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This week’s top stories: 2020 iMac details, iOS 14 beta changes, Phil Schiller’s new role, more

In this week’s top stories: iOS 14 beta 4 released to developers and public beta users, a new iMac, Phil Schiller’s new role at Apple, and much more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest news.

After several months of rumors, Apple officially debuted a new 27-inch iMac this week. While the new iMac features the same design as its predecessor, it packs the latest 10th generation Intel processors, SSD storage across the board, the T2 security chip, and a 1080p webcam for the first time.

The base model features a six-core CPU, 8 GB RAM, a Radeon Pro 5300 GPU, and a 256 GB SSD. The new 27-inch iMacs start at $1,799 and are available to order and ship this week.

As for the 21.5-inch iMac, the only change Apple has made there is that the base configuration now includes an SSD, though you can switch to a Fusion Drive as a build-to-order option if you simply want the most storage possible at the lowest price.

In other news, Apple on Tuesday announced that Phil Schiller will transition into a new Apple Fellow role. Schiller has long served as Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, but most of those responsibilities will now be occupied by Apple’s Greg Joswiak.

As an Apple Fellow, Schiller will continue to lead Apple Events and the App Store, but Joswiak will now serve as the senior vice president of worldwide marketing. Schiller says that his new role will allow him to spend more time with his family and pursue “a few personal projects” that he cares deeply about. Read the full announcement from Apple here.

The beta testing for Apple’s latest operating systems continued this week. iOS 14 beta 4 was released to developers and public beta testers, bringing several new features including support for the COVID-19 Exposure Notification API. There are also new widgets for the TV app, allowing you to quickly view and access your Up Next queue.

Finally, Apple also released the fourth developer beta of macOS 11 Big Sur with support for watching YouTube in 4K in Safari. Apple also released the first public beta of macOS 11 Big Sur this week, allowing the general public to try the new features before the official release to everyone this fall.

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Apple/Google AI partnership, AirPods 4 rumors 9to5Mac Daily

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Sponsored by DirecTV Stream: The best way to watch every single NCAA March Madness game on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Save $30 and start watching now.  Introducing 9to5Mac Daily Plus! Support Chance directly with 9to5Mac Daily Plus and unlock:  Ad-free versions of every episode Monthly bonus episodes  Join for $5 per month or $50 a year at 9to5mac.com/join.  New episodes of 9to5Mac Daily are recorded every weekday. Subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available. Stories discussed in this episode: Mass production of two new AirPods models to start in May, targeting fall release Walmart begins selling the Mac for the first time: M1 MacBook Air for $699 [Updated] Apple might use Google Gemini to power some iPhone AI features Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Overcast RSS Spotify TuneIn Google Podcasts Catch up on 9to5Mac Daily episodes! Don’t miss out on our other daily podcasts: Quick Charge 9to5Toys Daily Share your thoughts! Drop us a line at happyhour@9to5mac.com. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show. Also, connect with us in the official 9to5Mac Discord server with forums, chatrooms, and more!
  1. Apple/Google AI partnership, AirPods 4 rumors
  2. M4 MacBook Pro rumors, Apple AI acquisition
  3. Potential TikTok ban, Apple Sports update
  4. The latest iPad Pro and iPad Air rumors
  5. New App Store changes, Apple Car specs

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to chance@9to5mac.com