Blog

  • New rumor says MacBook Pro ‘confirmed’ for WWDC

    New rumor says MacBook Pro ‘confirmed’ for WWDC

    The rumor: A new version of the MacBook Pro is set to be announced at WWDC, according to Jon Prosser (78.1% accurate).

    • In a response to our story about Apple potentially hinting at the launch of new MacBook models, Prosser says he “can confirm MacBook Pro is coming”
    • Mark Gurman (88.7% accurate) has also rumored a Summer launch for new MacBook Pros

    Our take: And here’s confirmation of our hunch. New MacBook Pros, at the very least, should be shown off in exactly two weeks on June 7.

  • Apple may have hinted at new MacBooks coming at WWDC

    Apple may have hinted at new MacBooks coming at WWDC

    The news: Apple published a new WWDC 2021 image ahead of their developer conference that kicks off in two weeks, and there may be a hint inside.

    • Hidden in the reflection of one character’s eye are 3 emoji characters referenced via their unicode name
      • Fork and knife, sleeping z’s and the MacBook emoji are all shown as rumors have suggested the new MacBook Pro models are coming this Summer
    • Apple is known to leave subtle hints about upcoming announcements in the marketing materials for events

    Our take: This could be a play on this meme… but this hint comes atop other credible sources saying that new MacBook Pro models are coming sooner rather than later. I’m sure a lot of developers make apps on MacBook Pro, so this could be a perfect time to unveil the new one.

  • iOS 14.6 update released, what’s new?

    iOS 14.6 update released, what’s new?

    The news: Apple just released iOS 14.6 with a handful of new features and changes after a brief time in testing.

    Changelog

    Apple Card Family

    • Apple Card can be shared with up to five people, including anyone 13 years or older in your Family Sharing group
    • Apple Card Family adds support for families to track expenses, manage spending with optional limits and controls, and build credit together

    Podcasts

    • Subscription support for channels and individual shows

    AirTag and Find My

    • Lost mode option to add an email address instead of a phone number for AirTag and Find My network accessories
    • AirTag will show the partially masked phone number of the owner when tapped with an NFC-capable device

    Accessibility

    • Voice Control users can unlock their iPhone for the first time after a restart using only their voice

    This release also fixes the following issues:

    • Unlock with Apple Watch may not work after using Lock iPhone on Apple Watch
    • Reminders may appear as blank lines
    • Call blocking extensions may not appear in Settings
    • Bluetooth devices could sometimes disconnect or send audio to a different device during an active call
    • iPhone may experience reduced performance during startup
  • New rumor suggests hardware coming at WWDC

    New rumor suggests hardware coming at WWDC

    The rumor: Apple is preparing to launch new hardware at what is traditionally a software-only event, according to Jon Prosser (78.1% accurate).

    • New hardware is said to be announced on June 7 when WWDC 2021 kicks off, but we currently don’t have the details on what exactly is coming
    • Mark Gurman (88.7% accurate) previously suggested that new MacBook Pro models could launch as soon as this Summer

    Our take: While I’m always skeptical of WWDC hardware rumors, it seems like Apple has a lot to announce this year. I hope it’s MacBooks, but perhaps it is something else even more special…

  • Apple may have given us our first look at iOS 15

    Apple may have given us our first look at iOS 15

    The news: Included in the press release for some major accessibility updates are some never-before-seen iPhone UI tweaks (via 9to5Mac).

    • Settings cells no longer go edge-to-edge and are now inset, similar to their appearance on iPadOS
    • The navigation bar and background are also merged in the screenshots for a more unified UI

    Our take: While none of this is certain, I’d say these UI changes are safe bet. I can’t wait to see more of iOS 15, and the fact that Apple announced all of this early suggests it will be a packed WWDC.

  • Apple announces new accessibility features coming in future software updates

    Apple announces new accessibility features coming in future software updates

    The news: To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Apple has announced a slew of new accessibility features said to be rolling out in future software updates later this year.

    • AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch: “Using built-in motion sensors like the gyroscope and accelerometer, along with the optical heart rate sensor and on-device machine learning, Apple Watch can detect subtle differences in muscle movement and tendon activity, which lets users navigate a cursor on the display through a series of hand gestures, like a pinch or a clench.”
    • Eye-Tracking Support for iPad allows you to use third-party eye-tracking devices to control your device
    • Explore Images with VoiceOver: “Users can now explore even more details about the people, text, table data, and other objects within images. Users can navigate a photo of a receipt like a table: by row and column, complete with table headers.”
    • Made for iPhone Hearing Aids and Audiogram Support: “In a significant update to the MFi hearing devices program, Apple is adding support for new bi-directional hearing aids…Apple is also bringing support for recognizing audiograms — charts that show the results of a hearing test — to Headphone Accommodations.”
    • New Background Sounds “help minimize distractions and help users focus, stay calm, or rest. Balanced, bright, or dark noise, as well as ocean, rain, or stream sounds continuously play in the background to mask unwanted environmental or external noise…”
    • Other features coming: Sound Actions for Switch Control (replaces physical buttons and switches with mouth sounds), per-app display and text size settings and new Memoji customizations (oxygen tubes, cochlear implants and a soft helmet)

    Our take: This is a pretty sweeping set of announcements, but I’m most impressed by AssistiveTouch on Apple Watch. That looks like a monumental step forward for individuals who are motion impaired and could be a game-changer. Plus, eye-tracking on iPad? I never thought we’d see something like that.

