Rumors have been strongly suggesting that Apple will adopt LTPO displays in the iPhone 13 this year, which will enable higher refresh rates up to 120Hz. Although some reports have assumed that only a single model of the iPhone 13 will feature this new technology, analyst Ross Young believes that this will not be the case.

It’s your last chance to enter to win Apple’s 12.9″ iPad Pro courtesy of ALOGIC. You can also get 30% off the company’s new Rapid USB-C Wall Chargers on Amazon for a limited time. Head below for more on the new ALOGIC chargers and to enter the giveaway now.

Microsoft this week updated its Remote Desktop client for macOS, which allows users to access their computer through another device remotely. The latest update brought native support for the M1 chip, as well as some new features.

As rumors about a potential 24-inch Apple Silicon iMac continue to swirl, various models of the current 21.5-inch iMac are significantly back-ordered from Apple’s Online Store. Many models are also unavailable for pickup from Apple Stores around the United States, but this could be due to chip shortages.

In an open letter being sent to artists today (below), Apple for the first time broke down how it pays artists for streams on the service. It said the average play rate is $0.01 per stream, but it didn’t break down specific streaming rates that vary based on geography and discounted Apple Music plans.

Some of the highlights:

• Apple said it paid an average of $0.01 per stream for individual paid plans last year
• It paid the same 52% headline rate to all labels
• Royalties were paid out for more than 5 million recording artists worldwide in 2020
• The number of artists that generated recording and publishing royalties over $1 million per year increased over 120% since 2017
• The number of recording artists that generated over $50,000 per year has more than doubled.

Apple said the open letter will be part of a new ongoing series to keep artists informed:

On March 13, 2020, Apple closed all of its retail stores outside of Greater China in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. As regions around the world eased and imposed new restrictions, Apple reopened stores with additional safety procedures and temporarily reclosed other locations. In the US, each state responded differently to the virus, which may leave you wondering: is my Apple Store open?

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Earlier this week, Roku made some Apple-related announcements including HomeKit and AirPlay 2 coming to its HD streaming devices and a dedicated Apple TV+ button coming on the Voice Remote Pro. However, it looks like early buyers of the remote won’t necessarily see that change due to a last-minute deal between the companies.

VOCOlinc is one of the best manufacturers of HomeKit products, and I’ve grown to appreciate their hardware quality and software quality. For the last few weeks, I’ve been testing the VOCOlinc T Guard Smart Lock to see how it works with HomeKit.

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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This week join 9to5Mac’s Zac Hall and Benjamin Mayo to discuss Apple’s upcoming Spring Loaded event, expectations for iPad Pro updates and Mac releases, iPhone 14 rumors, and much more.

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Back in 2019, Apple joined Amazon, Google, the Zigbee Alliance, and over 170 other companies to work on a new smart home standard called CHIP. After some delays, new smart home devices will be able to get certification for CHIP late this year which means we could see the first products arrive on the market in Q4.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is set to release an open letter to artists later today. Most significantly, the letter says that Apple Music pays one cent per stream. That is roughly twice what Spotify pays, according to estimates.

Streaming services are trying to show that they are friendly to artists, especially as revenue from concerts and tours cratered during the pandemic. In the same vein, Apple recently invested in an independent music artist platform called UnitedMasters.

From 9to5Mac’s new sister site ConnectTheWatts:

One of the selling points of the newer, upgraded, and more expensive Peloton Bike+ was the inclusion of the Apple GymKit, an Apple platform that makes it very easy to pair the bike with your Apple Watch to see your heart rate and have your workouts directly imported into Apple Fitness and Apple Health. But Apple’s relationship with Peloton has always been a dicey one and a move this week by the rising star of connected fitness might disappoint users of both platforms.

Ahead of next week’s “Spring Loaded” Apple event, rumors continue to suggest that a new Apple Pencil could be on the way. Following earlier reports of a new Apple Pencil 3, a video posted to Twitter today claims to offer a closer look at the changes — or lack thereof — that could be on the way.

Apple today released its Environmental Progress Report for 2021 with a central focus on its previously-announced goals to reach net carbon neutrality for all of its supply chain and products by 2030. Apple’s own operations have been carbon neutral since April 2020 (h/t setteBIT).

The 2021 report reviews the significant steps towards lowering environmental impacts of its products over the last year, and projects Apple’s progress towards net zero emissions from now until 2030.

It is now possible to buy new audiobooks and add them to your Audible library without having to use the web browser. (Update: Some readers are telling us they have had this ability for a while. We have reached out to Audible for clarity.)

With an Audible membership, users get (at least) one credit per month to spend to buy and own an Audible book forever. Before today, iOS users were forced to visit the Audible.com website to actually spend these credits. But now, this functionality is available directly inside the native Audible app on iPhone and iPad.

EverythingApplePro’s latest video includes 3D-printed mockups and renders based on leaked schematics currently being used by accessory makers as they prepare for the fall iPhone 13 launch.

Notably, the diagonal layout of the rear cameras seen earlier this week is corroborated, coming to both the base model iPhone 13 and the 13 mini. The iPhone 13 Pro Max keeps the same camera module layout but the individual lenses are significantly larger, and the overall module sticks out farther from the phone’s body.