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This week’s top stories: New Mac upgrade options, WWDC expectations, iPhone 12 molds, more

Chance Miller | Jun 21 2020 - 6:42 am PT

In this week’s top stories: Apple Card expands financing, a new MacBook Pro GPU, WWDC 2020 expectations, and much more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest news.

Leading off this week, Apple Card officially added new financing options. The financing options vary by product. For example, higher-priced items like the Mac and iPad Pro offer 12-month financing with 0% interest. Cheaper items like AirPods and AirPods Pro offer 6-month financing with 0% interest. Get all of the details here.

Apple also added a pair of new upgrade options for Mac users this week. First, there is a new AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU option for build-to-order 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations. This is an $800 option. For Mac Pro, Apple is also now selling an SSD upgrade kit. This lets Mac Pro users change their internal SSD modules if they didn’t opt for the higher-capacity configs when the machine was purchased.

This week also brought some fresh App Store drama ahead of WWDC. Hey, a new subscription email application from the creators of Basecamp, was initially approved for the App Store. However, subsequent updates are being rejected by Apple because you can not sign up for the subscription through Apple’s In-App Purchase system. Phil Schiller is standing firm on the issue, and you can read our coverage here.

9to5Mac reported this week that the Podcasts app in iOS 14 will gain a variety of new features. This includes a new “For You” tab with reccomendations, as well as the ability for podcast creators to offer bonus content to subscribers.

WWDC 2020 officially kicks off on Monday, June 22. What can you expect at the event? We’ve got a full roundup right here that walks through everything to expect, and even what not to expect.

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

iOS |

iPhone |

Apple Watch |

Mac |

Apple TV |

Apps |

Tech Industry |

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This week’s top videos |

Back to the Mac 018: New iMac design preview [Video]

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 HabitMinder: Change your habits, change your life. HabitMinder helps you form healthy habits and stay accountable. Get started for free on iOS, Mac, and Apple Watch.

9to5Mac Watch Time episode #25 |

This week Zac joins the trio at the Apple Watchcast podcast to discuss what to expect from WWDC 2020. This episode includes a portion of the full episode and a special virtual 5K announcement at wwdc.tempo.run.

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9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how the Apple Watch is affecting their lives. 9to5Mac Watch Time is available on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and your favorite podcast player through RSS.

Happy Hour Podcast 282 |

This week Zac and Benjamin preview WWDC 2020, iOS 14, and much more.

Sponsored by:

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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.

Stacktrace Podcast 088 |

On this special episode of the show, John and Rambo are joined by Ellen Shapiro and Kaya Thomas for the grand WWDC20 Keynote Poker game. Bets, speculations, and discussions around what Apple might release next week at the 2020 edition of WWDC.

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

Apple @ Work Podcast |

Sponsored by iMazing: The popular iOS device manager which gives you unparalleled control over iOS and iPadOS data. Request your free trial now.

In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Adam Vazquez of Heard Podcasts to discuss business podcasts, why now is a great time for brands to start a podcast, and how to get started.

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

Apple @ Work and Making the Grade |

Apple @ Work is a weekly series from Bradley Chambers covering Apple in education. Bradley has been managing Apple devices in an education environment since 2009. Through his experience deploying and managing hundreds of Macs and hundreds of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple’s products work at scale, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for students.