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  • New survey reveals most/least popular iMac colors, popularity of AirTag & more

    New survey reveals most/least popular iMac colors, popularity of AirTag & more

    The survey: New findings in an April survey from SellCell reveals a number of interesting data points about Apple’s recent product releases.

    • M1 iMac color selection, from most to least popular: Blue (33.4%), Silver (30.1%), Green (13.4%), Purple (8.9%), Yellow (6.8%), Pink (4.1%), Orange (3.3%)
    • “Over six in 10 (61%) iPhone and iPad users intend to buy the new AirTag, while 39% aren’t interested” SellCell reports
    • 82% of survey respondents want to see Face ID come to future Macs
    • For iPhone 13, the return of Touch ID is currently the most anticipated feature

    Our take: I assumed blue would be the most popular iMac color, but I had no idea that yellow, pink and orange would all be relatively unpopular. That being said, I don’t think that there’s any world where 6 out of 10 iOS users buy AirTag…

  • Unsubstantiated rumor says ‘Apple Switch’ is in the works

    Unsubstantiated rumor says ‘Apple Switch’ is in the works

    The (sketchy) rumor: New information originating from a Korean forum suggests that Apple is working on a portable gaming device similar to the Nintendo Switch.

    • The portable gaming hybrid device is said to feature a chip different from the A/M-series with “enhanced GPU performance and ray tracing support”
    • No other credible rumors suggest that Apple is developing something like this, and the same source says Apple is developing games with Ubisoft

    Our take: I think this rumor is probably conflating the Apple gaming controller that reliable sources have said is in the works with Apple’s broader gaming strategy of bringing more games to Apple Arcade. I doubt we will ever see this come to fruition because, well, we already have the iPhone…

  • New M1 iMac is significantly faster than older models, on-par with other M1 devices

    New M1 iMac is significantly faster than older models, on-par with other M1 devices

    The news: The first benchmarks for the newly redesigned iMac models have surfaced, found first by MacRumors.

    • Performance on the iMac’s M1 chip is on-par with other M1 devices like the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini
    • Compared to the older 21.5-inch iMac models that this computer is replacing, the single-core scores are over 50% faster and multi-core scores are over 20% faster

    Our take: While I was really hoping there would be some better M1 performance in the new iMac, it seems like it is basically the same as all the other M1 computers. For anyone with an older 21.5-inch iMac, however, this will be a monumental upgrade.

  • M1 iPad Pro is now fastest iOS device by 33%

    M1 iPad Pro is now fastest iOS device by 33%

    The news: The first iPad Pro benchmarks have been uploaded and the performance as just as mind-numbing as expected (via MacRumors).

    • With single-core scores hovering around 1715 and multi-core scores in as high as 7262, the M1 chip on iPad Pro is the fastest iOS device by 33.8% when comparing the top two highest iOS multi-core scores of all time
      • The previous iOS multi-core high score was 4809 on the 2020 iPad Pro with A12X inside
    • This M1 chip on iPad Pro sees almost identical performance to the Macs with M1 chip inside

    Our take: This performance is ridiculous and is sure to position the iPad Pro in a peculiar spot on the market. At the point, no other tablet even gets close to the performance on the iPad Pro…

  • iOS/iPadOS 14.6 beta 3 released to developers

    iOS/iPadOS 14.6 beta 3 released to developers

    The news: The third beta of iOS 14.6 has been released to developers.

    • Code in iOS 14.6 has indicated that Apple is working on a HiFi version of Apple Music and preliminarily supports Apple Card Family
    • 9to5Mac discovered that iOS 14.6 beta 3 now allows you to use an email Adress instead of phone number for AirTag recovery

    Our take: Considering there is almost 0 forward-facing changes so far in iOS 14.6, it definitely feels like Apple is holding a lot back for a larger release in the future (e.g. Apple Music HiFi hidden until publicly announced).

  • First look at next MacBook Air shows new design, colors & more

    First look at next MacBook Air shows new design, colors & more

    The leak: Apple’s next MacBook Air will feature an all-new design and more, according to Jon Prosser (77.6% accurate).

    • The new design is not tapered, but rather completely flat and nearly as thin as the USB-C port on the side
    • Prosser mentions that the exact sizing of the display is a guess, but the bezels on this prototype are white
    • An updated keyboard features full-size function row keys and the same Touch ID sensor as the new iMac keyboards
    • The rubber feet on the bottom of the MacBook Air have been swapped for two long rubber bars

    Our take: I think this design looks phenomenal, and it seriously seems like this is as thin as they can go. We’ve seen a lot of Apple’s new base silicon designs, but I’m still most excited to see the next M-series of Pro models…

  • 2023 iPhones may include Apple-designed 5G modem

    2023 iPhones may include Apple-designed 5G modem

    The rumor: An Apple-designed 5G modem will debut in just a couple of years, according to Ming-Chi Kuo (76.6% accurate).

    • A 5G modem designed by Apple may debut as soon as 2023, as Apple plans to stop using Qualcomm’s modems
    • Apple is pushing forward on their quest to design and produce more and more of the components inside the iPhone

    Our take: Seeing this makes me think about other parts of the iPhone that Apple might want to design and manufacture one day. Will Apple-designed screens and less of a reliance on Samsung’s tech be next?

  • Apple’s next MacBook Air could come in blue & more colors

    Apple’s next MacBook Air could come in blue & more colors

    The rumor: Apple may be updating the new MacBook Air with fresh colors, according to Jon Prosser (77.6% accurate).

    • Prosser’s source, who hasn’t been wrong yet, claims to have seen a blue MacBook Air prototype recently…sparking parallels to the revamped colors on the new iMac
    • Apple could be updating the MacBook Air with a thinner and lighter design as soon as sometime later this year

    Our take: This is wonderful news and it lines up with a more general strategy that I see Apple deploying with fun colors for their lower-end products and serious shades for their higher-end offerings. People love colors and most people aren’t buying Pro Apple products.

  • Download the new M1 iMac wallpapers here

    Download the new M1 iMac wallpapers here

    The wallpapers: Bundled with each of the new M1 iMac models is a host of new wallpapers that happen to all be a part of the “hello” branding.

    • There are 7 new light and dark mode wallpapers that ship with the redesigned iMacs
    • 9to5Mac has extracted the wallpapers from the latest version of macOS and you can download them below
  • Video shows first look at iPhone 13 Pro Max model

    Video shows first look at iPhone 13 Pro Max model

    The leak: Our first proper hands-on look at the iPhone 13 Pro Max has been shared on YouTube by Unbox Therapy.

    • A smaller notch with a relocated speaker can be seen on the front of the upcoming iPhone 13 Pro Max
    • The camera module is also a bit larger year-over-year when compared to last year’s iPhone 12 Pro Max

    Our take: This is one of the most realistic-looking iPhone models that I’ve ever seen. Props to Lew for doing a solid job of showing the device off. Looks pretty similar to iPhone 12 Pro Max overall, though.

  • iOS 14.5.1 update released with App Tracking Transparency fixes

    iOS 14.5.1 update released with App Tracking Transparency fixes

    The news: Apple just released the first bug-fix update to iOS 14.5 after its major launch last week.

    • “This update fixes an issue with App Tracking Transparency where some users who previously disabled Allow Apps to Request to Track in Settings may not receive prompts from apps after re-enabling it. This update also provides important security updates and is recommended for all users.” Apple says
    • Many users, including myself, reported issues with ATT not working as expected