M2X processor architecture”
    • Previous rumors from more credible sources suggested Apple’s M2 chip would be releasing in the first half of 2022

    Our take: This sounds reasonable to me, but Taiwanese Commercial Times doesn’t have a track record of any kind that I could find. If it is true, that means we’ll essentially be getting new M-series chips of some kind at least once a year, every year for some time. I’d bet on a tick-tock schedule: M_ the first year and M_ Pro/Max the following year.

  • New concept shows best look yet at rumored ‘Apple View’ headset

    New concept shows best look yet at rumored ‘Apple View’ headset

    The renders: A new concept from Renders By Ian, based off a leaked image from earlier this year, show how the upcoming Apple headset will look in 3D.

    • The new headset looks to feature an aluminum and blue color scheme with design elements borrowed from Apple Watch
    • Advanced eye-tracking, dual 4K+ resolution displays and more than 12 cameras will reportedly be present on the product when it ships as soon as the second half of 2022

    Our take: The detail in these renders is out-of-this-world and really brings this headset to life for me. We only had a reliable 2D image prior to today, but this looks like a real product that Apple will actually ship. And I have to say, I’m getting more excited to see exactly how this device will reinvent VR…and introduce AR.

  • iPhone 14 Pro may get unbelievable camera and RAM upgrades

    iPhone 14 Pro may get unbelievable camera and RAM upgrades

    The rumor: Apple is planning to radically upgrade the wide camera and RAM on the 2022 Pro iPhones, according to Jeff Pu (53.3% accurate).

    • A new 48-megapixel (MP) wide lens may headline the new camera module…but similar 12MP telephoto and ultra-wide lenses will still be present
    • More RAM is also said to be coming, jumping to 8GB from the current 6GB inside iPhone 13 Pro

    Our take: This isn’t the first we’ve ever heard about a 48MP camera, but it’s the first we’ve heard since April. I’m still skeptical because this would be a 4x jump in megapixels, but maybe? Perhaps this will enable 8K video? Regardless, this and the additional RAM sound like solid Pro upgrades (things that most folks don’t care about but buyers of $999 iPhones do).

  • Apple delays Universal Control feature until 2022

    Apple delays Universal Control feature until 2022

    The news: Apple has confirmed that the revolutionary Universal Control feature in macOS Monterey won’t be coming for a few months still.

    • As seen above, Apple has confirmed on the macOS Monterey website that Universal Control will be available in Spring 2022, not this Fall as previously announced
    • Universal Control promises a seamless experiences between iPad and Mac devices, allowing you to use a single mouse and keyboard between them all, dragging files across screens with no latency

    Our take: My mouth was legitimately agape when I saw Apple debut this feature at WWDC 2021. Clearly, the engineers at Apple also had the same reaction. I’ve already seen talk of this being another AirPower scenario, but I’m convinced this one is actually coming. Apple already has integration between devices down pat, so this doesn’t seem as unattainable as a never-before-done piece of hardware.

  • New 27-inch iMac to launch in Spring 2022 with Apple Silicon

    New 27-inch iMac to launch in Spring 2022 with Apple Silicon

    The rumor: Apple is set to replace the current 27-inch Intel iMac in the Spring, according to Ross Young (100% accurate).

    Our take: A spring event for new products is sounding more and more likely around the March-April timeframe. This new 27-inch iMac is going to be one hell of a compelling machine…

  • Apple releases iOS 15.2 update with major new features

    Apple releases iOS 15.2 update with major new features

    The news: Apple just dropped the second major update to iOS 15 with a handful of new features and bug fixes.

    The highlights

    • Apple Music Voice Plan: a $4.99/month subscription that allows you to play songs from Apple Music exclusively through Siri
    • App Privacy Report: see more details than ever before about how apps are tracking you
    • Digital Legacy: set contacts that can access your personal data when you pass away
    • Manual macro camera toggle for iPhone 13 Pro users (thank you!)

    Full changelog

    Apple Music Voice Plan

    • Apple Music Voice Plan is a new subscription tier that gives you access to all songs, playlists, and stations in Apple Music using Siri
    • Just Ask Siri suggests music based on your listening history and likes or dislikes
    • Play it Again lets you access a list of your recently played music

    Privacy

    • App Privacy Report in Settings lets you see how often apps have accessed your location, photos, camera, microphone, contacts and more during the last seven days, as well as their network activity
      Messages
    • Communication safety setting gives parents the ability to enable warnings for children when they receive or send photos that contain nudity
    • Safety warnings contain helpful resources for children when they receive photos that contain nudity

    Siri and Search

    • Expanded guidance in Siri, Spotlight and Safari Search to help children and parents stay safe online and get help with unsafe situations

