Top Stories

This week’s top stories: New features in iOS 14.5, the latest on Apple Car, and much more

Chance Miller | Feb 7 2021 - 9:36 am PT

In this week’s top stories: iOS 14.5 brings new iPhone and Apple Watch features, new rumors about Apple’s mixed-reality headset, the latest on Apple Car, and much more. Read on for all of this week’s top Apple Stories.

iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4

Apple this week released the first developer and public betas of iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4. There are also new betas of iPadOS 14.5, tvOS 14.5, and macOS Big Sur 11.3.

Perhaps most notably, iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 include a major change to the integration between iPhone and Apple Watch. For the first time, you can now use your Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone when you’re wearing a face mask.

There are other changes too, such as new privacy features, global dual-SIM 5G support, support for the latest Xbox and Playstation controls, and more. Check out our full hands-on video for all of the details.

Apple Headset

A new report from The Information this week offered a variety of specific details on Apple’s plans for a mixed-reality headset.

The report explained that the mixed-reality headset Apple is developing will be equipped with more than a dozen cameras for tracking hand movements and showing video of the real world to people wearing it. There would also be ultra-high-resolution 8K displays and advanced technology for tracking eye-tracking.

In terms of price, the report suggested that Apple has internally suggested a price of $3,000 for the Apple Headset — underscoring that it will be a very niche product. Apple is reportedly aiming to ship the headset as soon as 2022.

Apple Car

Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo corroborated reports this week that Apple could team up with Hyundai on Apple Car production. Kuo suggested that the vehicle will use Hyundai’s electric car chassis known as E-GMP.

Specs of the E-GMP chassis include: range of over 300 miles on a full charge, and fast-charging gets it up to 80% capacity within 18 minutes. The maximum top speed is 160 mph, and 0-60 mph time is less than 3.5 seconds.

Then, CNBC and a local newspaper both reported that Apple and Hyundai were nearing finalization of the deal, and that it could be worth as much as $3.6 billion.

But on Friday evening, Bloomberg published a new report suggesting that Apple and Hyundai have recently paused their negotiations in regards to Apple Car. It’s unclear when, or if, the talks will resume.

These and the rest of this week’s top stories below.

iOS |

iPhone |

Apple Watch |

Mac |

iPad |

Apple Car |

Apple TV |

Apps |

AAPL Company |

This week’s top videos |

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.

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iOS 27 expectations, AI products – 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 Stuff: Stuff helps you get everything out of your head and into a simple, elegant system—closing open loops and reducing mental stress. Use code 9TO5 at checkout for 50% off your first year. 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: Apple Music and TikTok team up on new 'Listening Party' feature, more iOS 27 to include code cleanup and interface tweaks in hopes to boost battery life: report Apple accelerating work on three new AI wearables, per report Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Overcast RSS Spotify TuneIn Google Podcasts Subscribe to support Chance directly with 9to5Mac Daily Plus and unlock: Ad-free versions of every episode Bonus content 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.

9to5Mac Watch Time |

Jeff Benjamin joins Zac Hall to give Apple Watch Series 3 and Series 5 an exit interview before new models are announced. 9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how Apple Watch is affecting their lives.

Sponsored by Pillow: Pillow is an all-in-one sleep tracking solution to help you get a better night’s sleep. Download it from the App Store today.

Week 6 – 9to5Mac Watch Time

This week on Watch Time join 9to5Mac's Zac Hall and Tempo developer Rahul Matta in the final episode of this podcast "season". 9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how Apple Watch is affecting their lives. Subscribe now to catch up with each episode and automatically hear new episodes as soon as they’re released every two weeks: 🟣 Apple Podcasts | 🟠 Overcast | 🟢 Spotify Follow Zac Instagram @apollozac Twitter @apollozac SpaceExplored.com Follow Rahul Matta Twitter @rmatta Twitter @TempoLog Blog indie.sh Follow 9to5Mac Instagram @9to5mac Twitter @9to5mac Facebook YouTube.com/9to5Mac Listen & Subscribe Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast RSS Read More Toning down the Apple Watch: Tips and feature requests to avoid being overwhelmed Apple releases watchOS 7.4.1 with security improvements Apple Watch blood sugar and blood pressure measurement could be a step closer watchOS 7.4 brings iPhone mask unlock feature for Apple Watch Enjoy the podcast? Shop Apple at Amazon to support 9to5Mac Watch Time!

