Benjamin Mayo

In a report today from The New York Times, anonymous employees at Apple expressed their skepticism about the upcoming AR/VR headset, expected to be officially announced to the world at WWDC in June.

The NYT says that, unlike some other recent product launches, Apple has failed to rally all of its employees behind the project. Some employees have left the teams because they are not convinced the product will appeal to customers.

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that iOS 17 was originally destined to be a release focused on bug fixes and performance, and not so much new features. (Gurman previously said that work on the Apple Reality headset operating system had taken priority over iOS 17 feature development.)

However, Gurman says that the strategy deviated from the original plan and iOS 17 will now have some notable new features.

Apple TV+ became the first streaming service to win the prestigious Oscars Best Picture award last year, for Sundance acquisition CODA, but its overall film slate has been somewhat underwhelming so far.

Via Bloomberg, that may be set to change as Apple is significantly expanding its original films division to focus on blockbuster titles that will debut widely in theatres first, before arriving on the streaming service. Apple will purportedly spend $1 billion annually on its movie slate.

The Apple-Major League Baseball partnership continues. A weekly doubleheader lineup of baseball games will air on Fridays on Apple TV+, beginning April 7 with a matchup between the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs.

Last season, Apple made Friday Night Baseball available to all users for free — it was watchable by anyone with an Apple ID and access to the Apple TV app. That “limited time offer” has now gone away. For 2023, an Apple TV+ subscription is required to tune in to see the games.

A new deal between Foxconn and Apple will see AirPods manufactured in India for the first time. Via Reuters, Foxconn is investing $200 million in a new factory in India that will produce Apple’s wireless earbuds, among other products.

Although AirPods manufacturing offers much lower margins than what Foxconn makes on iPhone production, the company reportedly went ahead with the deal to “reinforce engagement” with Apple. Apple specifically requested an Indian production site, as the company prioritizes diversification from China.

Apple TV+ today premieres the new season of its biggest hit to date, with the release of the first episode of the third (and possibly final) season of the comedy series Ted Lasso.

The show is airing weekly on Wednesdays, a change from the service’s usual Friday scheduling. Season three is set to conclude the rivalry between AFC Richmond and West Ham United, with an impending showdown between Lasso and Nate Shelley.

For the 2022 Oscars, Apple TV+ had a landslide presence, becoming the first streaming service to win prestigious Best Picture award for CODA. This season was a much more muted affair for the streamer, with Apple’s film slate lacking anything substantive aside from Emancipation, which was tainted by the Will Smith association.

Nevertheless, last night, Apple TV+ picked up Best Animated Short Film for its original film The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse.

All reports point to Apple launching its mixed reality headset — an augmented reality and virtual reality capable device — this year, likely at WWDC in June. But the Financial Times this weekend notes that the decision to ship now has been divisive inside the company.

The report says that operations team led by Jeff Williams wanted to ship a technologically-advanced headset as soon as possible, even if the device would be bulky and expensive. Members of the design team disagreed, wanting to wait until lightweight AR glasses product was feasible. Cook backed operations.

The (non-revolutionary) yellow iPhone 14 and yellow iPhone 14 Plus are now available to order from the Apple Store, if for some reason you were holding out on upgrading lest a banana yellow color option.

First orders for the yellow iPhone 14 will ship on Tuesday, March 14. The iPhone 14 is otherwise identical, except for the yellow colored glass bezel and aluminium sides.

The Apple Store is down ahead of orders opening up for the new iPhone, the yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. The incredible addition to the iPhone lineup adds a new color option for the spring.

This matches the tradition of recent years, where Apple launches a color refresh mid-cycle. To coincide with the release, the company also launched new bands and case colors this week.

A new three-part docuseries on Real Madrid premieres today: watch Real Madrid: Until the End now on Apple TV+. The Apple show goes behind-the-scenes of the team’s legendary run in the Champions League 2022 season.

Apple TV+ has officially renewed its new comedy Shrinking, starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, for a second season. The show premiered in January and has seemingly struck a chord with audiences and critics alike.

Although Apple does not share viewing numbers, anecdotally, the show seems to be performing well relative to other Apple TV+ releases. It sits at the #1 spot on the US TV+ chart, although it will likely topple next week when “Ted Lasso” returns for its highly anticipated third season.

Apple today announced a new yellow colorway for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. This represents the usual spring color refresh for the iPhone line. No new color was announced for the higher-end iPhone 14 Pro series.

The yellow finish will be available to order beginning this Friday, with first units arriving to customers on March 14. Apple also refreshed its lineup of accessories today, so you can complement the new yellow iPhone with a new spring-themed iPhone case.

Apple and MLS launched MLS Season Pass last weekend, offering live streaming and on-demand viewing of all Major League Soccer games, as well as supporting content like original series and a hosted live whip-around show (called ‘MLS 360’) that features highlights from all the games happening that day.

In addition to Season Pass members, this show is now being made available to Apple TV+ subscribers too …

Apple TV+ today released the full official trailer for the third season of Ted Lasso, which premieres on March 15.

In season three, AFC Richmond returns to the English Premier League, albeit facing expectations the team will finish last in the table. Meanwhile, Nate is working with rival West Ham United. Watch the trailer after the break …

MLS Season Pass is the new subscription service, available on the Apple TV app, that lets customers watch every Major League Soccer game with no blackouts or regional restrictions. Each game will be streamed live, with replays and highlights available to watch on demand after. There’s also a hosted MLS 360 whip-around show to recap all the games taking place that day.

MLS Season Pass is priced at $14.99/month, or $99 or a season. Apple TV+ subscribers can get the pass at a discounted rate $12.99/month or $79 a season. Here’s more details on how to watch MLS this year.

Although the first-generation Apple headset is yet to be officially announced, the rumor mill is already full-steam ahead discussing the plans for the second generation of the device.

Today, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple expects to launch the second-generation headset in 2025. Unlike the first generation, which will only have one high-end model, the second generation will come in two models: a low-end and a high-end version.

Apple is expected to unveil its first-generation AR/VR headset hardware as soon as WWDC in June. But the first-generation device is expected to be packed with cutting-edge tech, like high-res displays, and many cameras and sensors — all those premium components come at a cost. The rumored price for “Apple Reality Pro” is $2,000-$3,000.

However, the rumor mill believes that Apple is targeting a cheaper — more consumer-friendly — device for the second generation. In fact, a report from Nikkei today says that Apple is already working with Foxconn on production planning for the cheaper headset.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook’s parent company Meta, has today announced plans for a subscription tier, offering account verification with government ID, a verified blue checkmark for Facebook and Instagram, and “direct access to customer support”.

The subscription plan called Meta Verified will cost $11.99/month if bought on the web, and $14.99 if bought through Facebook or Instagram’s iOS app, reflecting Apple’s 30% commission.