Chance Miller

Benjamin and Chance give their feedback on the new features unveiled in iOS 18 beta 5, including Distraction Control and significant Photos app design changes. Apple oversteps the mark with screen recording permission dialogs in macOS Sequoia, the DOJ wins their antitrust case against Google, game developers report frustrations with Apple Arcade, and more.

And in Happy Hour Plus, we speculate on which model M4 Mac will be getting a big overhaul this generation. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

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Apple is working on its first major redesign of the Mac mini since 2010, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The new Mac mini is slated for release later this year and will be “far smaller than its predecessor” with a new form factor similar to the Apple TV, the report explains.

At WWDC 2021, Apple announced its plans to bring support for digital IDs in Apple Wallet. Adoption of this feature has been slow and is currently limited to five states, with Ohio being the most recent addition as of last week.

On Monday, 9to5Mac reported that Apple’s home state of California is expected to launch support for digital IDs in Wallet soon. We’ve since also learned that there are two other states piloting the technology: Tennessee and Iowa.

Last week, an image gave us our first clear look at all of the planned iPhone 16 color options. Now, a new video from Aaron Zollo on YouTube gives us an even more detailed look at dummy units showing the five different colors for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.

As expected, Apple is rolling out iOS 17.6.1 for iPhone users and iPadOS 17.6.1 for iPad users today. Apple says the updates include bug fixes, including a fix for an issue related to Advanced Data Protection. Head below for the details.

Disney+ is finally about to begin rolling out its password sharing crackdown “in earnest,” according to Disney CEO Bob Iger. This change has been a long time in the making, with Disney first detailing its plans one year ago. It comes after Netflix successfully implemented anti-password sharing tactics last May.

Flighty, the ultra-powerful flight tracking app, has been updated to version 4.0 this week with some major new features. Using machine learning and robust aviation data, Flighty 4 can proactively warn you when your flight could be delayed – and give you the exact reason for that delay.

With macOS Sequoia this fall, using apps that need access to screen recording permissions will become a little bit more tedious. Apple is rolling out a change that will require you to give explicit permission on a weekly basis to these types of apps, and every time you reboot your Mac.

Update, August 7, 2024: Apple hasn’t commented on this change, despite an uproar from Mac users. On Mastodon, Craig Hockenberry points to a potential solution: the Persistent Content Capture entitlement. But as he succinctly puts it: “The issue here is that Apple has provided no documentation or any other guidance on how to get this entitlement.”

As far as I’m aware, this has also not been communicated to any developer who has proactively contacted Apple to ask about this pop-up in macOS Sonoma.

Disney has announced another round of price increases for all of its popular streaming services. Starting later this year, Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ will all become more expensive—as will the bundle that gives you all three of those services at a discounted rate.

This round of price increases comes almost exactly a year after the last round and a year after Disney+ and Hulu began cracking down on password sharing.

While much attention is focused on iOS 18 and iOS 18.1, the vast majority of iPhone users are still running iOS 17. For those iPhone users, Apple is prepping an iOS 17.6.1 update that will likely be released soon.

Paramount Plus is rolling out a new SpongeBob SquarePants-themed Environment for Apple Vision Pro users today. The new immersive experience, which also includes a jellyfish interactive game, takes Vision Pro users underwater and straight to Bikini Bottom. And it’s all in honor of 25 years of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Apple released iOS 18 beta 5 for developers today. The update is headlined by a new Safari feature and updates to the Photos app. There are also a few smaller changes throughout, which you can read more about below.

A federal judge today ruled that Google’s deals with Apple and other companies to be the default search engine violated antitrust law. As reported by Bloomberg, Judge Amit Mehta concluded that these agreements reduced competition in the search industry, giving Google an unfair advantage.

Disney+ has launched its fifth immersive Environment for Apple Vision Pro. Developed in collaboration with National Geographic, the new Iceland immersive experience in the Disney+ app on Vision Pro transports users to the snowy Thingvellir National Park.

Disney+ is also expanding its collection of 3D content available on Vision Pro with new Marvel movies.

iOS 18 beta 5 is now available for developers. The update comes two weeks after iOS 18 beta 4 was released, and one week after Apple also started beta testing iOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence features.

Alongside a new Distraction Control feature for Safari, today’s release of iOS 18 beta 5 also brings some notable changes to the Photos app. In response to user feedback, Apple has made changes to the Photos interface, such as removing the new Carousel view, tweaking the location of albums, and more.

With today’s release of iOS 18 beta 5 and macOS Sequoia beta 5 developers, Apple is rolling out a new feature for Safari called Distraction Control. This feature is designed to give users more control over their web browsing experience by making it easy to block certain elements on web pages, such as sign-in popups and other content overlays.

It’s hard to deny that Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch Ultra is a design ripoff of the Apple Watch Ultra. Or, that the Galaxy Buds 3 are an AirPods clone. Apparently, even Samsung’s chairman is fed up with the copycat designs, leading to turmoil inside Samsung’s mobile division.

Apple has revealed its full earnings report for the fiscal third quarter of 2024. The company reported $85.78 billion in revenue during the three-month period, covering April, May, and June. Net profit for the quarter came in at $21.45 billion, and earnings-per-share hit $1.40. This marks a new June quarter revenue record and earnings-per-share record.

Head below for the full breakdown of Apple’s earnings for fiscal Q3 2024.

Apple has officially filed a motion to dismiss the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit filed in May. Apple argues the case should be dismissed because the DOJ’s lawsuit does not meet the legal standards required to prove a violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act.

Following a look at the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus yesterday, we’re now getting clearer look at the iPhone 16 Pro. A new image posted to social media by Sonny Dickson today shows off the iPhone 16 Pro in three colors, including a new space black-style color that is significantly darker than this year’s iPhone 15 Pro…