  • Apple Watch Series 7 first look shows new design, colors & more

    Apple Watch Series 7 first look shows new design, colors & more

    The rumor: Apple is planning a significant redesign and more for this year’s Apple Watch, according to Jon Prosser (77.8% accurate).

    • The new redesign mirrors recent updates to the iPad Pro, iPhone 12 and iMac 24″
    • A new green color, as previewed yesterday, is also in the works and will likely ship this year

    Our take: The new watch design looks phenomenal and is the perfect blend between rounded and sharp edges. One thing I’ve noticed: the new speaker grills look huge! Hopefully this means bigger and better sound on the Apple Watch, something that has always been mediocre at best on the wearable.

  • AirTag magnetic keychain accessory may be ‘on the way’

    AirTag magnetic keychain accessory may be ‘on the way’

    The rumor: Apple is working on additional accessories for AirTag, according to Jon Prosser (77.8% accurate) on the Genius Bar podcast.

    • According to Prosser, a new magnetic keychain accessory is “on the way…” but no specific launch timeframe was mentioned
    • Apple currently sells a few AirTag accessories including a polyurethane and leather loop and leather keychain attachment, on top of a number of Hermès offerings

    Our take: Apple’s first-party accessories for AirTag felt quite limited at launch, so it seems reasonable that at least something else is coming. I’d love to a magnetic accessory where AirTag just snaps inside.

  • Apple Watch Series 7 may see redesign, come in new green color

    Apple Watch Series 7 may see redesign, come in new green color

    The rumor: Apple is planning a new design and at least one new color for Apple Watch Series 7, according to Jon Prosser (77.8% accurate) on the Genius Bar podcast.

    • As previously reported by Ming-Chi Kuo (76.6% accurate), the Apple Watch Series 7 will feature a new design
    • For the first time on Apple Watch, it may also feature a new green colorway similar to the shade found on AirPods Max or iPad Air

    Our take: Sounds like Apple Watch Series 7 will be the most significant upgrade since the Series 4 back in 2018. I’ve seen the new design, and I really like it. Falls right in line with Apple’s recent product redesigns like iPad Pro, iPhone 12 and even the new M1 iMac.

  • Future AirPods update may enable Lossless audio via AirPlay

    Future AirPods update may enable Lossless audio via AirPlay

    The rumor: Streaming audio to AirPods will get a major update in the future, according to Jon Prosser (77.8% accurate) on the Genius Bar podcast.

    • While Bluetooth is too technically limited to support lossless audio streaming, a different codec or firmware update could be released in the future to support the higher bandwidth needed to stream HiFi audio on AirPods
    • Apple confirmed yesterday that no AirPods currently support lossless audio in any way, but used the word “currently”

    Our take: Before announcing AirTag, Apple announced a broader Find My Network with support for 3rd party accessories: Prosser suggests that in light of recent anti-trust investigations, Apple is doing the same thing here. Announce support for lossless audio that works with 3rd-party devices weeks ahead of announcing a new proprietary Apple format for streaming HiFi music. To me, this makes a lot of sense as there’s no way Apple would intentionally misfire this intentionally.

  • Redesigned MacBook Air: ‘M2’ chip, coming as soon as the end of the year

    Redesigned MacBook Air: ‘M2’ chip, coming as soon as the end of the year

    The rumor: A new MacBook Air is just months away at the earliest, according to Mark Gurman (88.7% accurate, via Bloomberg).

    • While not coining the M2 processor by name, Gurman says “Apple is planning a direct successor to the M1 processor” for the next MacBook Air and lower-end MacBook Pro models
    • The next generation ‘M2’ chip will still have 8 cores but will “run faster,” but the GPU cores will increase to 9 or 10 (from 7 or 8)
    • At the earliest, the redesigned MacBook Air will debut sometime near the end of 2021

    Our take: Staying with 8 CPU cores on base Macs makes sense considering how insane the M1 chip is already (I feel like more than this would be overkill ATM). But increasing the GPU cores? This is great news. The Mac has always lagged in this area, and call me crazy, but…could this be a preliminary road to Macs as serious gaming devices one day?