9to5Mac Happy Hour Podcast |

9to5Mac Happy Hour is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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More Siri delays, imminent new hardware, and Apple’s upcoming 50th birthday – 9to5Mac Happy Hour

Benjamin and Chance react to the disappointing news shared by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that the new Siri features are facing even more delays, but in happier news, a bunch of iPhones, iPads and Macs are due for an imminent refresh. Meanwhile, Tim Cook reminisces ahead of Apple’s 50th birthday. And in Happy Hour Plus, thoughts on the design of the Ferrari Luce and Jony Ive’s sniping comments about his former employer. Sponsored by Shopify: See less carts go abandoned and more sales. Sign up for a $1 per month trial at shopify.com/happyhour. Sponsored by Square: Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/happyhour. Sponsored by 1Password: Take the first step to better security by securing your team’s credentials. Find out more at 1password.com/happyhour and start securing every login. Hosts Chance Miller @ChanceHMiller on Twitter @ChanceHMiller on Instagram @ChanceHMiller on Threads Benjamin Mayo @bzamayo on Twitter @bzamayo@mastodon.social @bzamayo on Threads Subscribe, Rate, and Review Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus Subscribe to 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus! Support Benjamin and Chance directly with Happy Hour Plus! 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus includes: Ad-free versions of every episode Pre- and post-show content Bonus episodes Join for $5 per month or $50 a year at 9to5mac.com/join. Feedback Submit #Ask9to5Mac questions on Twitter, Mastodon, or Threads Email us feedback and questions to happyhour@9to5mac.com Links iOS 26.3: Here's what's new for your iPhone Apple releases iOS 26.3 for iPhone, here's what's new iOS 26.4: Here's when Apple will release the first beta Report: M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro could launch 'as early as' March 2nd New iPhone launching this month with four key changes: report iPhone 17e 'due imminently' with three key upgrades, no price change: report New MacBook Air coming soon: Here's what we know Apple's cheapest iPad to get Apple Intelligence support at just the right time Apple reportedly pushing back Gemini-powered Siri features beyond iOS 26.4 Apple’s iOS 26.4 Siri Update Runs Into Snags in Internal Testing; iOS 26.5, 27 Tim Cook promises Apple will celebrate its upcoming 50th anniversary Latest macOS 26.3 beta adds to signs that new Macs are imminent Leak suggests Apple's M5 Pro and M5 Max may be the same chip Apple reportedly bringing third-party AI chatbots to CarPlay Apple Plans to Allow Outside Voice-Controlled AI Chatbots in CarPlay Apple removing 'iTunes Wish List' feature, here's how to migrate selections New iPad and iPad Air models should be launching soon, but don't get too excited iTunes might be more popular than you think, per report Ferrari reveals name and interior of its first electric car | Electrek Jony Ive Ferrari interior might be a glimpse of the Apple Car Wired Interview with Jony Ive

Stacktrace Podcast |

Stacktrace by 9to5Mac is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Guardian Firewall: Advanced security and privacy control for your iPhone and iPad, powered by the team who spent years reverse-engineering iOS to help you take back control. Download the app to receive 3 days free with zero commitment or $10 off Guardian Pro at www.guardianapp.com/stacktrace.

Sponsored by Kandji: A modern, cloud-based platform for centrally managing and securing your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices, saving IT teams countless hours of manual work with features like one-click compliance templates and 150+ pre-built automations, apps, and workflows. Request access.

Stacktrace has moved! – Stacktrace

As we've mentioned in the last episode, the Stacktrace podcast is no longer a part of the 9to5Mac network. If you're seeing this entry in your podcast player, then you probably need to unfollow Stacktrace and follow the podcast again. Start by unfollowing the show in your podcast player, then just search for "Stacktrace" and follow the show again. You'll notice that the updated show has a new artwork and that episode 179 has already been released there. To learn more about how to listen to Stacktrace, check out our new website. Thanks for listening!

Apple @ Work Podcast |

Apple @ Work by 9to5Mac is available on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, and via RSS for other podcast players.

Sponsored by Kandji: A modern, cloud-based platform for centrally managing and securing your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices, saving IT teams countless hours of manual work with features like one-click compliance templates and 150+ pre-built automations, apps, and workflows. Request access.

SaaS sprawl is a real problem for Apple IT admins – Apple @ Work

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple. In this episode of Apple @ Work, I am joined by Justin Etkins from Tropic to talk about SaaS sprawl and how Apple IT admins should be thinking about it in the AI era. Links Organize the Chaos in Vendor and Security Management Listen and subscribe Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify Pocket Casts Castro RSS Listen to Past Episodes