    Apple ID

    • Digital Legacy allows you to designate people as Legacy Contacts so they can access your iCloud account and personal information in the event of your death

    Camera

    • Macro photo control for switching to the Ultra Wide lens to capture macro photos and videos can be enabled in Settings on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

    TV app

    • Store tab lets you browse, buy, and rent movies and TV Shows all in one place

    CarPlay

    • Enhanced city map in Apple Maps with road details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks for supported cities

    This release also includes the following enhancements for your iPhone:

    • Hide My Email is available in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers to create unique, random email addresses
    • Find My can locate iPhone for up to five hours when in Power Reserve
    • Stocks allows you to view the currency for a ticker and see year-to-date performance when viewing charts
    • Reminders and Notes now allow you to delete or rename tags

    This release also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:

    • Siri may not respond while VoiceOver is running and iPhone is locked
    • ProRAW photos may appear overexposed when viewing in third-party photo editing apps
    • HomeKit scenes that include a garage door may not run from CarPlay when your iPhone is locked
    • CarPlay may not update Now Playing information for certain apps
    • Video streaming apps may not load content on iPhone 13 models
    • Calendar events may appear on the wrong day for Microsoft Exchange users
  • Tim Cook confirms Apple’s next big thing

    Tim Cook confirms Apple’s next big thing

    The news: Apple is focused on 3 big things for the future, according to a recent interview with CEO Tim Cook.

    • “We’re very focused on augmented reality, we’re very focused on artificial intelligence, we’re very focused on autonomy” Cook says…describing these things as “core technologies” that will be used “in a variety of dfiffent ways”
    • Apple’s future focuses, as revealed by Cook, line up closely with rumors of Apple’s upcoming AR/VR mixed-reality headset, AR glasses and tumultuous self-driving car project

    Our take: I know this was a brief interview, but I can’t ever remember an instance where Cook has so candidly spoke to what Apple is really working on next. Usually Cook skirts the question or redirects the conversation to the products that are available to buy right now. But this time he said he directly: AR (see the headset and glasses), AI and autonomous tech (see the car). These were all open secrets already, but very cool to see Cook acknowledge them head-on.

  • iPhone 14 Pro again rumored to have divisive punch-hole camera

    iPhone 14 Pro again rumored to have divisive punch-hole camera

    The rumor: Apple is planning to nix the notch for their highest-end handsets in 2022, according to The Elec (81.8% accurate).

    • The new report says the 6.1 and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max will be equipped with “hole-displays” for the first time…matching what we have heard from other sources
    • That being said, the standard 6.1 and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 models are said to retain the notch for another year, matching what we got on iPhone 13

    Our take: I’m all-for a radically different looking display on iPhone 14, and I like the idea of a punch-hole design. I’m ready for something truly new on the next iPhones.

    I also understand how a lot of folks think this looks cheap or Android-like.

    At the end of the day, less notch equals more screen real estate, and I think this is the next step toward a truly all-screen design spanning from edge-to-edge. I want this.

  • iPhone SE 4 coming in 2023 with larger display and more RAM

    iPhone SE 4 coming in 2023 with larger display and more RAM

    The rumor: Apple is already working on a fourth-generation lower-cost iPhone, according to Ming-Chi Kuo (75.9% accurate).

    • In the new note obtained by AppleTrack, Kuo describes an ‘iPhone SE 4’ model set to launch in 2023, with a screen larger than the current 4.7-inch version and 4GB RAM
    • Apple is rumored to launch a minor iPhone SE 3 update in the first half of 2022 with a faster processor and 5G

    Our take: More and more, next year’s iPhone SE is sounding like a placeholder update that will buy Apple some time to release a more significant SE in 2023. While I’m still perplexed as to how Apple is going to pack 5G into this tiny 4.7-inch phone, I’m glad the device will at least be getting some attention for the next two years in a row.

  • AirPods Pro 2 releasing in late 2022 (report)

    AirPods Pro 2 releasing in late 2022 (report)

    The rumor: Apple’s highly-anticipated follow-up to the original AirPods Pro are coming a year from now, according to Ming-Chi Kuo (75.9% accurate).

    • The new note, obtained by AppleTrack, suggests “a significant upgrade to the main chip” is “likely…” but no other details are shared
    • The second-generation AirPods Pro are rumored to feature a new design that is potentially stemless and are expected to drop in the fourth quarter of 2022

    Our take: This timeline feels right to me, and the pods are definitely due for a chip upgrade of some kinds inside (considering the latest AirPods 3 have the same chips as the 2019 AirPods 2/Pro). I’m still intrigued by the idea of a stemless design, though. Will it look like the concept image above or totally abandon the AirPods Pro design we have now?